Brands
About
Life at CBC
Careers
News
Contact

Menu

Brands
About
Life at CBC
Careers
News
Contact

Search

Search

Close this search box.

WRAL Hardwood Magicians

WRAL Hardwood Magicians

Andrea Osborne
September 10, 2015
News

Years before the 1992 Olympic basketball “Dream Team” with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, David Robinson, and Charles Barkley – there was the 1963 WRAL Hardwood Magicians!

WRAL Hardwood Magicians — The WRAL Hardwood Magicians

Pictured (left) are seven of the 10 WRAL Hardwood Magicians. These former college basketball players laced up their Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars and made numerous appearances in the Channel 5 viewing area.

Who are these guys? The back row, left to right, shows Whitey Bell who played for NC State and then for the NY Knicks , Bob MacGillivray – a forward who played for NC State in 1960, Grey Poole – played for the Tar Heels 1957-1960, and our own Nick Pond – a forward for NC State and then legendary sportscaster on WRAL. The front row, left to right, features Everett Norton, Tom Little, and Denny Lutz – a guard for NC State. Not pictured is Bob DiStefano who played center for the Wolfpack and Olin Broadway played for Wake Forest University 1956-1959. Plus, hold on to your hat, Roman Gabriel who broke many records when he played quarterback for the Wolfpack and was the 2^nd overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft. He played 11 years for the L.A. Rams and five years for the Philadelphia Eagles!

The Channel 5 Basketball team played in the National Biddy Basketball League in Rocky Mount and won top league honors with a 12-2 record.

Thanks to Corp’s Pam Allen for this capcom story. Pam Parris Allen is a former WRAL newscast producer/director who now works as a researcher and producer on the CBC History Project.

PrevPreviousBulls Announce 2015 Goodmon Award Winners

NextJared Sandberg Exercises Patience in Year One as Bulls ManagerNext

Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company working for and serving the community.

Follow us online:

Twitter Linkedin

Search

Search

Explore

Brands
About
Life at CBC
Careers
News
Contact

Brands
About
Life at CBC
Careers
News
Contact

Get in Touch

We’d love to hear from you. Send us a message.

2619 Western Blvd.
Raleigh, NC 27606

P: (919) 890-6000
F: (919) 890-6095

© Copyright 2025 Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Use | Privacy Notice | Advertising Terms and Conditions