North Carolina State University Athletics
Senior Spotlight: Tony Adams
11/1/2017 8:38:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. - While it may sound like a cliché, there is so much more to the members of the NC State football team than one would assume. It is easy to imagine they simply picked up a football in the crib and the rest was history, however this has regularly not been the case. Offensive linemen Tony Adams further proves this.
In fact, it was not a football Adams was picking up at an early age but a tennis racket. His tennis-loving mom, who is a retired lawyer who studied at Suffolk University, encouraged him to take up tennis early in his life.
"She loved tennis so much and really advocated for me to get involved," he said. "She gave me a tennis racket at the age of two and I was swinging it at the age of two. I played competitively until I was about 15, where I was ranked in the top-20 for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) New England Region. I traveled to Chicago, New Hampshire and Florida to play in tournaments and it was a very good experience. I've played tennis since I was two and if anyone wants to try me, you can come on and try me."
A key part of being a dominant offensive-linemen is having great footwork, and that's something Adams feels his involvement in tennis helped with in a major way.
While his mom attends the U.S. Open every year along with many other professional tournaments, Adams' dad, Carl Adams, is heavily involved with the sport of wrestling.
"My dad is a world class wrestling coach. He coached at Boston University for over thirty years," he articulated. "He wrestled at Iowa State and has created three or four wrestling inventions that are sold all over the country and world. He's very innovative. One of them is called the 'Snap N' Shoot' along with the other devices. There's a website you can buy them all at, he's been a very successful businessman."
Given his parents' athletic interests, one might wonder how Adams found himself involved with football.
"I was always playing backyard football, and I always wanted to be a tight end but I was 250 pounds in fifth grade, so that wasn't going to work," he said. "I first realized I'd play football in the seventh grade at Boston Knight Academy. They allowed people to go to their high school in seventh grade. It was a test-taking high school, you had to take a test to get in and is a pretty prestigious school in Boston. It allowed me to play football on JV in seventh grade, then I started on varsity in eighth grade and that's when I realized I could really play.
"That was also when my sister wanted me to come and play football in Charlotte and live with her, so I moved down there with her and my brother-in-law. Moving there really helped with the recruiting process and understanding which schools would want me. My brother-in-law Julius was a vital part in helping me get a scholarship, he encouraged me to go to these schools and go to their camps and try to show them my talents."
Adams comes from a big, talented family. His older brother, Narsh, was once ranked as the No. 1 wedding DJ in the state of California, his sister Pam was the only cheerleader to cheer for the very first Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats teams, while also cheering for the New England Patriots. His sister Nicole is an actress and singer who has published an album, while his other brother is an electrical engineer.
After moving to Charlotte, his road to NC State was paved and when he got here it brought him so much more than just football.
"I definitely enjoyed the opportunity that it gives people, not only athletes but all people," he explained. "There are many different ways you can get yourself out there like job fairs etc. I love that we are able to do things like go to the music studio in the library and make a whole bunch of songs. There's so much NC State gives you that you feel you have to give something back as you build on your career. I really enjoy the fact that they will cater to anything you want to do in your life. You can make NC State anything you want it to be. There are wonderful professors, the atmosphere is amazing, especially on game day. When you're on campus it feels like you're at home in a lot of aspects."
While he gushes over the opportunities given to him by NC State and its employees, but it should be noted that Adams has made a significant contribution to the entire athletic department.
Over the summer he interned in the Wolfpack Club, and throughout the fall he is interning in the athletic communications office, both experiences he feels will help him on his path to accomplishing his ultimate goal – becoming an Athletic Director.
He has also stepped up and helped out in other ways, such as when he took it upon himself to serve as a mentor to a young boy who attended school with Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Annabelle Myers' daughter's school.
"Annabelle asked me in January 2015 to come to her daughter's school because she felt one of the children, Naquan Clark, had nobody there for him at a recital," he said. "She asked me to come to the school to say hi and tell him I there to support him. He wanted to play football and was a big kid at that age like I was. I always wanted to give back, especially in those situations.
"It would become a situation where I saw him each Friday. He's a great kid, great attitude and a great athlete. He was bigger than all the other kids but could run faster than them too. When I met him he wasn't a good reader or doing very well in school, but once I spent more time with him and taught him what it takes to be a successful football player and in a lot of other areas in his life, he has done well in school and behaved better. He really took that in and has improved greatly. He's now in fourth grade and his grades have improved amazingly. I saw him recently and was able to give him some cleats, gloves and a mouth piece. He wants to play running back but he's probably going to have to play O or D line. He's going to be very good at it though. He movesd to Raeford and comes back Raleigh every other weekend, so I still catch up with him and see how he's doing in all facets of his life."
Adams is also thankful for those working behind the scenes to make NC State football the spectacle it is. While this group may seem anonymous to the casual observer, Adams and those who are regularly around the team recognize the invaluable work they do.
"I really want to thank Miss Tonya Washington. She's advocated for me to do a lot more in my leadership role here at NC State and got me involved in SAAC, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee," he explained. "There are select leaders from the different sports who come together to discuss different issues and how we can better promote our teams, so thank you for helping me get involved in that.
"Thank you to the people at Case Academic Center, you've really helped me with managing my day and helping me with time management. I had a 3.89 GPA my freshman year and they were a big part in that. Everybody who played a role in my development here deserves praise.
"I also have to give a big shout out to our equipment staff which is Terry Calloway, Jimmy, and Smoke. They get us the nicest equipment, they have done a world of good for our team and have gone through a lot to do it. Thanks so much to all those guys."
In fact, it was not a football Adams was picking up at an early age but a tennis racket. His tennis-loving mom, who is a retired lawyer who studied at Suffolk University, encouraged him to take up tennis early in his life.
"She loved tennis so much and really advocated for me to get involved," he said. "She gave me a tennis racket at the age of two and I was swinging it at the age of two. I played competitively until I was about 15, where I was ranked in the top-20 for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) New England Region. I traveled to Chicago, New Hampshire and Florida to play in tournaments and it was a very good experience. I've played tennis since I was two and if anyone wants to try me, you can come on and try me."
A key part of being a dominant offensive-linemen is having great footwork, and that's something Adams feels his involvement in tennis helped with in a major way.
While his mom attends the U.S. Open every year along with many other professional tournaments, Adams' dad, Carl Adams, is heavily involved with the sport of wrestling.
"My dad is a world class wrestling coach. He coached at Boston University for over thirty years," he articulated. "He wrestled at Iowa State and has created three or four wrestling inventions that are sold all over the country and world. He's very innovative. One of them is called the 'Snap N' Shoot' along with the other devices. There's a website you can buy them all at, he's been a very successful businessman."
Given his parents' athletic interests, one might wonder how Adams found himself involved with football.
"I was always playing backyard football, and I always wanted to be a tight end but I was 250 pounds in fifth grade, so that wasn't going to work," he said. "I first realized I'd play football in the seventh grade at Boston Knight Academy. They allowed people to go to their high school in seventh grade. It was a test-taking high school, you had to take a test to get in and is a pretty prestigious school in Boston. It allowed me to play football on JV in seventh grade, then I started on varsity in eighth grade and that's when I realized I could really play.
"That was also when my sister wanted me to come and play football in Charlotte and live with her, so I moved down there with her and my brother-in-law. Moving there really helped with the recruiting process and understanding which schools would want me. My brother-in-law Julius was a vital part in helping me get a scholarship, he encouraged me to go to these schools and go to their camps and try to show them my talents."
Adams comes from a big, talented family. His older brother, Narsh, was once ranked as the No. 1 wedding DJ in the state of California, his sister Pam was the only cheerleader to cheer for the very first Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats teams, while also cheering for the New England Patriots. His sister Nicole is an actress and singer who has published an album, while his other brother is an electrical engineer.
After moving to Charlotte, his road to NC State was paved and when he got here it brought him so much more than just football.
"I definitely enjoyed the opportunity that it gives people, not only athletes but all people," he explained. "There are many different ways you can get yourself out there like job fairs etc. I love that we are able to do things like go to the music studio in the library and make a whole bunch of songs. There's so much NC State gives you that you feel you have to give something back as you build on your career. I really enjoy the fact that they will cater to anything you want to do in your life. You can make NC State anything you want it to be. There are wonderful professors, the atmosphere is amazing, especially on game day. When you're on campus it feels like you're at home in a lot of aspects."
While he gushes over the opportunities given to him by NC State and its employees, but it should be noted that Adams has made a significant contribution to the entire athletic department.
Over the summer he interned in the Wolfpack Club, and throughout the fall he is interning in the athletic communications office, both experiences he feels will help him on his path to accomplishing his ultimate goal – becoming an Athletic Director.
He has also stepped up and helped out in other ways, such as when he took it upon himself to serve as a mentor to a young boy who attended school with Assistant Athletics Director for Communications Annabelle Myers' daughter's school.
"Annabelle asked me in January 2015 to come to her daughter's school because she felt one of the children, Naquan Clark, had nobody there for him at a recital," he said. "She asked me to come to the school to say hi and tell him I there to support him. He wanted to play football and was a big kid at that age like I was. I always wanted to give back, especially in those situations.
"It would become a situation where I saw him each Friday. He's a great kid, great attitude and a great athlete. He was bigger than all the other kids but could run faster than them too. When I met him he wasn't a good reader or doing very well in school, but once I spent more time with him and taught him what it takes to be a successful football player and in a lot of other areas in his life, he has done well in school and behaved better. He really took that in and has improved greatly. He's now in fourth grade and his grades have improved amazingly. I saw him recently and was able to give him some cleats, gloves and a mouth piece. He wants to play running back but he's probably going to have to play O or D line. He's going to be very good at it though. He movesd to Raeford and comes back Raleigh every other weekend, so I still catch up with him and see how he's doing in all facets of his life."
Adams is also thankful for those working behind the scenes to make NC State football the spectacle it is. While this group may seem anonymous to the casual observer, Adams and those who are regularly around the team recognize the invaluable work they do.
"I really want to thank Miss Tonya Washington. She's advocated for me to do a lot more in my leadership role here at NC State and got me involved in SAAC, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee," he explained. "There are select leaders from the different sports who come together to discuss different issues and how we can better promote our teams, so thank you for helping me get involved in that.
"Thank you to the people at Case Academic Center, you've really helped me with managing my day and helping me with time management. I had a 3.89 GPA my freshman year and they were a big part in that. Everybody who played a role in my development here deserves praise.
"I also have to give a big shout out to our equipment staff which is Terry Calloway, Jimmy, and Smoke. They get us the nicest equipment, they have done a world of good for our team and have gone through a lot to do it. Thanks so much to all those guys."
Players Mentioned
OG
/ FootballCoach Doeren Signing Day Presser (Dec. 3rd)
Wednesday, December 03
FB Players Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs UNC
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Coach Doeren Weekly Press Conference (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 24