The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1113082
74 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ PACK PAST ball coach, taking the reins of the program when Valvano-successor Todd Turner left for a similar job at Vanderbilt. Robinson expanded the administrative staff, directed the department to develop its first online presence with GoPack.com and completed the construction of the En- tertainment and Sports Arena, the replace- ment for longtime basketball arena Reyn- olds Coliseum. His greatest success came in improv- ing the tenuous relationship between NC State's athletics and academics, reducing some of the more stringent, above-and- beyond academic requirements he had as a coach, without diminishing the academic integrity of any program. Robinson stayed at NC State for five years before returning to the Citadel, where he began his head coaching career, to serve as the school's athletics director. Lee Fowler (2000-10) Fowler, who was hired from Middle Ten- nessee State, oversaw a building program that greatly enhanced Carter-Finley Sta- dium, updated aging Reynolds Coliseum, converted the on-campus building named for Everett Case from athletic administra- tion use to an academic support center, refurbished the Weisiger-Brown Building and built new on-campus homes for soccer, tennis, baseball and softball. In all, Fowler managed a $120 million building binge. Ultimately, his overall performance was judged on the lack of success by the school's major teams. While Wolfpack athletes won five individual national titles while he was in office, there were no team champions on the national level and just 15 ACC titles among the 23 varsity sports: 10 in men's and women's cross country, four in wrestling and one in softball. Fowler's tenure is remembered for the work he did in revamping the athletics physical plant, and for operating a fiscally responsible department with academic and NCAA integrity. Deborah A. Yow (2010-19) From the day Yow was hired by new chancellor Randy Woodson, she held true to her mantra of "Refuse to accept the sta- tus quo." The younger sister of Hall of Fame bas- ketball coach Kay Yow, she made changes within the athletics department leadership and to the coaching staffs. In all, she hired 17 new coaches, replac- ing the leadership in some sports twice (men's basketball, men's soccer and soft- ball). The department she inherited finished 89th in the Learfield Directors' Cup, a ranking of every sport's finish at the end of each season. She made the Directors' Cup the department's metric for success, making consistent finishes in the top 25 the goal. Last year, NC State finished a school-best 15th. Her biggest facilities improvement came with a $40 million renovation to aging Reynolds Coliseum. The renovated facility now stands as a museum to Wolfpack ath- letics as well as an updated arena that seats about 5,500 for women's basketball, gym- nastics, wrestling, volleyball and even rifle. She established the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012, honoring some of the university's best athletes, coaches, ad- ministrators and donors. Yow and her staff also worked to build NC State's brand through a more lucrative sponsorship agreement with apparel and shoe maker adidas. NC State's arrangement ranks No. 15 in the nation and No. 4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, bringing in $3.65 million per year, according to a 2018 report by Forbes. "Her leadership in making things hap- pen in athletics has been phenomenal," Woodson said. "We owe her tremendous gratitude." ■ Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. Lee Fowler's tenure from 2000-10 included several critical facility upgrades that totaled more than $120 million. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS