The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547338
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER the past few seasons. His entire 14-year tenure is an example of remarkable con- sistency with eight seasons with at least eight wins through the first 13 campaigns, earning a program-record 98 victories in his tenure, but the last three years hadn't been exactly what he did previously. Former Wolfpack coach Lou Holtz, albeit unrelated to Doeren's tenure, delivered a quote in a 2013 speech that seems apt to describe the end of his reign in Raleigh. "Every organism in this world is ei- ther growing or dying, that goes for football programs as well," Holtz said at the time. "You don't maintain anything in your life." NC State went 6-7 in 2024 with an 8-5 mark in 2025 and a 3-4 start to the 2026 season. That followed a stretch in which Doeren turned in at least eight victo- ries in four straight years, including two nine-win campaigns in 2021 and 2023. Finding a way to keep a program that consistent is something to admire, but at the same time, trending toward an- other six- or seven-win year was not exactly the linear growth that the fan base was looking to see from the pro- gram. Doeren's third-place finish in 2023, which led to a Pop-Tarts Bowl bid, was the last time he finished inside the top six after a tie for 10th place in 2024 and a tie for seventh place a year ago. Now, it's time for a new leader to step into the driver's seat of the program. There's plenty to do in the fertile re- cruiting ground of North Carolina with a rabid fan base eager to break through to the next level as a collective team moving forward. While Doeren's tenure came to a close, it's clear that he did all he could at the helm of the squad. The job he did for his first decade-plus in Raleigh was one that rivaled what most coaches did with the Wolfpack, but as time pro- gressed, the upward trajectory seemed to level out. Eventually, change was going to be needed. This move, however, came sooner than most expected. Doeren's walk back to the buses waiting outside Stanford Stadium to ferry the Wolf- pack to San Jose International Airport to board a jet back home was his last donning the program's red and white in an official capacity. ■ ■ Longest-Tenured NC State Head Football Coaches Rk. Coach, Years Seasons Record Winning Percentage 1. Earle Edwards, 1954-70 17 77-88-8 .468 2. Dave Doeren, 2013-26 14 98-74 .570 3. Beattie Feathers, 1944-51 8 37-38-3 .494 4. Doc Newton, 1937-43 7 24-39-6 .391 Dick Sheridan, 1986-92 7 52-29-3 .637 Mike O'Cain, 1993-99 7 41-40 .506 Chuck Amato, 2000-06 7 49-37 .570 A 31-28 loss at Stanford dropped NC State to 3-4 and proved to be Doeren's final game leading the Wolfpack. His dismissal on Oct. 24 launched the program's first midseason head coaching change since 1930. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP