The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
116 ■ THE WOLFPACKER friend Tab Ramos, one of the most decorated players in American soccer history. Ramos was one of the first calls Gutierrez received when the newest class was announced. The class has two certified pioneers — tennis player Irwin Holmes, the first African-American athlete to compete in an ACC event, and football player Mario Williams, the first ACC player in history to be taken No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. David Fox, an NCAA champion and Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer, continued that program's recognition. He joins coaches Willis Casey and Don Easter- ling, and fellow competitors Steve Rerych, Steve Gregg and Cullen Jones in the hall. ■ David Fox, men's swimming A homegrown superstar, Fox grew up in Ra- leigh and went on to become one of the best swimmers in the history of NC State's storied program. He won championships at every level during his career, becoming a seven-time ACC champion, an NCAA champion and an Olympic gold medalist. The three-time All-America selec- tion (1990, '91, '93) was named ACC Swimmer of the Year in 1993 after winning the national title in the 50 freestyle and was twice named ACC meet MVP (1991, '93). Fox won gold at the 1996 Centennial Olym- pics in Atlanta as a member of the 4x100 free- style relay team. He held the NC State record in the 100 free- style for 19 years before it was broken in 2012. He was also selected to the ACC 50th anniversary swimming team. He now lives in Dallas, where he is an investment banker for Goldman Sachs. Irwin Holmes, special contributor In the fall of 1956, Holmes was one of the first four African-American under- graduates to enroll at NC State and later became the school's first black graduate, with a degree in electrical engineering. The Durham native not only integrated the school, he was one of the first black athletes to compete in NC State and ACC history. In 1957, he and Manuel Crockett be- came the first black athletes to partici- pate in an ACC-sponsored event during a freshman indoor track meet against North Carolina. Holmes later joined the tennis team and was a three-year varsity player. In 1960, he became the first African- American captain of a varsity sport at an ACC school. Holmes is retired after a long career as an engineer. Last fall, the university renamed a building on campus Holmes Hall in his honor. Henry Gutierrez, men's soccer In his four years at NC State, Gutierrez helped the Wolfpack qualify for its first Fi- nal Four and win its only ACC title in 1990. A three-time All-American, he still ranks fifth in school history in points (114), seventh in goals (41) and fourth in assists (32). He was named to the ACC's 50th anniversary team. The Hoboken, N.J., native, who grew up in Miami, was twice named ACC Player of the Year, making him one of only five players in conference history to win the honor multiple times. He earned one cap as a member of the U.S. Men's National Team and played 87 games with Major League Soccer's Miami Fusion. He currently lives in Holly Springs and is the director of scouting for the North Carolina FC Academy. John Sadri, men's tennis One particular match that Sadri played in remains seared in the minds of collegiate tennis fans: the 1978 NCAA title match, in which he lost by the narrowest of margins to Stanford freshman John McEnroe in Ath- ens, Ga. Only one point separated the two players after five sets. In his Wolfpack career, Sadri was a two- time ITA All-American (1977, '78) and won four ACC titles, two individual and two doubles with playing partner Andy Andrews. He still owns the top singles and doubles winning percentages in school his- tory (.860 and .849, respectively) and led the Wolfpack to the 1978 ACC team title. As a professional, Sadri reached as high as No. 14 in the world tennis rankings in 1980, and went on to win two professional singles and two professional doubles titles. He was the runner-up in singles at the 1979 Australian Open and finished second twice in doubles at that event. He was also named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Team. Thori Staples Bryan, women's soccer Staples was considered one of the na- tion's top defenders as a collegiate player, anchoring a defense that led the Wolf- pack to three NCAA appearances and set a single-season record with 19 wins. She is the only four-time All-ACC per- former in program history and was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1992. She played for the U.S. National Wom- en's team from 1992-99 and for the 1995 FIFA World Cup team, and was an alternate for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. She played for WUSA's San Jose Cyber- Rays from 2001-04 and helped her team win the league title in 2001. When the ACC celebrated the 50 best athletes in each sport in 2003, she was a member of the 50th Anniversary women's soccer team. Mario Williams, football When his name was called at the begin- ning of the 2006 NFL Draft, Williams be- came the first football player in ACC history to be taken No. 1 overall. The dominating defensive lineman was a three-year starter for Chuck Amato's Wolfpack, setting school records for single-game, single-season and career sacks and tackles for loss. He's still the leader in three of those statistical categories. The now 34-year-old native of Richlands, N.C., was a two-time All-ACC performer, a Freshman All-American and a first-team All-American, and helped the Wolfpack lead the nation in total defense in 2004. As a professional player, Williams was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro for the Texans, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins in his 11-year professional career, in which he recorded 97.5 sacks. The 2019 NC State Athletic Hall Of Fame Inductees Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.