NCAA Division I Varsity teams 23 | Athletic director Debbie Yow | |
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University North Carolina State University Conference Atlantic Coast Conference, East Atlantic Gymnastics League, Great America Rifle Conference Location Raleigh, North Carolina | ||
2016 11 03 lynn fighting knights at nc state wolfpack basketball
The NC State Wolfpack are the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. They compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sub-level for football), primarily competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for all sports since the 1953–54 season. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. Women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Rifle is a co-ed team.
Contents
- 2016 11 03 lynn fighting knights at nc state wolfpack basketball
- Baseball
- Mens basketball
- Womens basketball
- Football
- Wrestling
- Other sports
- Non varsity sports
- NCAA team championships
- NC State Fight Song
- Red and White Song
- The NC State Alma Mater
- References
The athletic teams of the Wolfpack compete in 23 intercollegiate varsity sports. NC State is a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and has won eight national championships: two NCAA championships, two AIAW championships, and four titles under other sanctioning bodies. Most NC State fans and athletes recognize the rivalry with the North Carolina Tar Heels as their biggest.
The primary logo for NC State athletics is a red block 'S' with an inscribed 'N' and 'C'. The block S has been in use since 1890 but has seen many alterations through the years. The color red was adopted from the state bird, the cardinal. It became the sole logo for all NC State athletic teams in 2000 and was modernized to its current design in 2006.
NC State athletic teams are nicknamed the 'Wolfpack'. The name was adopted in 1921 when a disgruntled fan described the behavior of some of the school's football players as being "as unruly as a pack of wolves". Prior to the adoption of the current nickname, North Carolina State athletic teams went by such names as the Aggies, the Techs, the Red Terrors, and Farmers. Since the 1960s the Wolfpack has been represented at athletic events by its mascots, Mr. and Mrs. Wuf who were married on February 28, 1981 by the Demon Deacon at Reynolds Coliseum at half time of an NC State game versus Wake Forest. The Demon Deacon presided over the wedding. In print, the "Strutting Wolf" is used and is known by the name "Tuffy." In September 2010, a purebred Tamaskan dog became the new live mascot, "Tuffy".
Baseball
Men's basketball
The above record of conference titles does not include regular season 1st place finishes as championships – the ACC recognizes only the winner of the ACC Tournament as its champion.
Women's basketball
Football
Wrestling
North Carolina State University's wrestling team was established in 1925 and goes by the team nickname of the "Wolfpack". Pat Popolizio was named head wrestling coach for the Wolfpack on April 10, 2012. Currently in his second season with the team, Popolizio is a three-time NCAA qualifier. The wrestling team competes at home on campus in the Reynolds Coliseum. NC State Wrestling also has a blog online mainly to keep up to date with the team and focus on the NCAA Championships.
In 2012, Popolizio left his previous program, Binghamton University, and took all-American heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski with him. After redshirting for a year (to avoid sitting out a season per NCAA transfer rules), Gwiazdowski won national titles in 2014 and 2015, becoming the first Wolfpack wrestler to win consecutive titles.
During the 2015–16 season, North Carolina State went as high as number two in the national rankings and had the school record for most wins in a single season.
NC State Wolfpack Wrestling achievements:
Other sports
In addition to baseball, basketball, football, and wrestling, NC State competes in 11 other varsity sports. Unless noted, both a men's and a women's team are fielded.
Non-varsity sports
The North Carolina State University Men's Rugby Football Club was founded in 1965. NC State plays college rugby in the Atlantic Coast Rugby League against its traditional ACC rivals. The NC State rugby team is led by head coach Jim Latham. The Wolfpack play their home games at the Upper Method Road Field. NC State won the Atlantic Coast Invitational 7s tournament in 2010 and 2011. The Wolfpack finished 13th at the 2011 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships. NC State finished 12th at the 2012 Collegiate Rugby Championship, a tournament broadcast live on NBC from PPL Park in Philadelphia. NC State scored a notable upset against #7 ranked Davenport to reach the finals of the 2012 ACI 7s tournament in Blacksburg, only to lose in the final to host Virginia Tech.
As the university's oldest active club, the NC State Sailing Club was founded in 1954 and also fields a competitive intercollegiate co-ed and a women's sailing team. With their home facility at Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, the "SailPack," as the club is known, competes in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association division of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA). The ICSA is the governing body of college sailing. The SailPack has reached the SAISA regional championship consecutively for the past four seasons, and as of 2013 is the highest ranking active program in North Carolina ahead of Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Wilmington, and Davidson.
NC State's ski team is a member of the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) and competes in races regularly during the winter season.
NC State fields a full varsity team in cheerleading and competes in dance, neither of which are sanctioned by the NCAA.
NC State has a proud intercollegiate tradition in ultimate frisbee. The men's team won the national championships in 1999.
NCAA team championships
North Carolina State has won 2 NCAA team national championships.
NC State Fight Song
The words to the Fight Song were written by Hardy Ray, Class of 1926, and the music was written by Edmund L. Gruber in 1908. It is essentially a sped-up version of "The Caisson Song", or more recently, "The Army Goes Rolling Along."
Red and White Song
The Red and White Song is a popular song sung by fans and played by the band at many NC State athletic events, especially at football and basketball games. It was written by J. Perry Watson, a former Director of Music at NC State, and was introduced in 1961; students first sang the "Red and White" song at the NC State – Maryland game on February 13, 1961. The song, although very popular, is in fact not the official Fight Song of NC State. The colors mentioned in the song refer to NC State's main athletic colors, while "Caroline", "Devils", and "Deacs" refer to other Tobacco Road team names: North Carolina Tar Heels, Duke Blue Devils, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The NC State Alma Mater
NC State's Alma Mater was written by two students in the early 1920s. Dr. Alvin M. Fountain, a class of '22 alumnus and editor of The Technician, wrote the words, while Bonnie Norris, from the class of 1923, composed the music.