North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Super Mario Says Good-bye to Wolfpack
1/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 3, 2006
BY TIM PEELER
Audio: Tim Peeler's Interview With Mario Williams
RALEIGH -- Saying he was "losing a piece of my heart" at NC State, Mario Williams said good-bye to NC State football Tuesday morning, just three days after completing one of the best turnarounds in school history.
The two-time first-team All-ACC defensive end said he would give up his final year of eligibility to enter this spring's NFL Draft, where he is projected by ESPN's Mel Kiper to be one of the top defensive players taken.
"I am losing a piece of my heart," Williams said in making the official announcement. "The fans at NC State have been phenomenal over these three years here. Now, I am ready and excited about playing in the NFL."
Amato, who brought Williams from Richlands, NC, three years ago to be the centerpiece of the Wolfpack's defense, believes that the NFL is getting a all-star performer, one who helped NC State win 20 games during his three-year, record-breaking career. "He is still learning and I say that in a positive fashion," Amato said. "He is only 20 years old now. I think he will be a long-time, great player in the NFL."
Williams, an early enrollee at NC State in January, 2003, said he plans to return to campus in his spare time to finish his degree in sports management. He lacks about one semester worth of work and another semester-long internship.
For now, however, Williams will concentrate on preparing for the NFL combines, personal interviews, pro-timing days and all the other workouts that he will face in the coming months as he tries to prove himself a worthy investment for one of the 32 professional franchises.
And that why Amato advised him not to juggle school and pre-draft work-outs. "I told him if I were in his shoes, I would spend these next couple of months putting all the efforts he needs into getting ready," Amato said.
"People are going to be coming here to see him. There won't be enough hours in the day to work on all the things he needs to get ready for. "He can't be doing that and his academics. I don't want him to slip academically, because Mario is a smart guy. I want him to get his degree - not that he will need it financially, but hopefully he can use it to make his finances grow bigger."
Williams, who set a school record with 14.5 sacks this season and established another school-record with 25.5 sacks in his three-year career, said he made his decision after being told by the NFL's underclassman advisory committee that he would be a first- or second-round draft pick.
Williams' also set school marks with 24 tackles for loss this season, which ranks first in the ACC and second nationally, and 52 tackles for loss in his career.
The 6-foot-7 native of Richlands, NC, said that this season's turnaround will be the lasting memory he has of his career with the Wolfpack, which started the season at 2-4, then finished by winning five of its last six games, including a 14-0 win over South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. It was the best end-of-the-season finish at NC State since Lou Holtz's 1973 edition won seven of its last eight games. "Obviously, this season will be my greatest memory," Williams said. "I will always remember this season because of the way we turned it around. Even though I didn't play (in 2002) when we won 11 games, I was there with that team. "I feel like this season was phenomenal. This tops everything."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
