NC State, in an amazing act of self-confidence, has scheduled 5 out-of-conference games this year - TWO of them are DIV. 1-AA! As reported in the July 31 edition of the Raleigh News & Observer, the wusspack could have scheduled Colorado State and Utah (both 1-A teams), but that would have meant a future trip to one of those venues. Associate AD David Horning tried to blame it on the economics. "We might have gotten $200,000 for one of those games, and the flight alone would have cost $130,000." whined Horning. His excuse just doesn't cut it! This year, the team will travel to Texas Tech and will make a mere $150,000! Once you add other expenses, it's likely that they will barely break even and perhaps might even take a loss. So, what gives? No doubt most State "fans" will fall for his lame excuse.
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** HEADLINES **
August has arrived! Chuck Amato and the NSCU Wolfpack are ready for another season of mediocrity! Stories coming soon!
DEDICATED TO THE HISTORY OF NCSU WOLFPACK FOOTBALL...
Chuck Amato, whom State fans refer to as "CTC" or "Chuck the Chest", is the man Wolfpack fans credit for turning around NCSU's football program. In his two years at NC State, he is 4-4 in conference play both years - 50%. In the 2000 season Amato's overall record was 8-4, a winning percentage of 66.7%. In the 2001 season his overall record was 7-5, a 58.3% winning percentage. Just the type of mediocrity Wolfpack fans expect and demand, as you will see in our "By The Numbers" section.
Record Since 1980: 133-120-3 (6.04 wins per year / 52.5% winning pct.)
Last ACC Title: 1979
10-win Seasons: 0
Top 10 AP Finishes: 0
Bowl Appearances: 20 (9-10-1)
Record Against "Rival" UNC: 25-60-6; last 10 meetings: 2-8
Record Against Duke: 33-39-5
* - NCSU ranks 8th among the 9 ACC teams in all-time winning percentage. FSU(67.4), Ga. Tech(59.4), Clemson(58.8), UNC(58.1), Duke(53.3), UVa(53.0),Maryland(52.4) , NCSU(50.3), Wake Forest(39.8)
The numbers don't lie. North Carolina State has a football program mired in mediocrity. In the 109 years they have been playing football, they have never been able to break through and take it to the next level. The university and the fans settle for mediocrity year in and year out.
If you talk with State fans, almost all of them will tell you that former head football coach Dick Sheridan was a great coach that brought greatness to the Wolfpack. The numbers tell a different story- the true story. In his seven years at State, Sheridan posted a record of 52-29-3. That's a winning percentage of 63.7%. Greatness? Maybe at NCSU, considering his winning percentage was the best since Lou Holtz coached the Wolfpack from 1972-1975, leaving with a 71.9% winning percentage.
Before Holtz, you have to go back FIFTY-TWO years to find a coach in NCSU history who won over 50% of his games- William Fetzer's 73.7% in his two year stint, 1919 and 1920. Since 1900, N.C. State has had 29 football coaches and only 11 of them have compiled winning records while at the Wolfpack helm.
According to Wolfpack fans, one of the heroes of Wolfpack football is Coach Earle Edwards, who coached at NCSU from 1954-1970. During his tenure, the Wolfpack's record was 77-88-8 (46.8%).
It comes as no surprise that N.C. State has only finished in the AP Top 25 just Ten(10) times in their history. They have finished in the Top 25 in the Coaches Poll just Nine(9) times.
This is the kind of mediocrity NCSU fans have come to know and, apparently, love.
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Ever been to N.C. State's football stadium? Fans around the conference are almost unanimous in their opinion that it's the worst place to visit for a football game. Check out any of the other 8 teams' message boards and ask them. (ACC teams message boards can be found at at accboards.com, rivals.com , or theinsiders.com.) During football season this topic invariably arises and the result never changes. NCSU wins the "Worst Stadium" contest every year.
The off-campus Carter-Finley Stadium is located at the picturesque North Carolina State Fairgrounds! Parking is terrible. They have no luxury boxes; their "VIP" section is a collection of seats that are simply painted red. The press box looks like an old run-down doublewide trailer that someone put on the top of one of the upper decks. The fans show up late to the games(especially the students).
Recently, The Sporting News and NBC Sports did a joint conference-by-conference ranking of college football stadiums. (Click on either of the publications above to view the rankings at their sites) There are nine teams in the ACC. Let's take a look at how NCSU's Carter-Finley Stadium finished in the rankings.
OVERALL - 8th (edged out Wake Forest)
SETTING - 9th (dead last)
STRUCTURE - 7th (ahead of Wake Forest and Duke)
HISTORY - 8th (again edging out Wake Forest)
FANS - 3rd (behind Clemson[1] and FSU [2])
Once again, NCSU's mediocrity is highlighted by two well-respected sports media outlets.
Take a look for yourself. The numbers are all here... 109 years of mediocrity.
One major problem at NCSU is the lack of support from fans and alumni. According to the NCSU Alumni Relations Office, State has over 125,000 graduates. The school's athletic booster club, Wolfpack Club, has only about 12,000 members... roughly 10% of those who graduate from NCSU support their athletic programs. Similarly, the Student Wolfpack Club has only about 1,600 members in a school with an enrollment of over 28,000... just under 6% of the student body.
NC STATE HAS NO RIVAL !!
What other team in college football has no rival? Seems that NCSU is the only one. UNC's true rival is Duke. And what of the Pack's "rivalry" with instate foe ECU? They don't even play each other anymore. So who is NCSU's rival? Some delusional Pack fans think it's FSU. Imagine FSU setting aside Florida as a rival for the lowly Pack. Not gonna happen! YOU HAVE NO RIVAL. Another pathetic aspect of this pathetic football program.
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All-time record: 484-478-55 (50.3%)*