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RELEASE: Bill Cowher to be Inducted Into the NC State Ring of Honor

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RALEIGH, NC — NFL legend Bill Cowher, the only former NC State player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will be the newest member of Wolfpack Football’s Ring of Honor, Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan and head coach Dave Doeren announced today.

Cowher will be honored in ceremonies prior to the Louisville game on Friday, Sept. 29.

“Bill Cowher has left an indelible mark on the game of football and is certainly beloved by Wolfpack Nation,” said Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan. “It is an absolute privilege to recognize his remarkable contributions and celebrate his outstanding career.”

“Throughout his career, Bill Cowher has epitomized what Wolfpack football is all about,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “He is a true mentor, leader, and icon in the coaching profession, and we are so proud to be able to honor him in Carter-Finley Stadium alongside other NC State legends.”

The Crafton, Pa., native starred at linebacker for the Wolfpack from 1975-78 under head coaches Lou Holtz and Bo Rein. He still ranks seventh in school history in career tackles (371), while his 195 stops in 1978 still stands as a single-season record. He recorded two 24-tackle games (against South Carolina in 1977 and Clemson in 1978), tallies that still rank second in the record books.

Cowher played five seasons in the NFL (1980-84) for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns. At the age of 28, he began his coaching career under Marty Schottenheimer with the Browns, serving as special teams coach (1985-86) and secondary coach (1987-88) before following Schottenheimer to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he took on the role of defensive coordinator.

In January 1992, he was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would serve in that role for 15 seasons, becoming the second coach in league history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first six seasons as head coach. Cowher boasted a regular season record of 149-90-1 (.623) and a postseason record of 12-9 (.571) for an overall record of 161-99-1 (.619). He was named NFL Coach of the Year twice (1992 by Associated Press and Sporting News; 2004 by Sporting News).

During his tenure, the Steelers captured eight division titles, earned 10 postseason playoff berths, played in 21 playoff games, advanced to six AFC Championship games, and made two Super Bowl appearances. In 1995, the 38-year-old became the youngest coach in NFL history to lead his team to the Super Bowl, and he is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles.

On February 5, 2006, Cowher led the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XL.

In January of 2007, he resigned as head coach of the Steelers, finishing with a record of 161–99–1 as head coach. That same year, he began as a CBS NFL Today studio analyst. He was on set in 2020 when he learned he had been selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“What a tremendous honor it is to be inducted to the Ring Of Honor in Carter-Finley Stadium,” said Cowher. “It is a legendary list of past honorees. I came to NC State as a boy from Crafton, PA, and left four years later a man. Thanks to the tutelage and guidance of so many – Lou Holtz, Bo Rein, & Chuck Amato, to name a few. This is a very SPECIAL recognition. Go Pack!”

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Papajohn
Papajohn
9 months ago

Long overdue

NC State Football

Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?

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Earlier this week it was announced that NC State and Virginia would play one another in a home-and-home series, with the Wolfpack hosting in 2025, and the Cavaliers hosting in 2026.

Prior to the announcement, NC State already had their non-conference slate booked for both of those seasons.

As a result of the addition of the Virginia series, a previously scheduled non-conference game from each season would need to be dropped. While it hasn’t been officially announced by the school, Joe Giglio and David Glenn seem to think that the series with Appalachian State is going to be dropped.

It would make the most sense, considering the Mountaineers were the only opponent the Wolfpack was scheduled to play in both 2025 and 2026. It would also make sense, considering the fact that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t a fan of ACC teams playing Group of 5 schools on the road.

I will tell you this much. The Mountaineer faithful certainly believe NC State is dropping the series with App State, and it just takes a little scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) to get a read on their feelings on the situation.

This situation brings to mind the bill that has been proposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play App St., ECU and UNC Charlotte in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball.

If the addition of UVA means the elimination of App St. on NC State’s schedule, what are your thoughts? Share in the comments.

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CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.

16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)

Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.

ACC Coaches that made the Top-25

3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

8. Mike Norvell (FSU)

16. Dave Doeren (NC State)

19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.

The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.

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This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.

Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:

Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17

ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15

247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11

ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15

DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.

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To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.

Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.

It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.

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