The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547338
10 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN A s he thought about former NC State coach Chuck Amato, the first thing that came to Dave Doeren's mind was his personality. Of course, the iconic glasses and white shoes were near the top of his mind, but as he reflected on the life of one of his successful predecessors, those weren't what stood out most. It was his character that stood out the most. "Chuck was an amazing personality," said Doeren, who was let go by NC State Oct. 24. "He was just a huge personality, a great mentor to coaches and players alike, and a great alumnus." Amato, who was the architect of the school-record 11-win campaign in 2002, died under hospice care on the morning of Oct. 19. He was 80. The former NC State linebacker and wrestler was the life of the room when he entered it and a successful coach, winning 49 games and developing Philip Rivers into a program legend. But at the same time, his impact on oth- ers has become a common theme from those who remember him the most. Just take it from Doeren, who coached at NC State for 14 seasons, twice the length of Amato's tenure in Raleigh. The two first met in the late 2000s when Do- eren was an up-and-coming assistant at Wisconsin while Amato was a line- backers coach at Florida State. Despite a 25-year age gap, Amato made it a point to strike up a conversation with Doeren while they scouted a linebacker recruit inside a Florida high school stadium. Amato didn't have to talk with Do- eren. He didn't have to share any advice with a coach who strove to reach the heights Amato had reached in running the Wolfpack program for seven years at the turn of the millennium. But that's exactly who Amato was. "I remember the type of guy he was to me. I was a Division III player. I wasn't anybody," Doeren said. "We just started talking football one day. From that point, there was always a little bit of a brother- hood between him and me talking about defensive football and Florida recruiting. You built kinship with those kind of guys." Doeren, who went a combined 1-1 as an assistant and head coach against teams with Amato on staff, wasn't alone in the way he reflected on Amato's il- lustrious life. The same can be said about Duke head coach Manny Diaz, who got his start on staff alongside Amato at Florida State before he followed the coach to Raleigh in the early 2000s. The budding coach worked his way up from graduate assistant to linebackers coach to special teams coordinator in a six-season span. "I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for Chuck Amato," Diaz said. "I don't know of anybody who loved NC State University more than Chuck Amato did. I'm very grateful for what he did for me in my time with him." That same line of thinking transcends generations. Just take it from two former NC State linebackers who grew under Amato's tutelage, either when he was a position coach during his first stint with the Wolfpack from 1971-79 or as a head coach at the turn of the century. Stephen Tulloch, a linebacker who posted 134 total stops with 21 for a loss in a standout junior season to cap a three- year career from 2003-05 under Amato, shared a sentiment similar to Diaz's. "I am the man I am today because of Chuck Amato," Tulloch wrote on social media. "When no one else believed in me coming out of high school, Coach did. He stayed on me every single day because he believed in me. Some of the greatest moments of my life and career T R A C K I N G THE THE PACK PACK He 'Made People Believe' He 'Made People Believe' Chuck Amato's Legacy At NC State Went Beyond Wins Amato led NC State to 49 victories in seven seasons from 2000-06, highlighted by a school-record 11-win campaign and a Gator Bowl victory over Notre Dame in 2002. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS