The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540860
50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. PACK PERSPECTIVE BY TIM PEELER T he first time the exotic Eu- ropean game of soccer was played on NC State's campus was Jan. 6, 1923. The sport was introduced by one of the col- lege's first foreign-born profes- sors, textiles department head Thomas Nelson. A native of Preston, Eng- land, Nelson spent time teach- ing soccer to his fellow faculty and mostly rural students from North Carolina. None of them had ever played the game, which was gaining popularity in the United States in advance of the 1924 Paris Olympics. The 46-year-old Nelson, chair of the faculty committee on athletics who later became the first dean of what is now called the Wilson College of Textiles, scored the opening goal in a 2-2 tie against the inexperienced but more athletic students. "It is hoped that games with other colleges may be arranged in the near future," reported the Tech- nician following the inaugural contest. The hidden lore and legend of soc- cer — or "English football," as it was called in the student newspaper — has enriched NC State's campus since that first game at Riddick Field, a fact that has come to the fore this fall. Second- year head coach Marc Hubbard had his team ranked third in the nation head- ing into its regular-season finale versus Syracuse on Oct. 31. For its first three decades, the varsity program was coached by five different instructors from the school's physical education department, starting with Eric DeGroat in 1949 and followed by John Kenfield, Bill Leonhardt, Nellie Cooper and Max Rhodes. Those teams were competitive but could not match up in the ACC, one of the nation's top soccer leagues. In 1978, athletics director Willis Casey grew tired of split-time coaches, so he re- placed Rhodes with Virginia coach Larry Gross to lead both the varsity soccer and lacrosse teams. The school eventually dropped lacrosse as a varsity sport, leav- ing Gross as the head coach of the men's program and, starting in 1984, as the women's head coach as well. Gross took over the women's team full-time two years later, and his assistant, Argentine- born George Tarantini, was appointed head coach of the men. Tarantini began attracting South American players like Uruguay-born Tab Ramos, who became a three-time All-American for the Wolfpack. In 1990, Tarantini directed the Wolf- pack to its only ACC championship and the NCAA Final Four, the most suc- cessful season in school history. That team was led by two-time ACC Player of the Year Henry Gutierrez, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the 1990 ACC Championship. That core of players is the loudest and most vocal when one of their teammates is honored, as when Gutierrez was elected to the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame. And those guys are all-in on this year's squad. "After watching them a bit last year, going into this season, I don't think this season is surprising anybody," Gutierrez said. "Marc Hubbard and his coaching staff have done a good job of using their resources and [the trans- fer] portal and have been dili- gent and meticulous in putting together a squad that plays well together, is cohesive and, most of all, is resilient. "I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that we can continue this run all the way to the ACC Tour- nament, win and make a run in the NCAA Tournament." Tarantini retired following the 2010 season after winning 234 matches against 197 losses. His successors, Kelly Findley and George Kiefer, struggled to post winning records in their com- bined 13 seasons. "From an alum's perspective, this team has everyone watching as they break records and earn the attention of college soccer and beyond," said Curt Johnson, former general manager of the North Carolina Football Club and a State soc- cer alum who recently became general manager of the Denver Summit of the National Women's Soccer League. "We love how hard they play for one another, the soccer program and the university." Hubbard's team is heavily populated with international players from Saint Lucia, Denmark, England, France, Can- ada, South Africa, Germany, Portugal and Australia, along with a half-dozen native North Carolinians. "From a general manager's perspec- tive, what Marc Hubbard and his staff have done in building this roster is so impressive," Johnson said. "They are clearly one of the most talented teams in college soccer. Talent only gets you so far, and this team can win in a lot of ways. "That's definitely a characteristic of a special team. I know they have big aspi- rations … and why not? They've earned that right." ■ In only his second season in Raleigh, head coach Marc Hubbard has elevated the men's soccer program into national title contention. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS Soccer Has A Long History At NC State