The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/759726
BY TIM PEELER T here are many Wolf- pack families who have given every ounce of energy in their sup- port of the university and its athletics programs. Few, however, have given as much time, energy and talent as the Combs family. Twins Freddie and Francis came to NC State from Hertford, N.C., in the mid-1960s on dual football-baseball scholarships, and quickly became, as they like to joke, the "illegitimate sons of Frank Weedon," the long-time sports information director and senior associate athletics director who took them under his wing shortly after they ar- rived in Raleigh. Together, the twins helped lead the Wolfpack to the school's first appear- ance in the College World Series, and Freddie was an All-American defen- sive back on the first team in school history to win a postseason bowl game. For years, the brothers, who lost their father at the age of 11, were Weedon's adoptive sons, spending holidays, sum- mers and other good times with him until his death in 2013. Francis, like other displaced baseball play- ers through the years, lived in Weedon's apartment and his house's basement at times when he needed a place to stay. The brothers repaid Weedon many times over by taking care of him in his final years as a widower, when dementia robbed him of the many memories they shared together. A SPECIAL WOLFPACK FAMILY Twins Freddie And Francis Combs, And Francis' Sons, Ryan And Chris, Have Been Involved In NC State Athletics For Over 50 Years WHEREARETHEYNOW? 28 ■ THE WOLFPACKER (Above) Ryan Combs set a Wolfpack career record with 79 appearances as a pitcher, which still stands fourth in school history. (Left) Chris Combs was a second-team All- ACC pick in 1997 and is in the program's top 10 all-time for home runs (42, tied for fifth) and RBI (159, 10th). PHOTOS COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS