The retirement of legendary Duke Blue Devils men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski took an odd turn on Thursday as he kicked off his retirement press conference by doing something rather out of character for his normally stoic self. Entering the press conference where he formally announced that he would retire at the end of the 2021-22 season, the 74 year old danced to "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada after making his way to the podium.
For those unfamiliar with the culture of Duke basketball, it made for a quaint highlight easily spread on social media platforms.
However, there is a precise reason why Coach K was dancing to "Everything We Touch."
Coach K entered his presser to "Everytime We Touch" 🔥
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) June 3, 2021
Salute to the Cameron Crazies pic.twitter.com/Pp6SDdUurU
As documented in a 2016 piece by The Chronicle, "Everytime We Touch" caught on for the Blue Devils in the mid-2000s when Duke's band started incorporating more modern songs into its playlist -- including the 2005 foreign hit by German pop act Cascada.
The song immediately became loved by the Cameron Crazies, who soon choreographed a dance around the intense theme.
"Even when we started playing it, nobody thought it would become a tradition," Greg Caiola, the former secretary of Duke's band, told The Chronicle. "It goes with the excitement level, and Cameron Crazies are already known to jump without reason."
Thursday's moment kicks off a last dance for Krzyzewski, the winningest coach in the history of college basketball and an unimpeachable figure in the history of Duke basketball. After taking over as coach of the Blue Devils in 1980, Krzyzewski has led Duke to five national championships as well as 12 appearances in the Final Four, 15 ACC Tournament triumphs and 12 ACC regular season triumphs.
Krzyzewski has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times, and has already been inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
