The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1285691
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was selected as part of the 2020 Centennial Class, becoming the first former NC State player or coach honored in Canton, Ohio. Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner couldn't have been hotter in the first half of the truncated Major League Baseball season, riding a career-high double-digit hit- ting streak in which he batted better than .450 for the defending World Series champions. In the spring, even as the world went crazy, catcher Patrick Bailey became the seventh first-round pick of Elliott Avent's quarter-century as head coach of the Wolf- pack baseball program, joining Will Wilson, Carlos Rodon, Turner, Joey Devine, Andrew Brackman and Corey Lee (compensatory first-round pick). State's three previous coaches — Vic Sorrell, Sam Esposito and Ray Tanner — had a combined total of three first-round picks prior to Avent's arrival (Ron Evans, Greg Briley and Dan Plesac). Rodon, Turner and St. Louis catcher An- drew Knizner all entered September on ma- jor league rosters, though Rodon was bat- tling shoulder soreness that put him on the injured reserve list for a couple of weeks. So things are going well for former Wolf- pack athletes in professional sports. How, then, would they all stack up to the best players in the primary major league sports ever produced by NC State? Well, let's take the long, well-reasoned view. Following is a list of NC State's top performers in professional football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and soccer, with just a few of their credentials. The Rest RB Alex Webster; New York Giants (1955-64): "Big Red" played in a hidden era of post-war college football at NC State for head coach Beattie Feathers, leading the Southern Conference in scoring as a junior. After being taken in the 11th round of the 1953 draft by the Washington Redskins, he chose to head north to play for two seasons for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 1953-54. The Kearny, N.J., native then signed with the Giants and entrenched himself in their backfield, scoring 56 career touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were in the Giants' 47-7 victory over the Chicago Bears in the 1956 NFL Championship Game. In all, Webster played in six NFL title games and was twice selected for the Pro Bowl. OL Jim Ritcher; Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons (1980-95): Ritcher thought he would be a college defensive end, but when he came to NC State from Ohio, first-year head coach Bo Rein wanted him to line up at center, a position he had never played. It was a reluctant move for the undersized of- fensive lineman. After winning the 1979 Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior blocker and earn- ing first-team All-America honors, he was taken with the No. 16 pick of the 1980 NFL The Best WR Torry Holt; St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars (1999-2010): Holt was taken as the No. 6 pick in the 1999 NFL Draft and ended his rookie year with a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf." And you know what? All he did was get better with age. The Wolfpack's greatest NFL player helped guide his little brother Terrence to NC State and into the league, and the sib- lings worked together to create a foundation to support the chil- dren of cancer patients. You can talk about his first-team All-Pro season (2003), his seven Pro Bowls, or the times he led the league either in receptions (once), yardage (twice) or yards per reception (once), but no statistical category tells more about the Gibsonville native's passion for the game, for his alma mater or his home state. QB Roman Gabriel; Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles (1962-77) When Gabriel finished his college ca- reer in 1961, he owned all the ACC pass- ing records and helped redefine quarter- back as a passing position. The tall and rangy Gabriel needed more than two seasons on the bench before George Allen was hired as head coach of the Rams and installed the two-time ACC Player of the Year into his starting lineup. Gabriel never gave that job up, even after he was traded to the Eagles following the 1972 season. He twice led the NFL in passing and touchdown passes. Several organizations named him the NFL MVP in 1969 and the league's Comeback Player of the Year in 1973, when he led the NFL in passing attempts, completions and yardage. He twice earned first-team All-Pro honors and played in four Pro Bowls. He may still be awaiting his call from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but that doesn't mean he lacks the credentials to be elected. PHOTO COURTESY LA RAMS Football PHOTO COURTESY LA RAMS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 ■ 39