North Carolina State University Athletics
Weekly Blog (Oct. 9-Oct. 15)
10/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Friday, Oct. 13, 2006
This is the annual Varsity Club weekend for former athletes and their families. On Friday, some 125 former athletes from all sports participated in a captain's choice golf tournament at Wildwood Green Country Club in Raleigh, followed by a evening reception at Nelson's Restaurant in Cameron Village. More than 200 former Wolfpack varsity athletes, staff and families attended.
Even more were expected to be on hand for Saturday's football game against Wake Forest.
Among some of the former players who were on hand included NFL linebacker Pat Thomas, who is currently on the injured reserve list with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thomas took advantage of the Jaguars' open week to return to his alma mater with former teammates Sterling Hicks and Andre Maddox. All will be on the sideline for Saturday's 100th meeting with the Demon Deacons.
Maddox, a fifth-round draft pick of the New York Jets in 2005, suffered a season-ending knee injury as a rookie and was recently cut by the Jets. However, he is working out for other NFL teams, including his hometown Miami Dolphins, looking to sign a free-agent contract.
The Varsity Club weekend has been sponsored by the Wolfpack Club for more than a decade, according to executive director Bobby Purcell.
"It's a chance to get our athletic family back together," Purcell said. "All men's and women's former athletes, managers and trainers and former coaches are invited to come back. Anybody who has ever been part of the department. There are a lot of football guys here, soccer guys and basketball guys."
One of the groups in the golf outing was made up entirely of former players who were part of the 1983 NCAA champikonship team: Mike Warren, Ernie Myers and Walt Densmore. Another member of that team, new NC State men's basketball coach Sidney Lowe, was otherwise occupied since Friday was the first official day of practice for NCAA basketball teams.
"Those guys are always treated like celebrities when they come to our events, because the won a national championship," Purcell said.
Posted by Tim Peeler, 11:09 p.m., 10/13/2006
Monday, Oct. 10, 2006
NC State football coach Chuck Amato got a lot of congratulations calls this weekend.
Not only was the phone ringing off the hook following Thursday night’s 24-20 victory over
Amato’s second grandchild, Asher Christopher Moon, arrived at 7 pounds, nine ounces in
Amato’s wife, Peggy, and Selena’s twin sister LuGina were at the game on Thursday night, but took the first flight out of Raleigh-Durham Friday morning to be on hand for the new arrival.
Posted by Tim Peeler, 6:38 p.m., 10/9/2006
