Lorenzo Charles, best known for his winning dunk in the 1983 NCAA championship game, died on Monday when the bus he was driving crashed in Raleigh, N.C. The 47-year old Charles was driving on Interstate 40 near N.C. Highway 54. The owner of the bus company, Elite Coach, confirmed that Charles was driving the bus. No other cars were involved in the accident and no passengers were on board.
Charles put his name in NCAA Tournament lore when he grabbed Derrick Whittenburg’s desperation airball and dunked it as time expired to seal North Carolina State’s championship win over the heavily-favored Houston Cougars.
