The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER PACK PERSPECTIVE BY TIM PEELER T ony Haynes was sitting in an NC State speech communication class, talking with a classmate about radio broadcasting. He revealed his secret dream of one day becoming a play-by-play announcer for a college or profes- sional sports team. The only prob- lem was that he had no experience, no skills and little knowledge of the profession other than a childhood of listening to New York Yankees games on his transistor radio at his parents' home in Raleigh. His classmate had a suggestion: Call Bruce Winkworth. At the time, Winkworth was a long-term student at NC State, working his way through college as a sportswriter and broadcaster with a particular passion for baseball. Winkworth — who later became editor of The Wolfpacker and a 30- year assistant sports information/ communication director at NC State — would often broadcast baseball games, keep the official scorebook and write up recaps in the paper for head coach Sam Esposito's team, living out his own child- hood dream. In the early 1980s, Winkworth needed a partner on the student-run broadcasts on WKNC-FM and was willing to let Haynes give it a try. "He let me join him," Haynes said. "I was terrible, of course. It was a lot harder than I ever thought. Bruce, for whatever reason, saw some potential in me and kept giving me opportunities. "I got more comfortable with it, and I think I got better at it." Haynes, who has been a radio analyst for NC State athletics since 1998, an- nounced his retirement prior to the 2025 football season and broadcast his final regular-season game when the Wolfpack defeated North Carolina on Nov. 29. Like longtime broadcast partner Gary Hahn, who retired following NC State's miracle run to the NCAA Final Four in 2024, Haynes ended his career in the postseason, calling the Wolfpack's matchup with Memphis on Dec. 19 in the Gasparilla Bowl. The past four months have been a constant reflection of his 38 years in broadcasting, accepting thank-yous, well wishes and congratulations from the fans, coaches and media colleagues he's gotten to know through the decades. "I feel like I'm the one who should be thanking them, because without their support, there would be no Wolfpack Sports Network nor Tony Haynes call- ing some State games," he said. "Peo- ple have been so incredibly kind to me the last three months. It's really been a humbling experience." A native of Lynchburg, Va., Haynes grew up in Raleigh and graduated from Broughton High School. Golf was his early passion, but he burned out after one season as a varsity player at Sand- hills Community College in Southern Pines. After six years of higher education — two at Sandhills and four at NC State — Haynes graduated with a degree in speech communication in 1984 and started a job at Raleigh country radio station WKIX. He would spin George Jones and Conway Twitty records dur- ing the graveyard shift but also hone his play-by-play skills broadcasting high school basketball and football games around the Triangle. He still did some other sports announcing, including as a fill-in announcer for the Durham Bulls. "I don't know that I ever thought at that point I would be doing Final Fours and bowl games and the Col- lege World Series," he said. "I knew I had to pay my dues, and even- tually, if I took advantage of that opportunity, they'd get me off the graveyard shift, and I'd be on my way. "That's kind of the way it worked out." Haynes got his biggest break when he was hired by the Duke Radio Network to be a color ana- lyst for football and basketball. It wasn't the play-by-play job he had dreamed of, but he worked daily with legendary coaches like Steve Spurrier and Mike Krzyzewski and broadcasters Jay Bilas and NC State graduate Bob Harris during his 12 years with the Blue Devil network. Haynes returned to his alma mater in 1998 on the same day he completed his final season with Duke football. He went straight from the Duke-North Carolina game at Wallace Wade Stadium to an NC State-Coastal Carolina basketball game that night at Reynolds Coliseum. He's been at it ever since, creating an audible bookmark for every major success and failure, every win and ev- ery loss, in Wolfpack athletics along the way, most of the time with broadcasting partner Hahn until his retirement 18 months ago. "I've just been lucky and blessed," he said. "The doors kept opening for me. I never had to leave Raleigh to go to work, and I got to do what I wanted to do. I don't think it gets any better than that. "I'm incredibly appreciative for the good fortune, and maybe I had some- thing to do with that good luck. When determination, perseverance and good luck intersect, then maybe you have a chance to have some success." ■ Haynes joined NC State's broadcast team in 1998. He called his final game when the Wolfpack faced Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 19. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS Longtime Wolfpack Broadcaster Tony Haynes Steps Away From The Mic Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.