North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes' World: A Tidal Wave Of Enthusiasm
7/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 27, 2001
By Tony Haynes
My how times have changed. On March 12, 1892, an estimated throng of 200 fans pushed their way into Raleigh Athletic Park (now Pullen Park) to watch NC State's (then called NC A&M) first football game against Raleigh Male Academy. Many years later, the Wolfpack would continue to play before relatively smallish crowds at the parking lot that was once tiny Riddick Field.
When double-decked Carter-Finley Stadium opened in 1966, the skeptics snickered. "What's the point of having so many seats?" they said. The critics were then provided with more ammunition when the Wolfpack averaged just 28,400 fans in five home games that first year.
Now 34 years later, it appears that NC State can't add seats fast enough to keep up with the demands of its rabid fans. The current seating capacity, listed at 51,500, is like a pair of old jeans that will no longer fit around your waist.
Yes my friends, we are now busting out of `the Carter.'
NC State's recent proclamation that more than 30,000 season tickets had been sold for the upcoming season is truly a milestone. For the first time in history, we may not be seeing advertisements that say, "single game tickets are still available....."
"I can't say enough about our fans. They've been there through thick and thin in the 20 years I've been here," said Bobby Purcell, Executive Director of the Wolfpack Club. "Everybody has been a big part of it, big givers, small givers and students. We have momentum on all fronts right now in our football program."
Never before have the stars been aligned so perfectly. Since head coach Chuck Amato's arrival on campus some 18 months ago, NC State football has been on a meteoric rise. And this tidal wave of enthusiasm for the program has now hit an all-time high.
The momentum is felt everywhere. Out at the stadium, dedicated construction workers have been setting a blistering pace as they install a magnificent new scoreboard on the north end, and brand new seats on the newly enclosed south end. Not waiting around for the first day of practice to arrive, the entire team, freshmen included, can now be seen working out every afternoon on its own at the practice fields.
Something is happening here. Can you feel it? I'll avoid saying that enthusiasm for NC State football has reached a "fever" pitch, because I wouldn't want our friends in Chapel Hill to accuse me of borrowing their old "Carolina Fever" marketing slogan.
Boy did that campaign open up a can of worms. Forgive me, but it would not be wise to repeat many of those old jokes in this particular forum.
These days, it's not necessary to tell funny jokes to get a smile out of Purcell and his Wolfpack Club staff. It has been, to say the least, a summer unlike any of them have ever experienced.
"We have a billboard in our Wolfpack Club offices that shows the daily season ticket count. People come in just to look at it to see where we are," Purcell said. "For most games in our history here at NC State you've been able to walk up on game day and get a ticket, even when games were called sellouts. But the key to building a big-time program is to have fans being a part of it for every game, not just the two or three big games."
Based on that analysis, it appears 'big-time' is just around the corner. And let's just be thankful that no more games will be played at Raleigh Athletic Park.
