The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/337646
10 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ From Head Football Coach Dave Doeren Dontae Johnson Drafted The NFL Draft is an exciting time of year. People get to witness first-hand young men's dreams become reality. Before this year's draft, NC State had more players finish the 2013 NFL season on NFL rosters than any other university in North Carolina. There is a rich tradition of Wolfpack players in the NFL, and we continued that tradition when Dontae Johnson was drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers. NC State has now had at least one NFL Draft pick for 18 straight years, and 29 of the last 30 years overall. The ACC had more players drafted in the first 150 picks than any other conference. We play in the most competitive and talent-rich conference in the country! I am proud to announce that the team has earned its highest cumulative team GPA in 15 years! This is a great achievement for us. I challenged every player toward the end of the semester to buckle down and try to earn 1 grade higher in every class. They all made a strong push and made great improvements. This is the first time in the history of the program not one player on our roster enters the summer dealing with GPA ineligibility. I want to thank our amazing Academic Support Program for all of their hard work. The credit belongs to the players, but I know they appreciate all the support they receive from that dedicated staff. Pack In Black Ever since I arrived at NC State, I have had players ask for black helmets. I wanted to do something special for the players this upcoming season, so I asked our head football equipment manager, Terry "Country" Calloway, to come up with a design for an al- ternative helmet. After many tweaks and adjustments, we came up with a design that we can all be proud of. This helmet will be worn a couple times this season, and I know the players can't wait. We unveiled it at our first team meeting of the summer and their reaction was priceless. Scan this QR code for video of the team reaction to the helmet unveiling: The team has begun their summer courses and offseason work- out program. The incoming freshmen are finally here, and our entire 2014 squad is united for the first time. Before I know it, summer will be over, and we will be taking the field for fall camp. These next couple months are critical for our success this season. Leaders are starting to emerge and taking control of the team. Play- ers now understand that if they want to go somewhere they have never been, they need to do things they have never done. They have fully embraced the mentality of "1Pack1Goal," where they are counting on each other for the success of the team. We are all in this together, and it will take everyone involved to reach our goal. 1Pack1Goal! Coach Doeren Taylor Beamon Brandan Bishop Benson Browne Evan Bumgarner Deylan Buntyn Jarvis Byrd Jerricho Cotchery Tyson Chandler Tony Creecy Dominic Deshaies Cameron Fordham Milton Hall Andy Jomantas Tyler Purvis Pete Thomas Joe Thuney Here's a complete list of the football team's Spring 2014 graduates: Graduation We are proud that we will have eight postgraduates on our team next year, and I expect that number to be even higher in the future. These young men worked extremely hard for their degrees, and I know they are very proud of their accomplishments. In all, 16 current or former players celebrated the completion of their degrees, including the Pack's career reception leader, Jerricho Cotchery, who now plays for the Carolina Panthers. 10.Doeren Letter.indd 10 6/27/14 8:28 AM