The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/89497
What They Said At The Wolfpack Hall Of Fame Ceremony It's nice to reconnect with them and see how they are doing, how they are getting older and their kids. Every time I am here at Reynolds or on NC State's campus, it brings me back to being a student-athlete even though it seems like a long time ago when I'm not here. "I remember Johnny Evans was the quarterback when Ted Brown was playing, and they were winning a lot of games. We were winning a lot of games and men's basketball was winning a lot. Julie Shea was wining every race she was in. We were all striving for excellence in our individual sports." — NCSU women's basketball legend Genia Beasley people. To be in with David [Thompson], Roman [Gabriel], Jim [Ritcher], Genia [Beasley] and the rest, and the coaches, too, is just a fun time. I met Tab Ramos for the first time ,and he's a nice soccer player. I don't know a lot about soccer, but I'm learning it. "Just to see all the types of different people they have here, it is such a great honor. It means you are at the top "It is always nice to be in the first one. It means a great deal and it's a great honor to be around such good of what you can get. The Hall of Fame, there is nothing above that. I'm grateful and appreciative of the honor to be in the first class." — NC State running back Ted Brown, who holds the ACC record for most rushing yards athletics director Debbie Yow, showed his Wolfpack spirit. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS Soccer All-American Tab Ramos, with chancellor Randy Woodson and and amazing for soccer because it makes soccer important at the univer- sity. It shows how much soccer means to the Wolf- pack people. I'm incredibly honored for both myself and for soccer at this uni- versity." — NC State soccer great Tab Ramos but I never knew the extent of it all. That made me surprised they would pick an offensive lineman with our kind of stats. "Our stats are how many times we get called for holding or how many times we jump offsides or how many be considered as in the same line with the other athletes in this first class. Any time you get recog- nized by your own people is always the best thing. To get recognized here by my people at NC State is be- yond an honor to receive. "This is amazing for me "For me, it's amazing to "I was here in the late 1970s, early 1980s and a good bit of the people here were student-athletes when I was. She was a light. I am really happy that she is part of this class. She was an outstanding person and a great coach. She also did a lot for international basketball." The late Jim Valvano always enjoyed the spotlight, but he always tried to make room for others to share in his glowing spirit. Yes, his teams were inspirational for winning two ACC Tournament titles, two ACC regular- season titles and the incomparable 1983 NCAA championship — but his legacy has far outweighed his accomplishments. The V Foundation for Cancer Research, which Valvano started with the cooperation of ESPN, has raised more than $120 million in his memory to fund young scientists who are searching for ways to prevent and cure the disease that took the lives of Valvano, Yow and Case. His widow, Pam Valvano Strasser, was filled with emotion while she watched the 90-minute ceremony, knowing that this was exactly the kind of event that her late hus- band would have relished: bright lights, a big stage, a microphone and a room full of people. The living inductees were feted through- out the evening, starting with media inter- views, a reception, a seat of honor in front of the stage where their accomplishments were relived on the gigantic video screen and a post-event autograph session. They were honored the next day at Carter-Finley Stadium, prior to the football game against Florida State. As a final touch on the weekend of cel- "Looking over all the bios and statistics, and what got them to this Hall of Fame — I knew they were all great, times the quarterback got sacked. My statistics and theirs don't match up. I was real surprised, and I can't tell you how honored I am to be mentioned with them." — NC State offensive lineman and former Outland Trophy winner Jim Ritcher "It feels good. At my age, these honors don't come around all that often. It's really nice and probably the most memorable moment for me over the next six, seven years. "Running wasn't big here in the South. Most of the races were on the West Coast and Northeast area. When we competed, we had to go to Los Angeles and larger towns like Washington, D.C., and New York City." — NC State distance running star Julie Shea Sutton "It is an honor to be honored by your school and to go in with the first class because there have been so many outstanding athletes at North Carolina State. Just to be part of the first class is something very special. "Winning the national championship in 1974 is the highlight. To be able to go 57-1 over a two-year period, and ebration, the Wolfpack beat the No. 3 Semi- noles in one of the biggest upsets of the college football season. Roman Gabriel, the two-time All-Ameri- can and the former NFL Player of the Year, was particularly appreciative for his time back on campus. He told stories of being one of professional football's first cross-over stars, shining on the football field for the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles and on the movie sets of Hollywood. "It was a different time, when profes- the dominance we had over North Carolina was pretty sweet." — NC State men's basketball legend David Thompson, who is considered the greatest player in ACC history "Just being back on campus, being here with Debbie and my brother and then representing Kay is quite an honor and big shoes to fill. It's a very special moment. "The fact that Kay is going in the first class with such an unbelievable group of people, and then the fact that Debbie is the one who started it and is the AD here, it has a double special meaning to it. To share it with her with the first class is really great. NC State is a very special place to the Yow family." — Susan Yow, who is the sister of late women's basketball coach Kay Yow and of current NC State athletics director Debbie Yow even after I finished playing. It means a lot to me to be associated with her one more time in a highly regarded way." — NC State women's basketball standout Genia Beasley on her former coach Kay Yow 94 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "We were always very connected in many ways, and not just basketball, but in our relationship over the years sional athletes didn't make nearly the kind of money they do today," said Gabriel, who starred in movies with John Wayne, Jackie Gleason and other stars of his day. "It was a way to be involved and make money in the offseason." The joy was evident for everyone. Julie Shea Sutton, who won seven national cham- pionships during her running career with the Wolfpack and was named the amateur female athlete of the year in 1980, kicked off her shoes and ran across the stage. Ramos, the three-time All-American, kept going back and forth from Reynolds to the Dail Soccer Stadium across the street in his tuxedo, trying to will head coach Kelly