NC State’s Dave Doeren Clarifies He Has No Plans to Retire

NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren met with the media after practice yesterday leading up to the Wolfpack’s game tomorrow against #8 Georgia Tech.

Joe Giglio shared on a podcast last week that he knew that Doeren wanted to retire last year, but was asked not to.

Yesterday a member of the media asked Doeren if there was any validity to the report.

You can see the question and response below:

It’s been reported that you considered retiring last year. It’s being said as fact that you’re considering retirement this year. I don’t think anyone’s given you this opportunity to address that. Is that something that you think about?

No.

I think about winning games, trying to find ways to get better, trying to help this football team, trying to help this university, trying to help my coaches, trying to be a good dad, trying to not get my wife mad at me.

That’s what I think about, you know. Do I have plans down the road someday to retire?

Sure.

But I don’t have any plans to do that. I’m going to keep coaching. I’ve got four years left on my contract.

I want this place to be as good as it can be. That’s what I want. And I’ve done a lot.

We’ve done a lot here to make this a stable, successful, competitive program. And I love these kids, man. I mean, I get to come to work and be with CJ Bailey.

I get to come to work and be with Isaiah Shirley, Caden Fordham and Brandon Cleveland, all these kids, man. I’m so fortunate. So I’m having fun.

I mean, I know losing sucks and it hurts, and I’m pissed as hell on Sunday and Monday, but I’m having fun going to practices with this football team.

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At the end of the day, we don’t really know what happened at the end of last year, nor do we know about any of the conversations held behind closed doors or the school’s plans for the future.

Just because Doeren responded this way doesn’t mean Giglio is a liar. It doesn’t mean a source didn’t tell him that. It could still be true—or it could be false.

Even if Doeren did plan to retire at the end of last year, or had plans to do so at the end of this year, he wouldn’t confirm that in a random media availability after practice on a Thursday. If the day comes when Doeren decides to retire, the all-time winningest coach in program history won’t be making an impromptu announcement at a Thursday media session heading into Week 10. A decision like that would (and should) be made in an official way that both honors the coach’s legacy and positions the program for long-term success.