North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Stone Glad To Be Home With Pack
4/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. –The last time former NC State running back K.J. Stone was in town for the popular spring football alumni reunion, he knew nothing about it.
He was in town on a two-week break, and wanted to do nothing more than spend time with his wife and three children. He stopped by the Murphy Center to say hello to some old friends – Joe Pate, Donna Woolard, Wayne "Smoke" Hubert – and found he had just missed the biggest football weekend of the spring.
That was at the end of his two-week break from his second tour of duty in Iraq, so forgive Master Sgt. Stone for not being completely up-to-date with what was happening on the NC State athletics calendar. Mainly, he was spending time with his family, who he missed greatly during his 27 total months of deployment with a U.S. Army infantry battalion.
But today, six months removed from his return home for good, Stone can't wait to reconnect with some of the teammates he hasn't seen since leaving the Wolfpack program following the 2001 season.
In what has become one of the most popular events surrounding the annual spring football game, the fourth-annual football alumni reunion will bring more than 300 former players, coaches and staff members together today at the Wolfpack's final practice of the spring.
"It's going to be good to get back and see some of those guys," Stone said. "No one in particular, just everyone I played with."
They'll gather for a reception tonight at Carter-Finley Stadium's Vaughn Towers and attend the second-annual Kay Yow Memorial Spring Football Game at the stadium. Kickoff for the intra-squad contest is slated for 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 99.9-FM, the flagship station for the Wolfpack Sports Network. PackPass subscribers can also watch the game on GoPack.com.
For Stone, a native of Green Level, N.C., coming home to NC State is a return to civilian life after more than five years in the Army. Though his football career was plagued by injuries, he's always been proud of his North Carolina roots and his association with the Wolfpack.
Stone was part of Mike O'Cain's 1998 recruiting class, perhaps the best of the former coach's tenure here. The speedy 100-meter Class A state champion arrived that fall with future NFL stars wide receiver Koren Robinson and defensive back Adrian Wilson, as well as tailback Ray Robinson, linebacker Levar Fisher, cornerback Brian Williams and walk-on defensive back Terrence Holt.
Stone red-shirted his first season, and was the starting tailback in the 1999 season-opening upset at Texas. He got that start, ironically enough, because he was the Wolfpack's only healthy running back coming out of fall camp. He split time with Robinson throughout the Pack's first six games, but suffered a career-altering knee injury in a game at Clemson. On a rushing play, Stone was tackled and his knee was bent backwards, tearing his ACL, MCL and PCL.
Following surgery, Stone needed a lengthy rehabilitation. But with the departure of O'Cain and arrival of new head coach Chuck Amato, Stone was eager to get back into action in order to impress the new coaching staff. He missed 2000 spring practice and saw action in just two games as a redshirt sophomore.
"It was one of the hardest times of my life, being a talented athlete, in position to start for a major Division I program and then getting hurt," Stone said. "My rehab process was great. I should have been a little more patient. I was just eager to get back and impress the new set of coaches we had coming in. From what the doctors said, I wasn't ever going to play again. But my mindset was that nothing was going to hold me down.
"I just wanted to get back at it. I think I rushed a little bit, when I finally did come back, I just wasn't the same."
In 2001, while playing behind Robinson, Stone saw action in three games, carrying the ball 10 times and gaining 22 yards.
He moved on after the season and chose to enlist in the U.S. Army,in the hopes of finding a career. He trained to become a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic, maintaining and repairing engines, brake systems, electrical systems and damaged body parts on a variety of light and armored military transportation.
He was first deployed to Iraq in August, 2006, attached to support an infantry battalion.
Unlike former teammates Drew Wimsatt and Chris Young, two Marines who participated in firefights and aerial assaults in Afghanistan and Iraq, Stone was never involved in any actual combat during his 27 months in Iraq. However, there was the constant danger of incoming mortar shells and rockets. He also went into the field to recover vehicles that had been disabled by IEDs and RPGs to repair or claim for salvage.
"I give it up to those guys in the Infantry," Stone said. "Those guys go get the job done. I wasn't really engaged in enemy contact, but we saw what happened to those who were. It could be kind of intense."
Stone returned home to his wife and three children in 2007, but was sent back to Iraq the following fall, just after his wife, world-class track athlete Adriane Stone, finished eighth in the high jump at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
After a 12-month tour, Stone came home for good last November. He could have re-enlisted and returned to Afghanistan, but Stone was ready to spend time with his family, so he chose to enter the Army Reserves.
He spends one week a month in Wilmington with his unit. For now, he's spending time with daughters Naelee (8) and Saide (4) and son Kyzaiah (5).
Stone has several options for the future. He's planning to enroll at Johnston Community College this fall to begin work on a refrigeration technology degree. He's also considering putting in his commission packet to become an Army officer.
For the next few days, however, he's looking forward to re-connecting with his former teammates, to relive those days of football glory.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
