The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1481002
50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Longtime Golf Coach Richard Sykes Was Handy With Both A Club And A Quip Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. PACK PERSPECTIVE BY TIM PEELER T he doctor told young Richard Sykes that there was only one sport he should avoid playing or being around for any extended time: golf. When Sykes was 5, he was playing cow- boys and Indians in the backyard of his home in Wendell, N.C., with a bow-and- arrow set he received for Christmas. An errant shot hit him in the right eye, de- stroying it forever and leaving the future coach with a glass orb in its place. "When I got to middle school, the doc- tor told my parents that I shouldn't worry too much about playing football or other sports," Sykes said in a 2017 interview. "But he said maybe I should avoid golf since the size of the ball could possibly do as much damage to my good eye as the wooden arrow. "I guess that's pretty funny in light of my chosen profession." Seeing things in a funny light is what always made Sykes — who died on Sept. 25 at his home in Wendell at the age of 78 — one of NC State athletics' most memo- rable characters, a fun-loving teacher of the game. He taught fellow coaches Lou Holtz, Jim Valvano, Monte Kiffin and Kay Yow the finer points of the game — and held his own in holding court with them all. He also taught hundreds of NC State stu- dents the game in his introductory physi- cal education class. Sykes recruited, trained and enter- tained NC State varsity golfers for 46 years until his retirement following the 2017 season, departing as the longest- serving head coach of any sport in NC State history. He sent many of his players to the PGA Tour, and others, like succes- sor Press McPhaul, into jobs as college coaches, instructors and golf pros. His lasting friendships included the late Arnold Palmer and such NC State no- tables as former Wolfpack Club executive director Bobby Purcell and baseball coach Elliott Avent, who had lunch with Sykes the week before he died. Perhaps the greatest compliment Sykes received was from those golfers who didn't play for him over the years. "I can't tell you how many guys used to come up to me and say they wished they had played for Coach Sykes," said Carl Pet- tersson, a former Wolfpack All-American and a five-time winner on the PGA Tour. "That's how much he was admired and respected for the way he ran his program." Tim Clark, another successful PGA Tour pro who now lives in Arizona, ex- changed texts with Sykes while at the President's Cup event in Charlotte in mid-September, hoping to find a way to catch up with his coach while he was on the East Coast. Sykes' long-term hip problems prevented him from going to the event to visit with one of his most ac- claimed players. His players were tremendously loyal to him, and he was extra supportive of them. Clark remembers during his rookie sea- son as a professional while playing in the 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa, he looked up to see Sykes, his wife, Pam, and some friends from State, all there to see him play. Among the many tributes to Sykes were social media threads and comments about his unique sense of humor and motiva- tional techniques. Former players snickered about Sykes' first day of practice every fall. He made every player take off his shoes and socks to show the coach their feet. Sykes knew those with evenly tanned ankles and toes had spent too much of the summer at the beach and those with bright white feet had been on the course working on their games. When asked how he selected his play- ers for tournaments, Sykes told par- ents: "I use a point system. I point at the players and say, 'You, you, you and you.'" His motivational style worked. During his coaching career, Sykes led the Wolfpack to its only ACC cham- pionship in 1990, 12 NCAA Champi- onship and 24 NCAA regional appear- ances. He coached 49 All-ACC golfers, 34 All-Americans, six ACC individual champions, two ACC Players of the Year and 2009 NCAA individual champion Matt Hill. Sykes was a five-time ACC Coach of the Year and, in 2001, he was elected into the Golf Coaches Hall of Fame. For years, Sykes was the director of game-day operations for Reynolds Col- iseum, a side job that put him on the sidelines for regular-season and post- season basketball games played at the on-campus arena. After leading his program for four decades without a home course, Sykes was instrumental in raising funds and awareness for the Lonnie Poole Golf Course, an Arnold Palmer Design Com- pany course on Centennial Campus. The night before Sykes died, he at- tended the NC State-Connecticut foot- ball game at Carter-Finley Stadium, sit- ting in his regular seats with his wife and family. He left after the outcome was settled and simply didn't wake up the next morning. Not once did the coach ever regret taking up golf, and not once did any- one ever regret spending time with the Pack's most entertaining ambassador of the fairways. ■ Sykes retired in 2017 after spending 46 years in charge of the NC State men's golf program. PHOTO BY TIM PEELER