The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544864
His time in Raleigh was indeed special. The wiry 5-foot-10, 135-pound coach took a team that was picked to be in the national bottom 10 rankings of 1972 and made it into an ACC champion in just two years and into the UPI top 10 in three. "When we were here, we didn't even have a weight room," Holtz said. "When we had a great win, the players weren't strong enough to carry me off the field." His success was the work of a ma- gician, both figuratively and literally. Holtz took lessons from a Cary magician to improve his tricks and help overcome a childhood stuttering problem. And he made his name by turn- ing programs like NC State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and even South Carolina into college football success stories, entertaining fans and national media alike with his banquet-style an- ecdotes and well-rehearsed humor. When he appeared in Raleigh to pro- mote his third best-selling book, Holtz said: "I've now written more books than I've read. Not many people can say that. I didn't want to write an autobiography. It's like telling people your problems: 90 percent of them don't care and the other 10 percent are glad you have them. "You're better off keeping it to your- self." He did it anyway. In all, he wrote or contributed to 10 books and spent the last quarter-century of his life talking about college football on ESPN. Holtz and his personality weren't for all people. He made as many enemies in the game as he made friends, usually because his comic personality didn't always jibe with his ruthless pursuit of his ambitions. "Coach Holtz is one of those people, you either like him or you don't," Amato once said. "And I love him." A Special Bond Holtz left NC State for the New York Jets shortly after a bizarre incident on Oct. 6, 1975. Math professor Rob- ert Ramsay was in the habit of taking a lunchtime jog around the Paul H. Derr track. On this day, he was jogging a little later than usual, and his daily run over- NC State 49, West Virginia 13 Dec. 29, 1972 • Peach Bowl, Atlanta Facing its fifth future Hall of Fame coach of the season, NC State blitzed Bobby Bowden's West Virginia Mountaineers to cap Lou Holtz's amazing rookie season. Holtz surprised Bowden by inserting a scrawny, 155-pound freshman quarter- back named Dave Buckey into the starting lineup to replace All-ACC signal-caller Bruce Shaw, who broke his wrist during a scrimmage leading up to the game. The Mountaineers led 13-7 at halftime, but the sec- ond half belonged to Buckey and the Wolfpack. State scored 4 offensive touchdowns and added a defensive TD in a 35-point scoring barrage. With the win, NC State finished 8-3-1. NC State 28, North Carolina 26 Oct. 6, 1973 • Carter Stadium, Raleigh With both teams entering the intrastate clash on two-game losing streaks, the Wolfpack and two-time defending ACC champion Tar Heels needed a win to fulfill preseason expectations. The Pack built an early lead, thanks in part to a soul-crushing 99-yard drive late in the second quarter. Holding a fragile 7-3 lead, State recovered a fumble on the 1-yard line, then drove the length of the field using a between-the-tackles power running game that needed just one 5-yard pass on its way to the end zone. Carolina came back to take a 26-21 lead, but Buckey led another drive that ended when future ACC Player of the Year Willie Burden scored the winning touchdown on a fourth-and-1 play in the fourth quarter. The next week, Holtz's team beat Maryland, 24-22, and was well on its way to the only undefeated ACC season in school history. NC State 12, No. 7 Penn State 7 Nov. 9, 1974 • Carter Stadium All of Joe Paterno's predecessors had beaten the Wolfpack in a series that dated back to 1920. Paterno himself had pocketed two wins over Penn State graduate Earle Edwards, one over Wolfpack interim coach and PSU grad Al Michaels and two over Holtz. A stellar performance by Wolfpack fullback Stan Fritts, who rushed for 112 yards and was responsible for his team's 2 touchdowns against the top rushing defense in the nation, helped change the course of the series. However, it was the NC State defense, which had not allowed fewer than 10 points in a game all season, that deserved the credit for perhaps the biggest home victory for the Wolfpack until a 1998 upset of No. 2 Florida State. A fourth-quarter goal-line stand and a late interception preserved the victory, and afterward Holtz presented the game ball to defensive coordinator Michaels. NC State 8, No. 13 Florida 7 Sept. 20, 1975 • Carter Stadium Trailing the 13th-ranked Gators 7-0 with less than four minutes to play, Wolfpack defensive back Dan Meier recovered a fumble on the Florida 38-yard line. On the next play, Buckey hit Elijah Marshall on a post pattern for a late touchdown. Holtz sent sophomore Johnny Evans in as a fullback, and he took the pitch in for a two-point conversion to give the Wolfpack a much-needed win. NC State 15, No. 8 Penn State 14 Nov. 8, 1975 • Beaver Stadium, State College, Pa. Holtz and his Wolfpack went from losing 11 consecu- tive games to Penn State to starting a winning streak against Paterno's Nittany Lions. It didn't come easy, and it required a bit of good fortune. The Pack fell behind by two touchdowns early in the game but benefitted from a swirling wind that caused Penn State kicker Chris Bahr to miss 4 field goals, including a 46-yarder with 13 seconds to play. The game was ostensibly won by State kickers Jay Sherrill and punter Johnny Ev- ans. Sherrill, who missed a wind-blown 16-yard field goal attempt in the first half, kicked a 24-yarder early in the fourth quarter. The biggest play of the game, however, was Evans' surprise quick-kick with barely three minutes remaining. On third down at his own 9-yard line, Evans came in at quarterback and quick-kicked a low line drive that rolled to the other end of the field, an 81-yard all-timer that put Paterno's team deep in the hole. Six weeks later, NC State lost to Bowden's West Virginia squad, 13-10, in the Peach Bowl, and shortly afterward Holtz left Raleigh for the NFL's New York Jets. — Tim Peeler Lou Holtz's Top Five Wins At NC State Quarterback Dave Buckey led NC State to a 28- 26 comeback win over North Carolina in 1973. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS MARCH/APRIL 2026 ■ 47