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North Carolina State University - WOLFPACK |
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"Struttin" Wolf
The Wolfpack has been synonymous with N.C. State
as long as most can remember, but it was not always so. Originally, as North Carolina State
College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, most sports fans knew the school as the Aggies.
However, this was not a university wide nickname, as different teams used different names. N.C.
State has been known as the Farmers, the Aggies, the Techs, and the Red Terrors. In 1922, a
disgruntled fan described the behavior of the student body at athletic events as being “Like
a wolf pack.” The new nickname obviously stuck, probably much to the consternation of that
disgruntled fan, and became accepted university wide.
"Mr. and/or Ms. Wuf "
They love to socialize (although they do not speak or even howl) and are always ready to have their
pictures taken with fans. Of course, they have very busy schedules so you need to submit your request at least two weeks
before your event. Keep in mind that they may not be available during scheduled academic breaks, during exam week, or on
days when there is a game (especially football or basketball). Also, they are very busy at the beginning of semesters
and are more likely to be available in the evenings and on weekends.
NC State's nationally recognized cheerleading squad brought home a championship from the National Cheerleaders
Association national finals in Daytona Beach, Fla., when Ms. Wuf was named the top collegiate mascot in the country.
Mr Wuf,
Cheerleaders Take 3rd.
NC State's Athletics Traditions
Athletics at NC State began with a single football in 1892, a game
between students from the North Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical College and the Raleigh Male Academy, on the grounds
of what is now Pullen Park.
A and M team colors were pink and blue. The coaches were
professors who had to be convinced annually to come coach the students about a game they barely knew
themselves. The length of the first season was a single game, which A and M won 12-6.
From those humble beginnings, NC State University has been
competing at the highest level of college athletics for more than a century, as a charter member of both the
Southern Conference and, later, the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In 1927, the school won its first major conference football title, led by All-American and eventual College Football
Hall of Fame inductee Jack McDowall. Basketball followed suit in 1929 with its first Southern Conference title.
There were lean years for both football and basketball during the Depression and World War II, but in 1946 a man
arrived in Raleigh who would ignite a passion across the Southeast for the little-followed sport of basketball.
That man, Everett Case, was hired straight out of the Navy, though he had previously been one of the most successful
Indiana high school coaches, tying a record with five state championships at three different schools. Under his guidance,
the Red Terrors/Wolfpack bulldozed its competition, Reynolds Coliseum was finally completed and the fire that still
fuels Atlantic Coast Conference basketball was born.
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