The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 ■ 41 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? while stationed in West Germany, where he married and had three daughters. He did tours of duty as a tank commander in both Operation Desert Storm and Oper- ation Desert Shield during the Gulf War and another in Bosnia before returning to Germany to become a tank instructor. Beginning in 2000, he served his fi- nal five years of active duty in Houston, where he restarted his collegiate aca- demic career that he first began at NC State in parks, tourism and recreation and vocational education. "I was really only go- ing after my undergradu- ate degree," Avery said. "My colonel [Ret. Lt. Col. Brian Whalen] told me I was pretty good at teach- ing and encouraged me to look into pursuing a teach- ing degree. "It makes sense, because that's what we were good at in the military: breaking things down and training others how to do things. I taught, trained and men- tored soldiers 365 days a year. The sig- nificance of that training was a matter of life and death." He earned a bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University while serving as a military science instructor at the University of Houston, then earned a bachelor's degree from Excelsior College. Afterward he earned graduate degrees from both Houston and East Carolina. "I fell in love with anatomy and hu- man performance, and I wanted to become a strength and conditioning coach," he said. "When that didn't work out, I turned to teaching and coaching in high school." Paving The Way In 2005, he retired from active duty and returned to his hometown as a teacher and coach of both basketball and football at Clayton High School, where he won Johnston County's First- Year Teaching Award. After five years, he returned to South Johnston High School, where he had been a four-sport athlete and from which he graduated in 1979, to become assistant principal. He was named principal of Four Oaks Middle School in 2016 and principal of North Johnston High School in 2019. He moved to the county's central office in 2022 as the safety and COVID response manager at the height of the global CO- VID-19 pandemic. Avery's legacy as NC State's first Black quarterback made it easier for those who followed: NFL receiver Charles Davenport, one-time pass- ing leader Jamie Barnette, Super Bowl champion Wilson and NFL starter Bris- sett, among others. On May 11, 2023 — in front of family, former military buddies, students and special guest Lt. Col. Whalen — Avery walked across the stage on the Fayette- ville State campus to receive the doctor- ate that he began pursuing in 2016 and worked on while serving as a Johnston County educator and preparing a dis- sertation that presented the results of his study of ninth-grade academy at- tendance. "Some people learned what they wanted to do quicker than I did," Av- ery said. "It took me longer. NC State will always be an important part of that journey because it's where my postsec- ondary career began and where I was able to play for a football program that is second to none." Avery's experiences took him from a tobacco farm in Johnston County, around the world and to five different colleges where he earned undergraduate and advanced degrees. He stands as an outstanding example of dedication and perseverance to a modern generation. "The main thing for our youth of to- day," he said, "is to get exposed to as many vocations and positive experi- ences as possible. Continue to search until they find something they are in- terested in and have a passion for. "Once they find it, it will not feel like work." ■ " Some people learned what they wanted to do quicker than I did. It took me longer. NC State will always be an important part of that journey because it's where my postsecondary career began and where I was able to play for a football program that is second to none." Tol Avery Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. He wrote this story for NC State University Communications, and it appears in The Wolfpacker with their permission. Avery was a three-year starter at quarterback under NC State head coach Monte Kiffin. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS