North Carolina State University Athletics
Frank Weedon's Wolfpack Bowl Memories
12/23/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
1963 Liberty Bowl-Mississippi State 16 NC State 12: "The story of that game was that there was no publicity on the game in Philadelphia because some protested the decision to bring in two southern teams that didn't feature any black players. About the only publicity the game got was about the protesters outside the stadium. As it turned out, it was a pretty good game although we lost 16-12. Only about eight thousand fans showed up in a stadium that had attracted about one hundred thousand people for the Army-Navy game. It was so cold that a lot of our fans got frostbite on their feet. The temperature was around eight degrees and the wind chill factor was below zero. In the press box, Wally Ausley, Bill Jackson and I were sitting in the radio booth. You could get a cup of coffee and before you were finished it would have a thin layer of ice on it. You couldn't go to the bathroom because the urinals froze in the press box that day."
1967 Liberty Bowl-NC State 14 Georgia 7: "This was probably the most significant bowl game the Wolfpack ever played in. The key to that game was the white shoes defense that had carried us all season. State moved out in front 14-7 in the fourth quarter and had to protect the lead. Georgia had a first down at our 10-yard line with about a minute and a half to go, but the white shoes defense stopped them. When we got the ball back, Georgia blocked a punt and returned the ball back to the nine-yard line. But once again, the white shoes defense stopped them. At the end of the year, Sports Illustrated ended up ranking us seventh in the nation. That was probably coach (Earle) Edwards' best team and maybe State's best team ever."
1978 Tangerine Bowl-NC State 30 Pittsburgh 17: "Pitt had won the National Championship the year before and when their players were asked whether or not they wanted to go to the Tangerine Bowl, they voted no. But as it turned out, the school's administration decided that they would go. They were very lackadaisical and we beat them 30-17. They had so many great activities for the players at the Tangerine Bowl, which is now the Citrus Bowl. The players and fans that went on that one had a great time."
1979-The bowl game that wasn't: "Going into the last regular season game against Duke, State had been promised a bid to the Gator Bowl if it beat the Blue Devils. A win also would give us the conference championship. After we beat Duke, I was sitting in the press box waiting for the call from the Gator Bowl. We kept waiting, waiting and waiting but the call never came. Coach Bo Rein had the team down at the locker room ready to make the announcement. Finally I called the bowl. I told them that we beat Duke to win the conference championship at 5-1. But they told me that they had extended the bid to the University of North Carolina, which finished fifth that year. Three teams-Carolina, Clemson and Wake Forest-went to bowls that year, but the conference champion didn't."
