Michael Jordan Letter: Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski Wishes Future Star 'Very Best' In 1980 (PHOTO)

Every college coach has tales of the recruit that got away. But there is only one of those recruits that went on to become Michael Jordan.

While his tremendous success at Duke suggests that Mike Krzyzewski has fewer misses than many of his colleagues, here is the letter from October 1980 that proves he did miss out on MJ.

The 1980-81 season, when this letter was written, was Coach K's first in Durham after five seasons at Army. Meanwhile, Dean Smith was already an established hoops icon at UNC in nearby Chapel Hill. Jordan would play for Smith the following season.

(H/T Darren Rovell on WhoSay)

Previously unearthed by The Windy Citizen in 2011, Darren Rovell of ESPN has recirculated the letter via Twitter and it's "what if?" potential is still staggering.

As Krzyzewski predicted, Jordan did make an impact at his eventual destination. Playing for Coach K's Tobacco Road rival, Jordan hit the game-winning shot as UNC won the 1982 national championship in his freshman season. A first-team All-American as a sophomore and junior, he swept the Naismith and Wooden awards in 1984 before entering the NBA Draft.