The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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you should get the stipend. Pell Grant eliHow important is an ACC television gible students have proven that they have network? an unmet need, both men and women." "The network is critical for us. It can't happen soon enough. I understand it could What are your thoughts on the upcombe as long as three years before we aning four-team playoff in college football? nounce it's getting ready to happen and "I really wanted eight teams, and I told three years past that before we get ready to [ACC commissioner] John Swofford that announce it's financially lucrative. That's long ago. I believe it will be eight teams six years from now. We will not be able to count on that money for six years. "We need that very, very badly. There's a correlation between having the network up and running and being financially viable and having an ability to pay our coaches and to provide for our teams. "I just saw where Michigan is building a $13 million field hockey facility. That blows my mind, but they have the Big Ten TV contract and their network is lucrative, so I guess they can afford Yow (left) and her sister, Susan, saw the Hoops4Hope women's basketball game and Kay Yow Spring Game tally approximately $75,000 it. "I've had people ask in donations for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund this year. media relations photo courtesy nc state me if we would ever at some time, I just wish it had been now. field a lacrosse team here. We won't beI think there is a lot of political pressure cause our goal is to be able to provide betfrom the presidents to not come out with ter for our 23 teams we have, not to add anan eight-team playoff. other mouth at the table to feed. We won't "But I think it would have been the right be enlarging our athletic programs, but by thing to do and would have settled the playthe same token I hope to never have to drop offs model for many, many years. I think it sports either." will eventually evolve into that." SEC commissioner Mike Slive is pushWhat about nine-game conference ing hard for a cost of attendance stipend schedules for football? for players. Do you have any personal "I voted for nine and it passed. Then we opinions on that? came back in October of 2012 as ADs, the "I'm in favor of a stipend for people who subject was raised by someone and we lost are Pell Grant eligible because it's proven the re-vote. The vote at that time was five they have unmet needs. I am in favor of in favor of nine games and seven in favor that. I'm not in favor of an across the board of eight. stipend. People do not seem to understand "It was very late to lose that, and it the law and Title IX. You cannot just give a wrecked havoc with our schedule for 2013. stipend to all the football players and men's That's how we ended up with Louisiana basketball players. Tech on the schedule, because we lost an "You also have to give a stipend at that ACC game that October. point to the equivalent number of women. "I think we found an excellent school: There are 85 football scholarships and 13 a high-powered, high-scoring offense, and men's basketball scholarships. Now you as it turns out Coach [Skip] Holtz will be have to also pick 98 women. That's basithere now. I think it'll be an exciting and cally, but not completely, how that works. very challenging game for Coach Doeren "Why would we in any sport be giving and our young team." anyone who comes from a family of means additional money above and beyond the Do you have any future football schedfull scholarship? It's complex. ule updates? "I really gravitate towards need-based "What I have been working on most reaid. If you are Pell Grant eligible I think cently is 2014. Our schedule has only five home games, and that's a formula for disaster financially. That has not been very fun to try to fix. We are working on that, but we don't have a lot of choices. In football, things are scheduled so far in advance. "We are trying to turn that into seven home games and five road games. I didn't think we were going to need to do that until October because I thought we were going to have nine ACC games." It's been three years since, like you said last year, you came home. How do you feel about things right now? "I feel terrific, and I am as energized as I was three years ago about the future. I enjoy the journey of building and hiring great coaches and helping the great coaches that we inherited take it to the next level in terms of competitive achievements and academic achievements. "It's not for everyone, and I realize that, but it is for me. I love being here. I still gravitate towards: Wolfpack Unlimited, Refuse to Accept the Status Quo. I believe for 25 years people have underestimated our capabilities, our talents, our resources, our fans, everything. "Watching it change and being part of it is a dream come true. We're in the middle of all this right now. We're not where we want to be, but I do believe we are better off than where we were. We have to maintain our focus. That's my theme right now with coaches and senior administrators. We cannot lose focus even when we have disappointments. "When we played the 18-inning game against UNC, I think we were all crushed because we tried so hard. I asked Elliott [Avent] if I could come and talk to the team, and he said I could. They were meeting that Monday at 11:30 a.m., and I went over to talk to them about who they are and how far they can go. "Sometimes, all people need are encouraging words. The coaches do, and the athletes do. They need to know that we appreciate their efforts even on a day when the outcome is not what we want. "I said to someone I will never be part of an 18-inning baseball game again, what a unique experience, and two weeks later: 17 innings. We were all talking about that as it occurred. I liked the outcome a lot better. Winning at the end of 17 is a whole different experience than losing after 18 innings. "My greatest thrill that night was knowing that they have had the opportunity to actually enjoy the fruits of their labor. They persevered — in the ninth, down three runs, we tied it and they pulled it out. It was special." ■ 28 ■ the wolfpacker 24-26,28.Debbie Yow.indd 28 7/2/13 11:23 AM