North Carolina State University Athletics
On The Road Again
10/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 6, 2004
By Brandon Yopp - For many Wolfpack fans, traveling to away games has become as routine as descending upon Carter-Finley Stadium for contests held in Raleigh. As soon as the football schedule is released in the spring, many faithful followers of the Pack begin to plot out their trips and book their hotel rooms. NC State fans are known as a great traveling group, eager to hit the road and cheer on their beloved team, regardless of the location. If you think booking a hotel room online for Clemson is hard, try managing all of the football team's equipment and gear during these weekend jaunts.
Eddie Gardner, equipment manager for the football team, has been in charge of the Pack's equipment for many seasons. Starting out as a student assistant while attending college at NC State, Gardner spent years working for several coaches at the old home of Wolfpack football, the Weisiger-Brown facility. As soon as the Murphy Center opened, Gardner and staff moved in and immediately picked up their normal routine. When it comes to hitting the road for away games, the equipment staff has a lot to do in a short time frame. Luckily for the team, Gardner has it all down to an exact science.
If you have ever traveled to an away game, chances are you have seen the gigantic "Big Bad Wolf" big rig in which NC State hauls all of its football equipment. When the Pack hits the road for a Saturday game, the equipment staff has made sure that everything the football team might need is stored and ready to be used.
"There is a certain plan for loading our equipment truck for a road game and we try to stick to that plan as much as possible," Gardner said. "The set up changes a little bit every year because we figure out better ways to position things, but for the most part it just stays the same."
The task of packing the equipment truck isn't exactly an easy one either. Before the first road game of the season, the equipment staff will stock gear in the far end of the truck that will remain in storage for the entire season, only to be pulled out when conditions permit.
"There are certain items that we load on the truck for away games that we never take off," Gardner said. "Those types of things are stored in case it rains, or the home team's field isn't in as good of shape as Carter-Finley. When something like that comes up we have to change the studs for our linemen's shoes and things like that. We keep cold weather gear stored in the front top of the truck so that we can access it if we need it. That way, it's always there if the weather dictates, but it won't be in our way if we don't have to get it."
Aside from the few items that remain stored for the entire season, the truck has to be completely restocked every time the team hits the road. Field and sideline items are stored first in the truck. Following that are player equipment, uniforms and necessary locker room gear.
"Everything has a certain order that it goes in," Gardner said. "We load up a certain way so we can pull out what we need, as we need it, when we arrive at the stadium."
Once the locker room is stocked and all of the players' equipment is set out, Gardner and his staff begin to prep the sidelines and bench area. They determine the placement of all benches, wind fans, tables, and player spots. Just like the equipment truck, the sideline has a precise formula that is followed for every game. The offense is set up on one end of the field, while the defense takes up the other side. Trainers and medical tables are placed on the defensive end, while the kicking nets occupy space near the offensive benches.
"Some people think that when the players run off of the field they just sit down where they please," Gardner said. "That's not the way we run things. The benches are labeled the same way every week and all of the players know exactly where to sit. During the game we set up four fans on the field, two for each side. We even plan out who gets to sit in front of them."
The coaches like to keep certain key players in front of the fans, enabling them to cool off and recuperate after leaving the field. On the offensive side, linemen are positioned in front of one fan, while the quarterbacks, receivers and running backs sit in front of the other. With the defensive fans, the linemen sit in front of one while the skill players rest in front of the second.
When the Wolfpack travels, 64 student-athletes attend the game and dress out. With that in mind, it is easy to understand that someone might forget to pack his chinstrap or mouthpiece. According to Gardner, equipment managers from opposing schools are always helping one another out when preparing for a game.
"Because of the fact that we all have so much stuff to look after, it's kind of an unwritten rule that the equipment managers try to help each other out," Gardner said. "If somebody gets in a bind we always try to get them what they need, whether it be a girdle or anything like that. It doesn't matter who we are playing, we all try to do that. The equipment mangers, especially in the ACC, get along very well. We all talk to each other several times during the week on a lot of occasions. When we do walkthroughs at another school on the day before a game, I can always meet up with their equipment manager if we are missing anything that we need. If a team comes to our stadium and needs something from us, we'll help them in anyway that we can."
When the scoreboard shuts down and the viewing audience has found another game to follow, the equipment staff is usually gathering laundry and organizing equipment. A mostly thankless job, Gardner and his staff play a pivotal role in the success of the Wolfpack football program. From washing uniforms to setting up the locker room, the equipment staff stays just as busy as the rest of the program during the season.
While the hours may be grueling and the work meticulous, Gardner genuinely enjoys his job. Arriving first at work on most mornings, he is also usually one of the last to leave for the day. Even though most people have no clue what equipment mangers do, their work is evident around all of us on Saturday afternoons.
The next time you make it down to Clemson and you pause to have your picture taken in front of the Wolfpack's equipment truck, keep in mind the endless hours that Gardner and his staff put into loading the truck and getting our team prepared for the game. After all, if it wasn't for their efforts, there would be no game.
