The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1389905
54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER n the years immediately after the first World War, North Carolina col- leges and universities were changing and growing at a rapid pace, each trying to establish its own identity for a state eager to burst forth from its agrarian roots and into a develop- ing border state of the New South. For the recently renamed NC State Col- lege of Agriculture and Engineering — for- merly the North Carolina College of Agri- culture and Mechanic Arts (AMC) — that meant getting away from the pejorative monikers given to them by newspapermen and outside entities, and moving to a nick- name of its own branding. With the name change, the school replaced the old inter- locking AMC logo that was sparingly used by the student newspaper, yearbook and ath- letic letters, and developed the first Block S. And 100 years ago this fall, NC State's "Wolfpack" was formed. Before then, the team was often called the "Aggies," the "Farmers," the "Tech- sters" or some other clever name gener- ated by pioneering newspapermen who were looking for something to use on sec- ond reference that was tied to State Col- lege's technical and agricultural roots. All of them were rather lacking. The catalyst for change was from an un- named alumnus who was concerned about the school's identity being formed by out- side sources. Today, that is called branding, and the university and its athletics depart- ment have units devoted to its development and protection. Back then, though, it was just a sugges- tion by an alum. He wrote in the February 1921 edition of the Alumni News: "… It has always appeared to me that those teams which had traditional symbols and nicknames have the greatest morale and spirit among the colleges. Take, for instance, the Yale 'Bulldog,' or the Princ- eton 'Tiger,' and the 'Carolina Tarheels,' [sic] with many others. These names add a picturesque touch to those colleges which I have always thought reacted favorably on the playing of the team, not to speak of the added drawing power of something like the Gold [sic] Tornado from Georgia Tech. "Pride is taken in these names, and teams traditionally try to live up to them. Now, my suggestion is that State teams take up the symbol of the Wolves. Here is a snappy, aggressive name which would have a most favorable effect on the College. To have the State team known as the Wolf Pack would add tremendously in publicity. …" The traditional narrative is that the Wolf- pack nickname came from a letter to a news- paper editor that insultingly said NC State fans were as "unruly as a pack of wolves" at a football game and the school's fans liked the description so much that they adopted the name for all football games. That may well have happened, as for- mer NC State history professor Bill Bee- zley wrote in his comprehensive book The Wolfpack: Intercollegiate Athletics at North Carolina State University (NC State Press, 1974). However, after scouring hun- dreds of newspapers from that time period, NC State director of brand management and protection Gregg Zarnstorff and others have never unearthed a copy. The editors of the Alumni News imme- diately embraced the suggestion from the unidentified graduate, who was likely New York businessman Thomas Kenneth Mial, a tireless proponent of his alma mater whose life's goal was to start alumni groups in every state north of the Mason Dixon line. "The following letter from an 'Old Grad' in New York City offers a fine suggestion," it wrote. "A snappy nickname for the foot- ball team, especially, could be made to contribute some splendid publicity." It was a time of great change within the State College athletics department. Athlet- ics director, football and baseball coach Bill Fetzer was lured away to UNC Chapel Hill with a $10,000 salary following the 1920 football season to share head coaching duties with his brother Bob. "It is with sincere regret that the College loses the services of Mr. Fetzer," wrote Tal Stafford in the same February edition of the Alumni News. "During the time that he has been with us he has made friends by his gentlemanly conduct, both on and off the field, and his clean sportsmanship." He was replaced by a returning Harry Hartsell, who held both positions prior to be- ing drafted into the U.S. Army at the begin- ning of the war. He was released in time to re- turn to his previous positions when Fetzer left. It was also a time of expansion at Riddick Stadium, the on-campus home of football, baseball, and track and field. A new section I ORIGIN OF THE WOLFPACK NC State's Nickname Was First Used 100 Years Ago This Fall Prior to the adoption of the Wolfpack moniker, the school was often given nicknames by newspapermen that included ties to the college's technical and agricultural roots, such as Aggies, Farmers and Techsters. The football team was the first squad to use Wolfpack, beginning in 1921. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE