The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/368728
52 ■ THE WOLFPACKER T he NC State football program will re- ceive a great boost when the Close- King Indoor Practice Facility opens around March 2015. The lead gift was provided by Wolfpack- ers Derick Close and Jim King. "I really want to express great apprecia- tion to Jim King and Derick Close for their lead gifts," Wolfpack Club executive direc- tor Bobby Purcell said. "These two guys are first class, and they are great Wolfpack- ers even before they did this. This has taken them to the ultimate." Close, King, Purcell, NC State chancel- lor Randy Woodson, NCSU athletics direc- tor Debbie Yow and head football coach Dave Doeren and the 27 members of his leadership council helped break ground on the new $17.2 million, 120-yard indoor practice facility Aug. 12 with a dedication in the what will be the facility's south end zone. Yow said NC State needed the facility to help keep its athletes healthy and avoid having to practice in inclement weather. "We had to have this," Yow said. "It is essential. It also isn't just for football, but all the field teams. Men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, and all six track and field teams will be able to use it. Foot- ball is the prominent team and will have priority use of it." Close, a former cross country runner for the Wolfpack, and King both live in Charlotte and are NC State alums. Close graduated from NC State in 1982, and King in 1962. Close and King are on the Wolfpack Club Board of Directors, and King is a past president of the board. Close served as chairman of the Goal Line Drive Campaign for the Murphy Center and South End Zone project. King served on the Construction Oversight Com- mittee that led to the construction of the Murphy Center, Vaughn Towers and the North End Zone addition. Close, King and Purcell have watched Carter-Finley Stadium, PNC Arena and now the indoor facility transform NC State athletics over the decades. "We have fans who are as good as any- body in the country, and we have the fa- cilities that are as good as anybody in the country," Purcell said. "I think people will start seeing the dividends from that. "We try to do them first class. We didn't try to do them on the cheap or cut corners. I've always believed that if you build some- thing, try to build the best. That is what I'm really proud of — NC State and the Wolfpack Club have built state-of-the-art facilities. "Our fans are so generous and so pas- sionate about Wolfpack football and all our sports." The uptick in facilities will help NC State keep pace with the rest of the ACC. Doeren pointed out that inclement weather affected 32 practices last year, in a sport where ev- ery day counts, especially Tuesday through Thursday during the season when the team practices in pads. "You lose one or two days, and it's go- ing to be tough on Saturdays to execute the way that people expect them to, or how we expect to," Doeren said. Doeren said three days in the first two weeks of this year's fall camp were af- fected by the weather. "We'll have a routine for practice no matter what Mother Nature brings," Do- eren said. "In recruiting, we'll be on a level playing field and have the same facilities that everyone else does. It won't be the same, though — it will be one of the best facilities in the country. "It is the final piece in what we have in football facilities. This is going to be one of the most complete setups in the country." Doeren and the players walk by the con- struction area each week on the way to the practice fields, and get energized about what is happening. Steel arrived in mid- August, setting off another round of excite- ment about the facility. "They have been digging and working, WOLFPACK FOOTBALL NC State Breaks Ground On Construction Of Its Indoor Practice Facility ■ 2014 Schedule Date Opponent (TV) Time Aug. 30 Georgia Southern (ACCN) 12:30 p.m. Sept. 6 Old Dominion (ESPN3) 6 p.m. Sept. 13 at South Florida (CBSSN) 3:30 p.m. Sept. 20 Presbyterian TBA Sept. 27 Florida State TBA Oct. 4 at Clemson TBA Oct. 11 Boston College TBA Oct. 18 at Louisville TBA Nov. 1 at Syracuse TBA Nov. 8 Georgia Tech TBA Nov. 15 Wake Forest TBA Nov. 29 at North Carolina TBA NC State broke ground on the $17.2 million Close-King Indoor Practice Facility Aug. 12. The new building is projected to open around March 2015. PHOTO BY JACEY ZEMBAL