The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/644580
MARCH 2016 ■ 81 ■ PACK PAST "He was my coach, my mentor and my advisor while I was there," Hipps said. "He couldn't walk straight, he kept a hand- kerchief with him all the time because he drooled, but he was solid as a rock. He was a big guy who could get down on the ground and show us how to do things. He knew the game of football. "He was a man of enormous integrity and enormous courage." Grant was a historic figure in NC State athletics. For more than 30 years, he was the only full-time African-American em- ployee in the athletics department, serving as both a pioneer and father figure to some of the biggest names in Wolfpack athletics history. He worked on Alex Webster and Dick Dickey, on Ted Brown and Hawkeye Whitney. He was a taping-table philosopher who shared stories dating back to the Beattie Feathers-era of NC State football. He ar- rived in 1948, serving as assistant trainer to Al Crawford, Al Proctor, Herman Bunch and Craig Sink. He worked on thousands of athletes in football, basketball, soccer and baseball. A World War II veteran and a product of North Carolina A&T, Grant worked for 34 years at NC State before the effects of cancer ended his career in the fall of 1981. He was inducted into the National Athletic Training Association Hall of Fame prior to his death in September 1982 at the age of 76. "Chester was just one of the kindest, warmest guys I've ever met," Hipps said. "I never heard him say anything bad about anyone. Chester treated everyone the same. It didn't matter if you were the star of the team or someone who never saw the field." Grant had made such an impact on Pow- ell during his playing career that he always made sure to send a cooler full of frozen trout for the trainer every time Hipps re- turned to Raleigh from the mountains. "He was just a positive and kind person with a great sense of humor," Hipps said. "He was there every day, all day, taking care of all of us." Hipps was never a starter for the Wolf- pack, but he learned so many life lessons from playing the sport that he kept with him his entire career. "It taught me the importance of team- work, and it taught me the importance of knowing when to step forward as a leader," Hipps said. "Sometimes you are asked to lead, and sometimes you are asked to push." And sometimes you lead by giving back. ■ Zebulon Dentistry supports the pack! Mark S. Barrett, D.D.S. B. Kevin Collins, D.D.S. (Wolfpack Club member since 2007) Zebulon FaMily Dentistry 313 Hospital Rd. Zebulon, NC 27597 Phone (919) 269-9698 Fax (919) 269-9778 ♦ Tailgate Specials ♦ Catering Services ♦ College Student Discounts ♦ Pizzas 1/2 off during AWAY games 3905 WESTERN BLVD • RALEIGH, NC 27606 (919) 851-0473 • WWW.AMEDEOSRESTAURANT.COM AMEDEO'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.