North Carolina State University Athletics
A Helmet-Cracking Linebacker
4/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 12, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Amid the multiple mementos and awards in Pat Teague's collection sits a cracked NC State football helmet.
That battered old headgear is one of his most treasured trophies, one that jars memories of a collision in the 1980s with Maryland running back Rick Badanjek.
Teague was dazed by that smash, yet won the head-to-head battle, stopping the tough Terp on a key short-yardage down.
The heady hit also revealed much about how the aggressive 6-2, 230-pound State linebacker played -- with pop and passion. Teague was a leader of the Pack, a defensive standout and a tackling machine.
As a senior in '86 he led State in stops with 128 and set a single-game school record with 26 tackles against Virginia Tech, a mark that still stands. He also had 24 official hits in a 35-34 win over North Carolina.
"He was one of best leaders and players I ever had the pleasure to coach,'' said Joe Pate, who was State's defensive coordinator then and currently is associate athletics director for football. "He was an example of what a student-athlete should be off the field as well as on the field.
"He's an all-around, All-America guy. As good as he was in football, he's an even better person. "
MAN ON A MISSION
Now 47, Teague still has the look of a linebacker. Broad shoulders. Strong arms. Sturdy legs. Six-feet-2 inches tall, 230 pounds -- same as when he was chasing ball carriers 25 years ago.
Since then his focus has widened. These days he's devoted to family (wife Sheila, and children Brianna, Rachel and Ethan), has an engineering company, coaches two of his kids' basketball teams and remains active in Christian ministry.
With 14 years as associate pastor at Raleigh's Covenant Church International behind him, Teague currently serves as a community sports chaplain ministering to high school and college athletes.
Among those he has touched is the Wake Forest-Rolesville High School football team.
"You want young people to meet a person like Pat,'' said WF-R coach Reggie Lucas. "He's been an inspiration to our kids. And he's kept me on the right path, making sure my heart is in the right place. I appreciate that.
"He has a great understanding about athletes, (emphasizing) you always want to be the best athlete and also be the best person."
TRIALS & TRIUMPHS
Teague's journey included four years at Raleigh's Sanderson High, where he was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a three-sport standout and prep all-America in football.
Scholarship offers from ACC schools and Tennessee enticed him. But he chose State after "much prayer and wise counsel."
Good for the Pack. Good for Teague.
But at State he quickly discovered college football was different than at Sanderson, which will induct him in its high school's first athletics hall of fame class this year.
He played for three Wolfpack head coaches -- Monte Kiffin, Tom Reed and Dick Sheridan -- and had to adapt to several different defensive schemes. During that time he also went through a grieving period following the sudden death of his father, David.
Leaning on his faith and getting strong support from Reed, Teague regrouped in time to play a reserve role behind starting linebackers Vaughan Johnson and Andy Hendel as a redshirt freshman.
"I learned a lot from those guys,'' Teague said. "They set the tempo with their hitting. Vaughan and Andy were big hitters. They hustled every play. I knew you had to have a relentless attitude."
As a sophomore he cracked the starting lineup and was one of State's leading tacklers. But the promising sequel turned into a disappointing junior season triggered inpart by a groin injury and a negative reaction to medication that zapped his strength.
Yet Teague shouldered much of the blame, confessing: "That summer I did not train as hard. I strayed away from the discipline. It was a very good lesson to learn," albeit a painful one.
When spring practice started, he still wasn't at full strength and says "I didn't impress (new) coach Dick Sheridan at all."
So prior to his senior year, he had to deal with demons -- a fear of failure, facing the physical agony of extra off-season workouts, and the pressure of trying to regain starting status.
RECOMMITMENT
Teague trained sedulously in the mornings and after work in the afternoons. Eventually, he regained his direction, determination, discipline, and diligence -his 4Ds.
"The whole summer was getting back to the basics, the joy of the game," Teague said. "I still had to convince the coaches I was good enough to start."
That wasn't easy, but by the third game Sheridan penciled him in the lineup. Once back Teague played with tenacity and paced the Pack in tackles. At season's end he received the Bob Warren Award for "integrity and sportsmanship" and the Mike Hardy Award for "playing beyond capabilities."
"I'm so grateful for my senior year,'' he said. "God gave me another opportunity."
All along he drew strength from a Bible verse, Proverbs 30:30: "Be like a mighty lion; retreat for no reason."
Teague didn't retreat.
In addition to that 26-tackle Peach Bowl performance against Virginia Tech and his 24 hits against Carolina, he punished Clemson as well in 1986. His 11 tackles, 6 deflections and interception helped spark a 27-3 State rout in Carter-Finley Stadium.
"One of the greatest individual performances I've had the pleasure to see,'' Pate said of Teague's attack on the Tigers.
Teague heaped praise on Pate and linebacker coach Ken Pettus for helping him reach his potential.
"Coach Pate had an amazing work ethic, set the bar where he expected you to be. Coach Pettus got me to play at that extra gear," he said.
Teague, who spent two seasons in the NFL with Tampa Bay and a brief span with Cleveland before suffering a leg injury, stays in touch with his Wolfpack family and plans to attend the players' reunion at Saturday's Spring Game.
"All my coaches and all my teammates enriched my life,'' said Teague, who enriched State football with his leadership, example and helmet-cracking tackling.
• By A.J. Carr
