NC State’s Debbie Yow is the N&O’s Most Influential Person in Triangle Sports

The News and Observer revealed their 2018 Top-10 Most Influential People in Triangle Sports, and NC State Athletic Director Debbie Yow earned the #1 spot.

Here’s Luke DeCock’s reasons why she sits at the Top.

When Debbie Yow was hired in the summer of 2010 to turn around the N.C. State athletic department, she promised a top-25 athletic program on all fronts, especially in football and men’s basketball, both of which were mired in prolonged droughts

As she prepares to exit the scene this summer – when Yow signed a contract extension four years ago taking her through July 2019, she said it would be her last – she has delivered on that promise, and not just in football and basketball, both of which have been in the Associated Press top 25 this season for the first time since 2003. The Wolfpack is strong across the board – a remarkable 15th in the overall Directors Cup standings last academic year and ninth this fall semester, ranked alongside Duke and North Carolina having narrowed the non-revenue gap for those local rivals, and programs like wrestling and swimming have become national powerhouses.

Football has a new indoor practice facility and Reynolds Coliseum has gone through a top-to-bottom renovation. Revenue has grown to feed the increasing success. Yow hasn’t been perfect – and the indiscretions of the Mark Gottfried regime continue to hang over the school – but she hasn’t hesitated to make changes when needed, even of her own hires. Her direct style occasionally ruffles feathers, but there’s no question she gets results – and no doubting her passion for the job or N.C. State.

For all of that, and her continuing influence on sports in the Triangle, Yow tops the 2018 Triangle Ten, an unscientific assessment of the 10 most influential people in Triangle sports over the past year.

Even after her expected retirement in July, don’t expect her influence to diminish. She’ll likely be even more vocal on social media, where she already spars with opposing fans – her Twitter address is @gopacknow, identified as “#1 State Fan” – and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her take an active role with Lead1, the athletic-director association-slash-lobbying group run by Tom McMillen, the former Congressman and Maryland basketball star. (N&O)

Check our the rest of the piece here, to see who filled out the rest of the Top-10.