The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1487679
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 ■ 47 BY TIM PEELER he 1965 season was perhaps the most unusual in ACC football history, and Charlie Noggle had a front row seat. The junior from Shelby had already been associated with two ACC champions — as a letter-winning scout player on the 1963 team that shared a league championship with North Caro- lina after they both finished with a 6-1 conference mark and as a reserve quar- terback behind starter Ron Skosnik on the 1964 team that won the title out- right. Few people thought Wolfpack head coach Earle Edwards and his squad would have a chance to win their third consecutive title, not only because they needed a new leader on offense, but also because they had to replace a good por- tion of their defensive front. Noggle handled himself well, even though in 10 games the Pack's starting signal-caller did not throw a touchdown pass, a thought inconceivable to today's fans. State's grounded offense had just 1 touchdown pass all season, in fact, from backup quarterback Page Ashby to end Harry Martell in a 29-7 upset of Mary- land in the sixth game of the year. It cov- ered a total of 3 yards. Noggle did have his team's longest pass from scrimmage, however: a 15-yarder. Needless to say, Noggle was not known for his throwing abilities, which was fine with Edwards, a Penn State-trained en- gineer who put more stock in his defense directed by longtime coordinator Al Mi- chaels than he did in flashy passing plays. "Coach Edwards didn't have a lot of like for the forward pass," Noggle said, chuckling. "In 1965, we had one of the best running backs State has ever had, Shelby Mansfield. He was fast, strong and tough. And Coach Edwards liked to use me to run and Page to pass. "I guess I was pretty fortunate to be playing." A Defensive Identity It was a team built around defense, however, relying on newcomers like end Dennis Byrd, linebacker Chuck Amato and defensive back Art McMahon to hold its opponents to just 11 points per game. The unit posted three shutouts on the season, including a 3-0 win over Flor- ida State in the last game ever played at on-campus Riddick Stadium. Twice, the Pack created 7 turnovers in a single game, setting an NCAA record with 7 interceptions in the season finale against Iowa. Noggle was described by one news- paper as "a quarterback who runs like a fullback"— and it was meant as a com- pliment. "We had a very limited offense in terms of plays and formations," Noggle said. "But we really had one of the best defensive teams in the country at that time. Had we been a little more creative and explosive on offense, we would have been even better. "Coach Edwards had a philosophy that if the other team didn't score, we couldn't lose. There is some truth to that. When you get down to it, the biggest thing I had to do was hand the ball off. It's so much different than the game today." In that most unusual season, Noggle completed 55 of 109 passes for a team- high 533 yards and rushed for 149 times for 344 yards, second most on the team. He scored 3 touchdowns, all on the ground, of course. For good measure, Noggle, the ACC's fourth-leading par- ticipant in snaps played, also punted 3 times for an average of 35.0 yards. 'It Was A Weird Year' None of that, though, is what made the 1965 season something so unusual that most of its outcomes are still up for debate. That's because South Carolina and Duke knocked the two-time reigning champion Wolfpack off its ACC throne — for just seven months. On July 29, 1966, less than six weeks before the start of the 1966 season, the ACC announced that South Carolina had used two ineligible players in all of its league contests the prior year. The Gamecocks would be required to forfeit games against NC State, Clemson, Vir- ginia and Wake Forest, completely re- configuring the final league standings and giving a share of the championship to State and Clemson. The ineligible players had failed to meet the ACC minimum of 750 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, a hard-and- fast rule that was raised to 800 in the spring of 1966. That rule change had a lasting impact on NC State basketball, due to the loss of heralded recruit Pete Maravich, and was one of the main rea- sons ACC charter member South Caro- lina ultimately decided to leave the con- ference in 1970. The NCAA allowed South Carolina's wins to stand, so while the Gamecocks CHARLIE NOGGLE FOOTBALL (1963-66) Age: 78 Living: Garner, N.C. Occupation: Vice president of sales and quality, Whitley Logistics Did You Know? Teammates Noggle and the late Gary Rowe were the 417th and 421st picks, re- spectively, of the first combined AFL-NFL Draft in 1967. Noggle went in the 16th round to the Kansas City Chiefs and was the last player cut in the preseason. Rowe went in the 17th round to the New York Giants and did not make the final roster. They remain the two lowest NFL draft picks in school history. Teammate Art McMahon was taken the following year in the 15th round of the draft (385th pick) by the Boston Patriots but made the NFL roster along with first-round pick Dennis Byrd. McMahon spent four seasons with the Pa - triots to become the Wolfpack's lowest draft pick to play in the NFL. T GROUND DELIVERY Charlie Noggle Helmed A Run-Heavy Offense That Brought NC State An Unconventional ACC Title In addition to leading the Wolfpack in passing in 1965, Noggle was the team's second- leading rusher, finishing with 344 yards. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS