The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1466831
48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Weighing in at 155 pounds, Dave Buckey was a little nervous in the open- ing half, until he hit brother Don on a 37-yard touchdown pass. Stan Fritts gave the Wolfpack a 14-13 lead at the half on a one-yard run. In the second half, the Buckeys were a big part of the Wolfpack's four offen- sive touchdowns and helped NC State pile up a remarkable 535 yards of total offense. Dave threw another scoring pass, Don ran one in from two yards out, and Fritts scored twice more on the ground. The defense added another TD for a total of 35 unanswered points to com- plete Holtz's inaugural season with an 8-3-1 record. Dave Buckey was named the game's most valuable player, and Sports Illus- trated seemed justified in using so much color ink on the freshman duo. For their careers, the twins — now 68 years of age — helped establish the best four-year winning percentage in school history (71.8 percent with a 31- 12-3 mark) from 1972-75. They lost only one home game during their careers. The Buckey brothers became the only identical twins to ever earn first-team All-ACC honors, helped the Wolfpack qualify for four consecutive postsea- son games, and as sophomores in 1973 they gave Holtz the only ACC title of his four-year Wolfpack tenure. One thing has always bothered Don After freshman eligibility was restored in college athletics in January 1972, it took the ACC a few years to establish an award to recognize the accomplish- ments of first-year players in its premier sports. In 1975, record-breaking tailback Ted Brown be- came the first player in league history to win the ACC Football Freshman of the Year award — even though he only substantively played in seven games all season. Brown's accomplishment began a long history of Wolfpack players winning the football version of the award, and NC State freshmen have found early suc- cess in a variety of other sports, from basketball to wrestling to cross country. Here's a baker's dozen of the best freshman perfor- mances in NC State athletics history: Mike Caldwell, pitcher, baseball (1968) True freshmen in the Olympic sports were eligible prior to 1972, and the skinny left-hander from Tarboro, N.C., showed he was ready to compete. He threw a 77-pitch, one-hit shutout over Wake Forest in the final game of the regular season, then won the decisive game against Florida State in the District III regionals to send NC State to the College World Series. David Thompson, men's basketball (1971-72) Eligible for varsity competition or not, Thompson was the most dynamic freshman athlete in the nation during the 1971-72 season, and one of the primary reasons the NCAA voted to restore freshman eligibility. He averaged 35.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game for the final all-freshman junior varsity team in NC State history, leading the Wolf - lets to a 15-1 record and offering a preview of the remarkable things that were to come. Ted Brown, running back, football (1975) He was inserted into the starting lineup in the Wolfpack's fifth game of the season because the veteran running backs in front of him had nine fumbles against Michigan State. Brown grabbed hold of the ball and wouldn't let go over the course of four seasons. He gained 913 yards in the team's final seven games of his freshman season, then followed with three consecutive 1,000- yard seasons. Charles "Hawkeye" Whitney, men's basketball (1976-77) Incredibly, Whitney was the first and, for the longest time, only NC These NC State Freshmen Were Ready Right From The Start Suzie Tuffey hadn't even competed in cross country in high school. But she was a talented track and field athlete, and she captured the NCAA cross country crown as a freshman at NC State in 1985. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS