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When the concerned Iron Dukes were complaining three years earlier, athletic director Tom Butters had preached patience. Then Butters gave Krzyzewski a contract extension in 1984.

It all paid off when the stellar 1982 recruiting class, as seniors, went 37-2 before losing to Louisville in the title game.

Later, with the seniors charming the assembled at the post-game press conference, the program was hailed as a shining example that athletics and academics were not mutually exclusive elements of the college athlete's experience.

That Final Four trip began a string in which the Blue Devils reached six Final Fours in seven years.

CAL 82 | DUKE 77

MARCH 20, 1993

CHICAGO -- Bobby Hurley played the game of his life (career-high 32 points) and earned a standing ovation from Mike Krzyzewski at game's end.

Still Jason Kidd and Cal were better forcing Krzyzewski to say goodbye to the most successful, grittiest, best point guard he'd ever coached.

"The loss doesn't mean a damn thing," Krzyzewski said after the game, wiping tears from his eyes, "because I'll win for the rest of my life because of the experiences of these last few years."

CLEMSON 75 | DUKE 70

JAN. 4, 1995

DURHAM -- The stress of the 1994 season didn't wane as the 1995 season began. Mike Krzyzewski needed offseason back surgery and returned after just 10 days for a surgery that required between six to 12 weeks.

It was too much, too soon. By the ACC opener, Krzyzewski had run himself into the ground. It crashed down on him when No. 11 Duke lost to Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Two days later, Krzyzewski announced he would not be at Duke's next game. Three weeks and five more losses later, Krzyzewski would step down for the rest of the season.

Krzyzewski had been dealing with heavier and heavier demands on his time since winning titles in 1991 and 1992 and couldn't say no. His wife, Mickie, warned him and told him he had to make changes if he wanted to continue to coach. Krzyzewski later admitted he often didn't heed her advice during the time leading to his sabbatical.

After taking himself away from the program he loved, realizing how right his wife was, Krzyzewski would cut back significantly on his schedule, and he started shifting more work to his assistants in order to rest more and have more time for his family.

VCU 79 | DUKE 77

MARCH 15, 2007

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Duke lost in overtime to N.C. State in an ACC Tournament first-round game and fell to a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke guard Gerald Henderson, the team's hottest player at the time, had been suspended for that ACC Tournament for committing a flagrant foul during a loss at North Carolina days earlier. But the Devils were at full strength facing Virginia Commonwealth when they lost.

The youngest Duke team since World War II lost six games by six or fewer points including this final game. The Devils finished 22-11. They exited the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 and ended a string of nine straight trips to the NCAA regional semifinals.

They were mediocre by Duke standards, something Duke had rarely been under Krzyzewski.

After the loss Krzyzewski said, "Playing in the NCAA Tournament is not a birthright."

The way the season went, the way outsiders seemed to be jumping on the Devils when they were down, the way everyone seemed to hate Duke -- Krzyzewski had had enough of that.

During the offseason, Krzyzewski and his staff reevaluated everything they had been doing, from strategy to the logistics of traveling to how and when they talked to the media.

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