The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472609
20 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER R eynolds Coliseum is a central campus hub, a place most NC State students, alumni, fac- ulty and staff have made into a cozy home for at least part of their experience at North Carolina's largest university. With its 2016 renovation, the tradi- tional home of Wolfpack men's bas- ketball and the current home to mul- tiple sports sponsored by the athletics department, as well as the university's ROTC programs, remains the venue of the future for indoor sports on campus. The coliseum known as The House That Case Built, in reference to pioneer- ing and innovative head men's basketball coach Everett Case, also bears the names of William Neal Reynolds, Kay Yow and James T. Valvano. It is filled with memories of games, matches, concerts, commencements, political rallies and other life-changing moments for everyone who stepped through the double doors of the shoe- box-shaped building in the heart of campus. Although it is already awash in names and memories, there is room for more. The Wolf Tracks program, sponsored by the Wolfpack Club, is the most af- fordable way for young and experienced donors alike to attach their names to the arena that is approaching the 75th anni- versary of its Dec. 2, 1949, grand opening. On the back wall of the front lobby, right before the entryway to the arena floor, are 700 reserved spaces for bright- red memory plaques, available for pur- chase through the Wolfpack Club for $5,000, payable over five years. So far, there are more than 60 mes- sages from some of the most recogniz- able names in NC State history, from Case-era players Lou Pucillo and Smedes York to Valvano player Dereck Whitten- burg, now an NC State associate athletics director who is spearheading a campaign to add additional personalized memories to the wall. Whittenburg's plaque is a tribute to his parents, Don and Lillian Whitten- burg, who attended his final home game — the 130-89 victory over Wake Forest that propelled the Wolfpack to its post- season run in 1983, which ended in a national title. Even wide receiver Torry Holt, whose football jersey was retired at Reynolds during a halftime ceremony, has a plaque with his wife, Carla. "We built our futures here," it reads. Women's basketball coach Wes Moore, whose team plays on the other side of the Wolf Tracks wall, has a plaque, thank- If These If These Walls Walls Could Could Talk Talk The Wolf Tracks Program Offers NC State Supporters A Place To Share Their Stories