The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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18 ■ THE WOLFPACKER W olfpack Club executive director Bobby Purcell was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Asso- ciation of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) on Feb. 19. Purcell and other award winners will be honored at the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup luncheon June 10 in Orlando, Fla. Purcell was previously named the NAADD Fundraiser of the Year in 2007. Bobby Purcell began his career at NC State in 1981 and has been with the Wolfpack Club since 1987. During his tenure as executive director, his responsibilities have included overseeing all facets of the Student Aid Association. He assumed the additional duties of overseeing the Wolfpack Pride Campaign and Endowment Fund for student-athletes in March 1997. The Wolfpack Club has raised more than $373 million during Purcell's tenure. The Wolfpack Club finished the 2013 year with 20,499 donors, and has been responsible for the fundraising, fi- nancing and construction of a football operations building, north and south end zone renovations, suites and club seats, three prac- tice fields, several football parking lot renovations and a student- housing complex. The Wolfpack Club will finance, provide funding for and build an indoor football practice facility over the next year. Purcell, who is from Clinton, N.C., earned a degree in business administration from North Carolina in 1977 and his master's of education in sports management from Georgia. Purcell is also very active in the community, tirelessly promot- ing NC State and the state of North Carolina through various organizations including the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, the NC State Alumni Association Board, the NC State Friends of the Library and the Rotary Club of West Raleigh, and also serv- ing as the honorary chairman of the Charles Ray III Diabetes Association, Inc. Purcell is married to the former Lori Williams, and they have two children, John and Paige. The Wolfpack Club's Bobby Purcell Receives Lifetime Achievement Award TRACKING THE PACK Purcell, the executive director of the Wolfpack Club, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Athletic Development Directors. PHOTO COURTESY WOLFPACK CLUB One of the biggest benefits of NC State putting together the bulk of its 2014 recruiting class well in advance of National Signing Day was that it gave head coach Dave Doeren and his staff a head start on the 2015 group. The Wolfpack had essentially wrapped up their 2014 class with weeks to spare before National Signing Day, and was able to make good use of its jump on the high school juniors by landing its first verbal commitment for 2015. Athlete Malik Douglas of Southport (N.C.) South Brunswick High, rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, gave NCSU his pledge Feb. 2 while on campus for junior day. The Pack was Douglas' first offer, and he had also picked up one from Charlotte before committing. Douglas was tendered by NC State after he put on a show at the Wolfpack's summer camp. Measuring 6-4 and 220 pounds, Douglas ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and showed explosiveness with a 10-foot, 10-inch standing broad jump. Ever since then, NC State running backs coach Des Kitchings, who was elevated to recruiting coordinator in January, has aggressively pursued Douglas. "I had been thinking about committing for a while," Douglas confirmed. "When I finally got up there and looked at all the stuff that I hadn't seen before, I knew that I liked it even more. I just felt like it was the place for me. It was very nice." Douglas credited his relationship with Kitchings as a major factor for his com - mitment. "He's a good guy to get along with," Douglas said. "They were happy. Everybody came and shook my hand. They all had smiles on their face. "I feel relieved because now all I have to do is worry about football and school. I already have the college stuff out of the way." As a junior, Douglas piled up 71 tackles, 16 sacks, five forced fumbles, three passes broken up and a blocked punt. He was a unanimous all-conference selection despite playing for a winless South Brunswick squad. Besides defensive end, Douglas also lined up at wide receiver, tight end and linebacker. Douglas also plays basketball, and last year he com - peted in the high jump in track. However, he is forego- ing track this spring in order to focus on weight lifting and conditioning for football. Douglas is contemplating attending the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under Armour in Charlotte and a Nike Training Camp. He is also going to focus on potentially graduating early from South Brunswick. "I'm going to try to," Douglas said. "I want to go out there for spring ball and get school a little bit out of the way so I have some cushion before the season starts." Pack Gets First 2015 Football Commitment MALIK DOUGLAS 18,20,22,24,26.Tracking The Pack.indd 18 2/25/14 3:47 PM