North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: 15 Fun Questions to Open 2008 Football
7/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
Some of the questions are trivia, some are news and some are about the future of Wolfpack football and Carter-Finley Stadium.
A limited number of tickets are still available for the coming season, which begins on Aug. 28 at
Practice kicks off today around 5 p.m. Stay tuned to GoPack.com for football updates throughout the preseason.
1. When was the wolf first used as a mascot for football?
Answer: The “Wolfpack” was first mentioned in association with NC State athletics in 1921, when an anonymous letter-writer to the school newspaper suggested that some of the school’s football players were as “unruly as a pack of wolves.” That season, North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts became a charter member of the Southern Conference, and newspapers began referring to the team as “the Wolfpack.” After a season-opening 21-0 victory over Randolph-Macon, The News and Observer of
All other athletics teams were called the “Red Terrors.”
In July, 1946, Chancellor J.W. Harrelson asked students to consider a new nickname for football, noting that German U-boats were called “Wolfpacks” and the name had developed some seriously negative connotations during World War II. “The only thing lower than a wolf is a snake in the grass,” Harrelson said.
But the contest to find a new nickname which offered six season passes for football as a prize drew some rather uninspiring entries: The North Staters, the Cardinals, the Hornets, the Cultivators, the Cotton Pickers and the Pine-rooters (a down-east name for pigs), the Auctioneers and the Calumets. The latter two were reference to tobacco auctions that had been common for nearly 200 years in the state.
In the end, there were more letters in support of retaining the Wolfpack nickname than anything else, which inspired a mechanical engineering student named Ira Helms to build a seven-foot tall mechanical robot with size 16 feet and a 120-inch chest. It was hollow inside and Helms climbed inside the contraption for the 1946 football game between NC State and
It was so hot that Helms refused to climb inside again, but the mascot was considered a lucky charm during the team’s 8-2 regular-season, which earned the school its first bowl bid. The Wolfpack lost to
In 1947, all athletics teams adopted the nickname “Wolfpack,” and cheerleaders continued to use live wolves, nicknamed “Lobo,” when they could be found, as mascots for football. In 1966, a new wolf, Lobo III, was purchased to commemorate the opening of Carter Stadium.
However, following the season, an NC State zoology professor named Fred Barkalow discovered that Lobo III was actually a coyote, not a wolf. In the fall of 1967, the Wolfpack was called the “Kool Kyoties,” a name that was popularized by Sports Illustrated following the Wolfpack’s stunning upset of No. 2 ranked
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, however, the cheerleading team also used a student in a wolf costume to rally the crowds at football and basketball games. He has been called “Mr. Wuf” since 1983, when then-student Scott Joseph put that name on his costume.
When the school added women’s athletics in 1975, a female wolf mascot was introduced as well. She is now called “Ms. Wuf.”
In 1981, in a pregame ceremony before NC State played
(Source: The Wolfpack...Intercollegiate Athletics at
No. 2: What’s new this season at Carter-Finley Stadium?
Answer: After more than three decades of little or no improvements, the Wolfpack’s football stadium will have some significant renovations for the ninth consecutive season. Since 2000, both end zones have been enclosed and the
This year’s improvements aren’t quite as significant as adding more permanent seats or skyboxes, but there are noticeable enhancements, including newly paved parking areas in the North End Zone parking lot and the completion of a four-year concrete reclamation project on the east and west grandstands.
And, coming soon, two new features will be prominently displayed: The Earle Edwards Arch at the North End Zone entrance and something new at the South End Zone tunnel where the Wolfpack players enter the field.
More on that addition at a later date.
No. 3: Is the crowned playing surface ever going to be removed from Carter-Finley, the only stadium remaining in the ACC that still has a playing surface that slopes off towards the sidelines?
Answer, from Ray Brincefield, Assistant Athletics Director for Outdoor Facilities: “The crown was installed for two reasons: so the running backs could go down hill on the pitch sweeps and options that were popular in the 1960s and ’70s and so water could run off the field to the sides, like off a turtle’s back.
“The crown was an advantage when NC State was running the veer and had great running backs likeWillie Burden, Stan Fritts, Ted Brown, Joe McIntosh and Tremayne Stephens. But football has changed so that the slope is not an advantage anymore.
“Turfgrass technology has changed dramatically since then, and everything is gravity based, with sand underneath the turf, like on a golf green. We are all on the same page with Coach O’Brien on this, that it would be better for the program to be playing a surface that is consistent with the laser-leveled Dail Practice Facility fields that the team practices on every day and what it plays on when it goes on the road.
“For now, however, there are no immediate plans to change the crowned playing surface of Wayne Day Field.”
No. 4: Seniors Andre Brown and juniors Toney Baker and Jamelle Eugene have each led the Wolfpack in rushing the last three years. When is the last time NC State had its leading rusher for the three previous seasons returning? When was the last time that three different leading rushers were in the same backfield together?
In 1997, Tremayne Stephens returned for his senior season after leading the Wolfpack in rushing the previous three seasons. Stephens had a big senior year, gaining a career-high 1,142 yards on 204 carries to join Ted Brown as the only running backs in NC State history to lead the team in rushing four consecutive years.
In 1991, the Wolfpack returned three different tailbacks who had previously led the team in rushing: Tyrone Jackson, who led the team with 464 yards in 1988; Anthony Barber who led the team with 412 yards in 1989; and Greg Manior, who led the team with 406 yards in 1990.
No. 5: Assuming German-born defensive end Markus Kuhn becomes a starter this season, when was the last time NC State had a foreign-born starter in football?
Answer: Actually, it was just last year. Defensive back Miguel Scott, who started 27 games during his career with the Wolfpack, including six in 2007, is a native of
No. 6: What players on this year’s team have fathers or siblings who have played a sport at NC State?
Five members of the current Wolfpack squad had fathers who were student-athletes at NC State.
Andrew and Daniel Evans’ father Johnny (1974-77) was an All-America at punter and also played quarterback. Josh Milinichik’s father Joe (1982-85) was an All-ACC performer on the offensive line. Harrison Ritcher’s father Jim (1976-79) won the 1979 Outland Trophy and was a consensus All-America at center. And although Chaz McQueen’s father didn’t play football for the Wolfpack, Cozell McQueen (1982-83) was a member of Jim Valvano’s basketball team that won the 1983 National Championship.
Four members of the 2008 NC State football team have older brothers who played at NC State. John Bedics’ brother Pat was a fullback (2006-07), Matt McKeon’s brother John played on the offensive line (2002-05), DeAndre Morgan’s brother DaJuan was a defensive back (2005-07) before being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in April and Harrison Ritcher’s brother John played tight end and fullback (2002-05).
No. 7: What is the wettest game ever played at Carter-Finley Stadium?
That’s up for debate, of course, but since the Wolfpack opens the 2008 season against
The remnants of Tropical Storm Dennis certainly put a damper on Lou Holtz’s debut as USC’s head coach, dumping nearly three inches of inches of rain on the field during the course of the game. The rain came down in sheets, with wind gusts of 30 miles an hour whipping across the field.
Holtz whose team fumbled the ball eight times, losing four of them to the Wolfpack --admitted his team was unprepared for such miserable conditions.
“There was only one other time I can remember worse conditions than these one time when I was at William & Mary,” said Holtz, who wore seven different rain jackets during the contest. “Other than that, it was by far the worst conditions ever.
“I never saw it rain like this when I was [at NC State, from 1972-75]. And we never got to practice for this game in the rain. Every time we had some rain, we had lightning, too, and we aren't quick enough to practice in lightning.”
The Wolfpack won the game despite gaining only 96 yards in total offense, thanks to a fourth-quarter blocked punt by defensive back Brian Williams that wide receiver Koren Robinson recovered for a touchdown. Otherwise, both teams were stymied in their attempts to move the ball.
No. 8: Prior to John Dunlap, who had a team-high 45 catches last season, who was the last wide receiver to lead the Wolfpack in receptions?
Answer: Jerricho Cotchery had 86 catches for 1,369 yards and 10 touchdowns. Over the next three years, tight ends led the team in receptions. In 2004, T.J. Williams had 31 catches for 382 yards. He followed that with a team-high 36 catches for 407 yards. Tighe end Anthony Hill had a team-high 45 receptions in 2006. He missed last season with a knee injury, but returns this season as a fifth-year senior.
No. 9: Who was the last non-kicker to lead NC State in scoring?
Answer: In 2002, tailback T.A. McLendon set a school record with 108 points.
No. 10: Who was the last true freshman to start at quarterback? Who was the last red-shirt freshman?
Answer: The first one, of course, is easy. Philip Rivers started 51 consecutive games, beginning with his true freshman season of 2000. His predecessor, Jamie Barnette, started as a redshirt freshman in 1996, giving the Wolfpack only two regular starters during an eight-year span. In the four seasons since Rivers left, four different players have started under center for the Wolfpack (Jay Davis, Marcus Stone, Daniel Evans and Harrison Beck). With five potential candidates for the starting and backup jobs this year, more could be added to that list.
No. 11: Who was the last quarterback to rush for more than 100 yards in a game?
Answer: Johnny Evans ran for 126 yards against Clemson on Oct. 23, 1976, in Bo Rein’s first year as head coach.
No. 12: What is the name of the team from
Answer: It’s called
Until the current four-year break, NC State and Duke had met for 59 consecutive seasons and had played 78 times in the previous 79 years, missing only 1944.
The Pack has a 10-game winning streak over the Blue Devils, dating back to 1993, when Duke won 21-20 in
Current Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien faced Duke once during his 10-year career at
No. 13: Are there any good players who have worn jersey No. 13 in NC State football history?
Answer: Of course. Here are seven lucky players who wore unlucky 13: Placekickers Nathan Ritter, Steve Videtich and Damon Hartman; holder Chris Young; wide receiver Lamart Barrett; end June Cheek (1948) and quarterback Jack Klebe, who started under center for the 1968 ACC Championship team.
Ritter was a first-team All-ACC selection in 1978 and Videtich was a first-team pick in 1993 and ’94. Barrett recently joined the Wolfpack football staff as a video graduate assistant for offense.
And, yes, someone on this year’s team will wear No. 13, sophomore wide receiver Owen Spencer of
No. 14: Redshirt freshman Russell Wilson played baseball in the spring and is a candidate to play quarterback this fall. Who was the last student-athlete who played football and baseball for the Wolfpack?
Answer: There is actually a rather sizeable list, if you go way back in the history of NC State athletics, when playing multiple sports was common, especially prior to World War II. Connie Mack Berry, a three-sport athlete at NC State who twice earned All-Southern Conference honors in basketball, played three different professional sports after leaving NC State. He spent eight years in the NBA with the Oshkosh All-Stars and eight years in the NFL, with the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Rams and Chicago Bears. He helped the Bears win NFL championships in 1942 and ’46. He spent two years playing minor league baseball in the Chicago Cubs organization. Bob Kennel was a two-time All-ACC catcher for baseball and a member of the 1957 football team that won NC State's first ACC football championship. Roman Gabriel was an All-America quarterback and the baseball team’s top home run hitter in 1960. Louie Meadows played both sports from 1979-81, just after Chuckie Canady pulled off the same double in 1978 and ’79. Preston Poag was the Pack’s starting punter for three years, a one-time starting quarterback and a starting pitcher for baseball from 1988-91.
And Terry Harvey, starting quarterback and successful pitcher, and Freddie Combs, All-America defensive back and outfielder on the 1968 College World Series team, were two of the most successful dual-sport athletes in school history.
But the most recent player to pull double duty in football and baseball was quarterback/pitcher Grant Dorn. He lettered in 1998 as Jamie Barnette’s backup in football, wearing jersey No. 13, and spent three years as a starter and relief pitcher for Elliott Avent’s baseball squad, compiling a 7-9 career record and a 6.85 earned run average. He was drafted in the 10th round of the baseball draft in 1999 by the Montreal Expos.
No. 15: What are some of the best team nicknames in NC State history?
Answer: There have been the “Killer Kats” from
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
