The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1137844
114 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER E ven now, as the sixth class of the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame has been selected and notified, some of the greatest Wolfpack performers in school history are still surprised when they get that phone call. "I thought someone was teasing me," said former All-American tennis player John Sa- dri of Charlotte. "Coach J.W. Isenhour told me they were considering me, and I thought, 'Yeah, right. I'm not going to be in there with David Thompson and all those others.'" It's true that the hall, housed in renovated Reynolds Coliseum, is populated with some of the most accomplished athletes in NC State, Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA history. But there's always room to recognize more. The latest class of six pioneers and deco- rated athletes, elected in early May by the Hall of Fame Election Committee, will bring the total number of players, coaches, administrators and special contributors to 50. They will be inducted at a gala celebra- tion at Reynolds Coliseum on Sept. 25, 2020, at Reynolds Coliseum. A couple of newly elected members were unfamiliar with new director of ath- letics Boo Corrigan, who notified each new member of their selection his first official week on the job. Corrigan called the class "remarkable athletes who not only made significant con- tributions to their sports, but also had histor- ical impact on our campus and community." "I get this text from Boo Corrigan, and I didn't know anything about him," said Sadri, the men's tennis player who was a big part of the Wolfpack's only ACC cham- pionships in 1977 and '78. "I texted back, 'Hey, Booooooooo.' "I was a little bit embarrassed when I found out who it really was." Former soccer player Henry Gutierrez thought the same thing: Who's calling me? "I was a bit surprised," said Gutierrez, who led the Wolfpack to its only NCAA Final Four. "It wasn't something that was on my radar." Both, however, were beyond thrilled, not so much that they were recognized for individual accomplishments, but that their programs, their coaches and their team- mates are able to share in the honor. Soc- cer, in particular, was well represented with women's player Thori Staples Bryan, who was also elected as part of this year's class. For Gutierrez, one of the most accom- plished players in the history of the Wolfpack soccer program, it will be his second time at the Hall of Fame gala. At the inaugural induction in 2012, he was the guest of close THE SIXTH CLASS Six Athletes Will Be Inducted Into The NC State Athletic Hall Of Fame This Fall Mario Williams was the first player in ACC history to be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft when the Houston Texans made him the top pick in 2006. PHOTO BY JASON IVESTER