The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/714462
C. Richard Vaughn Towers BY MATT CARTER On Oct. 8, 1966, NC State played its first game at the Wolfpack's new foot- ball home, Carter-Finley Stadium. Exactly 50 years to the day of that 31-21 loss to South Carolina, the Pack will host Notre Dame, one of the most prestigious schools in college football, for the first time ever in Raleigh. In the 50 seasons of Wolfpack football at Carter-Finley, many milestones, legends and memories have been created. PHOTOS COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS Wendell H. Murphy Football Center Standing atop of what used to be the grassy bank in the south end zone (which was replaced with permanent seats in 2001), the 103,254 square- foot building opened in 2002 and is the home of football operations, includ- ing the team's weight room, locker room, coaches' offices and players' lobby, among other amenities. A.E. Finley Fieldhouse Rebuilt as part of the north end zone project that enclosed the lower bowl of Carter-Finley Stadium, the fieldhouse primarily is the visiting locker room as well as NCSU's halftime locker room. The $18.5-million project included 7,000 new permanent seats after demolishing NC State's original field- house and was finished in 2006. CARTER-FINLEY Most all-purpose yards in a game: Most passing yards in a game: Most receiving yards in a game: Most tackles in a game: Most points in a game: 251 279 423 217 24 67 NC State legend and ACC all-time leading rusher Ted Brown appropriately holds the mark with 251 yards on 37 carries against Penn State in 1977. In his college football debut, running back Andre Brown piled up 279 all-purpose yards against Southern Miss in 2005. For a Wolfpack quarterback, it belongs to PHILIP RIVERS, who threw for 423 yards while beating North Carolina in 2003. The overall record though belongs to Texas Tech's B.J. Symons, who threw for 586 yards in a shootout that NC State won in 2004. The Red Raiders piled up 681 total yards of offense that after - noon, also a stadium record. Rivers' favorite target at NC State was receiver Jerricho Cotchery, and in that record- setting win over the Heels, Cotchery caught 217 of Rivers' 423 yards passing. Stadium Records NC State scored 67 in walloping Western Carolina during a shutout victory in the 1990 season opener. That is also the largest margin of victory in stadium history. Two NC State legends share the record of 24 with two opposing players. Future NFL Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Cowher twice piled up that many, versus South Carolina in 1977 and Clemson in 1978. DANTONIO BURNETTE, more affectionately known as "Thunder Dan," reached that mark against Clemson in 2001. Burnette is State's current Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. Most rushing yards in a game: A HISTORY 50 1966 Wayne T. Day Family Field In 2009, the playing surface was redone and built to United States Golf Association specifications for a golf green. The midfield crown was eliminated and a new drainage system installed. The filed is covered with 75,000 square yards of Tiftway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass. Dail Practice Complex The seven acres of practice fields, within a short walk from the Murphy Center, were completed in 2001. The area has three full fields (including one with artificial turf that was added in the spring of 2014), a training room, restrooms and a video/coaching tower. Close-King Indoor Facility Completed in the summer of 2015, the new indoor practice facility is adjacent to the Dail Practice Complex and has a 120-yard football field and 64-foot roof height. The facility cost $14 million. The Facilities Opened in 2005 to replace the infamous "Double- Wide in the Sky" press box, it contains 1,000 club seats, 51 luxury suites and the University Suite for the chancellor, in addition to housing media and coaches on game day. The project cost $39 million. PHOTOS BY KEN MARTIN