North Carolina State University Athletics
Last-minute Wolfpack Christmas ideas (12/18/08)
12/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. There’s one week left until Christmas, and if you are like me, it’s just about time to start thinking about what presents you want to give fellow NC State fans.
With that in mind, here are a couple of pretty cool Wolfpack-themed ideas:
REMEMBERING DT, TOMMY AND THE MIGHTY MITE: Tim Brannan, one of the original students in the NC State creative writing graduate program in the 1970s, recently released a self-published book about NC State’s 1974 NCAA Championship called “’74: A Basketball Story” ($17.95, Gemini Publishing, 2008)
It’s a fictionalized account of the 1973-74 basketball season, when David Thompson, Tommy Burleson, Monte Towe and company dethroned the UCLA, the long-time kings of college basketball.
It follows the entire season, from the first meeting with the Bruins in St. Louis to the National Finals in Greensboro, where the Pack, under the guidance of Norm Sloan, ended the UCLA dynasty in the semifinals and then beat Marquette for the first team title in school history.
Brannan, who attended graduate school at NC State after a stint in Vietnam, followed the championship season as a student.
“I was fascinated with that team and the way it overcame a lot of misfortunes to win the national championship,” said Brannan, who is now retired and living in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The book is currently available at the NC State Bookstore on campus, the NC State Alumni Association website www.ncsu.edu/alumni, Amazon.com and www.geminipublish.com.
On Monday, Brannan will be at the RBC Center prior to the NC State-Marquette game at the RBC Center signing copies of the book. More than a dozen players, coaches and staff who were part of the championship season will also be on hand in recognition of the 35th anniversary of the remarkable run to the title.
To follow the events of that season, visit Remembering 1974, a special section of GoPack.com that relives all 31 games and the other events as they happened 35 years ago.
RESERVE A TEE TIME: Wolfpack fans eager to reserve a time on the Lonnie Poole Golf Course, NC State’s long-awaited home of golf, can purchase gift certificates for multiple rounds of golf when it opens next spring. Purchase up to eight rounds of golf in packages that range from $125 to $350.
The course’s e-commerce site also has lots of golf apparel bearing the LPGC logo, which is a red Block S with a foursome of wolves.
Construction on the par-71 course, which was officially measured by the Carolinas PGA earlier this week at more than 7,200 yards from the back tees, is virtually complete and the opening will be dependent on the growth of the Bermuda grass in the spring.
The course will be open to the public and will host a variety of private and corporate outings, including the 2009 Jimmy V Classic.
GOPACK STORE: For last-minute shoppers in the Raleigh area, a full line of NC State apparel and merchandise is available at the GoPack Store at Ridgewood Shopping Center off Wade Avenue, near Meredith College. The permanent store opened in August and is stocked exclusively with all kinds of Wolfpack gear and paraphenalia.
All of the merchandise at the store is also available from the GoPack.com on-line store. Order by Dec. 19 for Priority Mail delivery before Christmas. Last-minute shoppers can also have gifts ordered by Dec. 23 sent by overnight delivery.
Fans who buy more than $100 in merchandise before Christmas, either on-line or in the store, will receive a free Sidney Lowe bobblehead.
BASKETBALL MINI-PACKS: It's not too late to purchase an men's basketball mini-pack. For $100, fans can see four NC State games against ACC rival with either of two special mini-packs. The Wolf package includes games against North Carolina, Miami, Florida State and Boston College. The Pack package includes games against Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Virginia.
To buy either pack, go to the GoPack.com Ticket Center.
BOWL TICKETS: Finally, tickets to the Papajohns.com Bowl will be on sale from the NC State ticket office through Dec. 26, for anyone who makes a last-minute decision to go to Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., to see the Wolfpack face Rutgers on Dec. 29.
All tickets are $40 and are available at the GoPack.com Ticket Center.
Wolfpack fans not heading to the bowl game can still make the holidays a little brighter for Birmingham-area youth by purchasing a ticket to donate to the Birmingham-area Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. Log on to the Ticket Center and type "ticket donation" in the comment box during check out. The donation is fully tax-deductible.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
