The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1000643
160 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ PACK PAST star basketball player, a power-hitting third baseman and a fleet sprinter and jumper. He was just recently named the principal at Four Oaks Middle School, which is in the same district where he grew up. Tol Edolphus Avery was a young quar- terback — he was only 18 when he made his first collegiate start as a sophomore against William & Mary in 1980 — who often took heat for his handling of the three different offenses Kiffin installed during his three-year stint as head coach. Avery was eager to play for the Wolf- pack, remembering the glory days of Ted Brown, the Buckey twins and others who led State to four consecutive bowl games in the mid-1970s. He was a freshman in 1979, but did not play for Bo Rein's team that won the At- lantic Coast Conference championship. He is not sure he ever would have if Rein, who left for LSU following the '79 season, would have stayed. Like everyone on the team, Avery was crushed at Rein's death in a plane crash in the winter of 1980, but felt like he had a strong opportunity to fill the Pack's quar- terback vacancy despite his young age. "We were all devastated, obviously, in losing the coach who brought us here," Av- ery remembered. "We loved him and what he did for the program. His record speaks for itself. It was a change in direction when Coach Kiffin got here. "That piece of it was bittersweet. Every coach has a different philosophy and differ- ent way of doing things. It was hard, but it also was a chance to prove that you could play to a different set of eyes." One of those sets of eyes was current Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who has had success with one of Avery's successors, Russell Wilson, as his starting quarterback. "We used to work out against his defense all the time, and that helped me tremen- dously, especially in seven-on-seven skel- eton drills," Avery said. "It really helped me understand how to attack defenses. "All of the defensive backs he had then, Perry Williams, Dee Dee Hoggard, Eric Williams, all ended up playing professional football." While Avery was a talented, strong- armed athlete who played with the likes of wide receiver Mike Quick and tailback Joe McIntosh, the Wolfpack never quite put Kiffin's program on a winning path. Avery, who spent 20 years in the Army before embarking on a career in education, was just recently named the principal at Four Oaks Middle School near where he grew up. He said he enjoys imparting the wisdom he learned while a celebrated ath- lete and military leader to the young minds he oversees. PHOTOS COURTESY TOL AVERY 520 Beaman Street Clinton, North Carolina 28328 (910) 596-5633 www.huffortho.com W. Alexander Huff, MD Orthopaedic Surgeon Board Certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Experience that gets you moving. Wolfpack Club Member Since 2001 O r t h O p a e d i c s & s p O r t s m e d i c i n e Civil Engineering Trac Engineering Railroad Design Roadway Design Structure Design Environmental Planning Transportation Planning Construction Management Program Management We support the NC State Wolfpack! Apply online at mottmac.com/careers EOE/M/F/D/V Join us in turning innovative ideas into sustainable reality