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Athletics Timeline

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  1. 1890
  2. 1900
  3. 1925
  4. 1950
  5. 1975
  6. 2000
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  1. 1892 First football game The first official football game is played against Raleigh Academy, a local prep school. The A&M team wins, 12-6.
  2. 1892 - 1895 Pink and blue colors The very earliest sports teams at NC State wore pink and blue, colors chosen by the literary societies.
  3. 1892 - 1910 No consistent name There wasn't a consistent name for the sport teams during the early decades of the college. Names such as "Farmers and Mechanics," "Aggies," and "Techs" were used loosely.
  4. 1894 First baseball game First official baseball game is played, with Guilford College as the opponent.
  5. 9/1895 Brown and white colors The Athletic Association approved brown and white as colors for the sports teams. Use of these colors was very short-lived.
  6. 11/1895 Red and white chosen A majority of students chose red and white as colors for the sports teams. The colors changed a couple different times during the early years of the college. The faculty agreed to the adoption of red and white and stated that they could not be changed again without a vote of two-thirds of the student body. The colors have remained the same ever since.
  7. 1898 First track team The first track team is organized for intercollegiate competition but is disbanded after the season. Track does not reappear at A&M until 1905.
  8. 1902 Easter Monday tradition The first Easter Monday baseball game against Wake Forest is played, a tradition that would last until 1947.
  9. 1907 First football game on campus The first on-campus football game is played at the new athletic field that would later become Riddick Stadium. The game ends for A & M College with a 20-0 victory over Randolph-Macon College, securing the Southern Intercollegiate Association championship for A & M, with six wins and one tie.
  10. 1910 Baseball championship The A&M baseball team wins the South Atlantic Conference championship, with a record of 18-1.
  11. 1910 - 1919 Red Terrors During the 1910s the basketball team at NC State became known as the Red Terrors. A bull terrier named Togo became the mascot.
  12. 2/8/1911 First basketball game The A&M College basketball team play their first official game at Wake Forest, losing 33-6. The team eventually became known at the Red Terrors, until 1947, when all NC State sports teams adopted the name Wolfpack.
  13. 2/20/1911 First basketball game in Raleigh The A&M College basketball team takes on Wake Forest in the first intercollegiate basketball game played in Raleigh, winning 19-18.
  14. 1918 First All-American athlete Football player John Ripple becomes the first All-American athlete at State College.
  15. 1918 New Monogram The monogram showing the letter "S" in block style with the letters "N" and "C" nestled within the spaces first appears in the Agromeck.
  16. 5/14/1920 Athletic monograms The Athletics Council makes a decision to award sweaters to athletes who receive monograms ("letters") for their athletic accomplishments; the first letter sweaters appear on campus shortly thereafter.
  17. 1921 Wolfpack nickname The nickname "Wolfpack" was first used for the football team. One story has an alumnus writing to the Technician complaining that the football team was "unruly as a pack of wolves."
  18. 1922 Tennis is organized as a varsity sport
  19. 12/15/1922 Cross Country champions The State College cross country team wins the Cross Country-All State Championship.
  20. 1923 New varsity teams The track and cross-country teams are granted varsity status.
  21. 5/11/1923 Frank Thompson Gymnasium named The new gymnasium on campus is named after Frank Thompson (Class of 1910), a former athlete at State College who was killed during service in WWI.
  22. 1924 Thompson Gymnasium (now Thompson Hall) opens Thompson Gymnasium opens, becoming the first on-campus home dedicated to basketball. Previously, home basketball games had been played in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. It was built by architect Hobart Brown Upjohn and named for alumnus Frank Martin Thompson.
  23. 9/19/1924 Music Department established
  24. 1925 Wrestling becomes a varsity sport
  25. 2/5/1927 Academic regulations for athletes The Athletics Committee decides students must maintain a passing grade in 60% of their classes to play in collegiate athletic events.
  26. 1929 First basketball conference champions With a 13-6 season record, the basketball team claim their first Southern Conference championship.
  27. 1929 First athletics radio broadcasts Raleigh-area radio station WPTF begins broadcasting State College baseball games.
  28. 1930 First golf team is organized
  29. 1930 First basketball All-American Morris Johnson becomes the first State College basketball player to receive All-American honors.
  30. 1930 First evening football game The first evening football game is played on campus, a 37-0 victory over High Point.
  31. 1932 Boxing team's first championship Charlie Garner earned the State College boxing team an individual win in the 145-pound class at the Southern Conference championships. This marked the first championship victory for the team.
  32. 10/14/1933 Riddick Field Concrete Stands State College ties the University of Florida, 0-0, in the first football game held at Riddick Field with its new concrete stands. The field was named for Wallace Carl Riddick.
  33. 10/19/1935 New electronic scoreboard in Riddick Stadium A new electric scoreboard and time clock are used at Riddick Stadium for the first time during a game against the University of Georgia. The scoreboard and clock were a donation from the News & Observer.
  34. 10/20/1938 Free Homecoming tickets The Raleigh Junior Chamber of Commerce distributes free tickets to State's Homecoming football game against Furman by releasing balloons with instructions for the finders on how to claim their free tickets.
  35. 1939 Wrestling team championship The wrestling team wins the Southern Conference championship and finishes second to Appalachian State at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) meet in Greensboro.
  36. 2/9/1940 New fight song Fred Waring, prominent national band leader, agrees to write a new fight song for NC State, and to air it during his March 8, 1940 radio program.
  37. 11/7/1941 NC State beats UNC in football for the first time in 14 seasons
  38. 1946 Willis Casey hired Willis Casey is hired as the swimming coach, and the team goes on to win or share sixteen Southern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championships over the next thirty years.
  39. 1946 Students vote to keep Wolfpack name Chancellor J. W. Harrelson asked students to suggest a new name for the sports teams. He disliked the term Wolfpack because of connotations with World War II German U-boat formations. Student voted overwhelmingly, however, to keep the name.
  40. 1946 Mechanical Wolfpack mascot Mechanical engineering student Ira Helms, Jr., created a robot-like Wolfpack mascot costume worn to football games during the 1946 season. One student wore the costume, while another walked behind with a "remote control" that appears to control the "robot's" movements.
  41. 4/26/1946 Everett Case hired Everett Case is hired as head Men's Basketball coach; with duties beginning on July 1st, 1946. Case coached at NC State until 1965, and remains the winningest basketball coach in the school's history.
  42. 5/25/1946 Record-setting baseball crowd State College wins its first Big Four baseball title since 1928 with a 4-3 victory over Duke; the game is witnessed by 4,000 fans, which is the largest crowd to ever view a baseball game in Raleigh.
  43. 9/28/1946 Football victory over Duke NC State beats Duke in football for the first time since 1932, with a final score of 13-6; the wife of right end and co-captain Al Phillips gives birth to a baby boy only hours after the contest.
  44. 9/28/1946 Marching band returns A football game against Duke marks the first post-war appearance of the marching band.
  45. 10/18/1946 Trip to Wake Forest football game State College secures a "victory train" to take 6,000 students to go to the football game against Wake Forest (in Winston-Salem); train tickets are $0.65 and tickets to the game are $1.00.
  46. 12/6/1946 First bowl game bid NC State receives its first-ever bid to a football bowl game (the Gator Bowl), where the team will take on the University of Oklahoma.
  47. 1947 First basketball appearance in a national tournament The basketball team place third in their first appearance in a national tournament, the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
  48. 1947 Wolfpack name becomes official All NC State athletics teams adopt Wolfpack as the official name. Previously only the football team was called the Wolfpack, and other sports teams were called the Red Terrors.
  49. 1/1/1947 First football bowl game appearance The NC State football team make their first bowl game appearance, taking on the University of Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl. NC State unfortunately loses the game, 43-13.
  50. 1947 Live wolf mascot Students brought a live timber wolf to football games to roam the sidelines. UPI called the animal a "sniping and snarling bundle of fur." It was eventually sold to a traveling animal show.
  51. 2/25/1947 Forced basketball forfeiture NC State is forced by the Raleigh fire chief to forfeit a basketball game against UNC because Thompson Gymnasium is too crowded and students refuse to leave the building.
  52. 10/13/1947 New intramurals announced Four new intramural sports to begin NC State: football, volleyball, boxing, and tennis.
  53. 11/14/1947 Pep rally plans A pyrotechnic display consisting of sparklers spelling out "Beat Wake Forest" is planned for the day's pep rally.
  54. 1/17/1948 Thompson Gymnasium condemned The Raleigh city building inspector condemns Thompson Gymnasium just hours before a Men’s Basketball game against Duke. Only a few reporters and college officials are allowed to attend the next home game, against High Point College. From then until the completion of Reynolds Coliseum in 1949, home games are played in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium.
  55. 4/10/1948 First Swimming national championship Bill Despres captures first place in the National Junior 300 yd. Individual Medley Championship of America, becoming the first swimmer from NC State to capture a national championship. Depres' winning time was 3:41:08, just 4.7 seconds slower than the national record.
  56. 1949 Soccer becomes a varsity sport Organized unofficially two years earlier, soccer becomes a varsity sport.
  57. 7/1/1949 Reynolds Coliseum construction Reynolds Coliseum under construction.
  58. 12/1949 Inaugural Dixie Classic The inaugural Dixie Classic tournament is held. Initiated by Coach Everett N. Case so that the Men’s Basketball team wouldn’t have to play out of town during the winter holidays, the Dixie Classic continued every year into the 1960s.
  59. 12/2/1949 Reynolds Coliseum opens Reynolds Coliseum opens, with the NC State Men's Basketball team beating Washington and Lee, 67-47. Not all of the seats had been installed yet, so some fans had to sit on the cement tiers.
  60. 1950 - 1959 Cheerleaders in wolf costume During the 1950s, cheerleaders began to dress in a wolf costume at sports events.
  61. 10/21/1950 First televised football game A State College football game is televised for the first time; the team takes on the University of Maryland in the contest.
  62. 1951 Track team championship The track team win their first Southern Conference championship (and repeat the following year, in 1952). They would also go on to win titles in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953 and 1954.
  63. 1952 Fencing team granted varsity status
  64. 1952 Honors for swimmer Bob Mattson Swimmer Bob Mattson wins the first of four consecutive All-American honors; in 1955 he also becomes State's first NCAA champion, winning the 200-yard breaststroke.
  65. 12/5/1952 Cross Country championship State College celebrates a second consecutive Cross Country Southern Conference championship (the first in 1951), as well as a Dual Meet championship. Runner Buz Sawyer takes first place in the meet, after finishing ninth overall in the nation during a meet the previous week.
  66. 1953 Atlantic Coast Conference formed NC State athletics teams withdraw from the Southern Conference and join the newly formed Atlantic Coast Conference.
  67. 1953 Cross Country team ACC champions The State College Cross Country team became champions during the first year of the ACC. The team also won the ACC championship the following year in 1954.
  68. 4/1/1953 World Series of Basketball A game in the 4th annual World Series of Basketball, featuring the 1953 All-Americans versus the Harlem Globetrotters, is played in Reynolds Coliseum.
  69. 1954 Swimmer Dick Fadgen Swimmer Dick Fadgen wins the first of seven NCAA and AAU individual championship swimming events between 1954 and 1956.
  70. 1954 Swimming championship The swimming team wins the Men's Outdoor National AAU Championship.
  71. 3/1954 Basketball championship The Men's Basketball team wins the Atlantic Coast Conference championship for the inaugural year of competition in the newly-formed conference.
  72. 10/15/1954 Hurricane damage Hurricane Hazel destroys the cupola on Becton Hall and the roof of the press box at Riddick Stadium.
  73. 1956 Swimmimg championship The swimmimg team wins the Men's Indoor National AAU Championship.
  74. 11/25/1957 First ACC football title The State College football team defeats the University of South Carolina to win their first Atlantic Coast Conference title.
  75. 1958 Rifle team gains varsity status
  76. 1958 Dixie Classic Tournament win The basketball team wins the Dixie Classic Tournament against several powerhouse teams, including four teams ranked in the Associated Press' top ten.
  77. 1958 First integrated athletic team African-American student Irwin Holmes joins the tennis team, making it the first integrated athletic team at State College.
  78. 3/9/1959 Basketball title The NC State Men's Basketball team tops UNC to win the ACC championship, 80-56. The victory marks Coach Everett Case's eleventh championship win in his thirteen years of coaching.
  79. 1960 First African-American athletics team captain Irwin Holmes became co-captain of the tennis team, making him the first African American athletics team captain at NC State.
  80. 12/1/1960 Roman Gabriel honored Football team quarterback Roman Gabriel is selected as a second-team All-American.
  81. 1962 First soccer All-American Benito Artinano becomes the first NC State All-American in soccer.
  82. 10/12/1963 Football game broadcast in Reynolds Coliseum For the first time ever, an NC State football game is shown in Reynolds Coliseum via closed-circuit television.
  83. 12/7/1964 Everett Case resigns Due to declining health, Men's Basketball coach Everett Case resigns. Case compiled a 379-134 record at NC State.
  84. 12/14/1964 Groundbreaking ceremony for Carter Stadium A groundbreaking ceremony takes place for the construction of Carter Stadium (later Carter-Finley). It was named for Nick and Harry Carter.
  85. 11/13/1965 Final game at Riddick Stadium The final football game is played in Riddick Stadium. Members of the football team mob Harold Deters after he kicks the winning field goal against Florida State, resulting in a final score of 3-0.
  86. 1966 Doak Field opens Doak Field opens as the new facility for the baseball team.
  87. 5/5/1966 Everett Case's funeral A funeral is held for long-time Men's Basketball coach Everett Case; his last recruiting class of players serve as pallbearers.
  88. 5/10/1966 Norm Sloan hired Norman Sloan is hired as the new head basketball coach at NC State. Sloan, who was a player on Everett Case's first basketball team at State (1946-1947), leaves the head coach position at the University of Florida to accept a 3-year contract at State that pays $12,000 annually.
  89. 10/8/1966 First game in Carter Stadium Carter Stadium opens as the football team takes on South Carolina; the stadium is dedicated during a halftime ceremony.
  90. 10/8/1966 Live wolf mascot Student government sold 25-cent shares to purchase a timber wolf, which was shown during the first game played at what became Carter-Finley Stadium. The animal howled, making it popular, but it was later discovered to be a coyote.
  91. 1967 First football bowl game victory The football team win their first bowl game, a 14-7 victory over Georgia in the Liberty Bowl. During the season, the team became known for its "White Shoes Defense," holding opponents to less than nine points per game.
  92. 1967 First African-American football player Marcus Martin becomes the first African-American player to join the football team.
  93. 1967 - 1968 First African-American Freshman Basketball players Alfred "Al" Heartley and William Cooper become the first African-American members of the freshman basketball team. Heartley later went on to play on the varsity team.
  94. 10/30/1967 Perfect season The 1967 Freshman Football team finishes the season with a perfect 5-0 record.
  95. 1968 Baseball championship The baseball team wins the ACC title and places third in the College World Series.
  96. 1968 First basketball scholarship awarded to an African-American Al Heartley becomes the first African-American to be awarded a basketball scholarship at NC State. He later became the first African-American captain of the team (1970-1971), and the first African-American to win the Alumni Athletics trophy (1971).
  97. 1968 First African-American recruited for basketball Ed Leftwich becomes the first African-American to be recruited to the basketball team, and the first to receive a scholarship as a freshman.
  98. 1/1/1968 Liberty Bowl victory NC State defeats the University of Georgia in the Liberty Bowl, 14-7.
  99. 4/19/1968 Riddick Stadium demolished A majority of Riddick Stadium is demolished to make room for more parking on campus. SAS Hall now stands on the site Riddick Stadium once occupied.
  100. 1969 First African-American football scholarship recipient Clyde Chesney becomes the first African-American to receive a football scholarship.
  101. 4/23/1969 Willis Casey becomes Athletic Director Willis Casey is promoted from Assistant Athletic Director to Athletic Director.
  102. 1970 First African-American recipients of full football scholarships Willie Burden and Charley Young become the first African-Americans to receive football scholarships as incoming freshmen.
  103. 4/11/1970 Tommy Burleson comes to State 7'3" high school All-American basketball player Tommy Burleson announces his decision to accept a scholarship offer to play for NC State. Burleson would go on to be a key member of NC State's 1974 National Championship team.
  104. 3/1/1971 ACC Swimming championship NC State wins the Atlantic Coast Conference Swimming championship with the largest number of points ever scored, breaking seven swimming records in the process.
  105. 3/27/1971 Mile run record Jim Wilkins of NC State sets a new time record of 4:01 in the individual mile run in Gainesville, Florida.
  106. 11/29/1971 Lou Holtz hired Lou Holtz is hired as the new head football coach, replacing Al Michaels.
  107. 1972 Case Athletics Center opens The Case Athletics Center opens, named after Everett N. Case, Men's Basketball coach from 1946 to 1965.
  108. 1972 First African-American All-American winner David Thompson is named NC State's first African-American All-American winner in basketball.
  109. 1972 Successful football season The NC State Football team’s record during the 1972 season was 8 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie, and a victory in the Peach Bowl.
  110. 4/14/1972 New mile run record NC State student Jim Wilkins sets another record in the individual mile run in a meet against Wake Forest, breaking his own previous record from the year before.
  111. 10/14/1972 New football record NC State quarterback Bruce Shaw passes for 294 yards against Wake Forest, breaking the team's previous record for single-game passing yardage.
  112. 12/29/1972 Peach Bowl victory The NC State Football team beats West Virginia in the Peach Bowl, 49-13.
  113. 1973 Swimming medals Swimmer Mark Elliott wins multiple gold medals at the World University Games.
  114. 1973 Basketball club organized for women Kathy Bounds, Deb Webb, and Genie Jordan organize a basketball club for women.
  115. 3/10/1973 Undefeated season NC State defeats Maryland, 76-74, in the finals of the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament to win the conference championship. 7'4" junior center Tommy Burleson is named the ACC Tournament MVP. The wins caps an undefeated season for the Wolfpack at 27-0.
  116. 12/3/1973 Alcohol ban Alcohol is banned from Reynolds Coliseum.
  117. 1974 First Women's Basketball team A Women's Basketball team is established for the first time. The team included two African American women, Gwen Jenkins and Cynthia Steele.
  118. 1/28/1974 Pool equipment malfunction Swimmers warming up for the State vs. South Carolina swim meet jumped screaming from the pool as electric timers in the pool malfunctioned, shocking the swimmers.
  119. 3/23/1974 Victory over UCLA En route to topping Marquette for NC State's first NCAA Men's Basketball championship, State beats UCLA 80-77, sparking a huge riot on Hillsborough Street.
  120. 3/25/1974 NCAA Men's Basketball championship NC State defeats Marquette, 76-64, in the finals of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Greensboro, NC, to win the 1974 National Championship. Junior forward David Thompson is named the Tournament MVP. The Wolfpack also receive key contributions from Tom Burleson, Monte Towe, Tim Stoddard, and Mo Rivers during the championship run.
  121. 1975 New varsity sports Men's Gymnastics and Women's Softball and Volleyball begin varsity play.
  122. 1975 College Football Hall of Fame Jack McDowall ('28) was the first NC State student athlete inducted (posthumously) into the College Football Hall of Fame.
  123. 1975 Female wolf mascot After the introduction of women's athletics, costumes are created for a female version of the wolf mascot.
  124. 1976 Swimmers win medals in Summer Olympics Swimmers Steve Gregg and Dan Harrigan win medals for the United States at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
  125. 1976 First female All-American Susan Yow becomes the first NC State female to be named an All-American athlete.
  126. 1/24/1976 Women's Basketball game televised The Wolfpack won the first women's basketball game televised in North Carolina. The team beat UNC-Chapel Hill 68-58.
  127. 1978 First African-American football All-American Ted Brown becomes the first African-American named an All-American in football.
  128. 2/11/1978 First ACC Women's Basketball tournament The NC State Women's Basketball team participates in the first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball tournament as the top seed. NC State lost in the championship game to Maryland.
  129. 1979 Paul H. Derr Track The University Track is renamed the Paul H. Derr Track, for the long-time track and field coach.
  130. 1979 Women's Cross Country championships The Women's Cross Country team wins the first of back-to-back national championships (1979 and 1980).
  131. 1979 First Football ACC championship
  132. 1980 Broderick Cup recipient Women's Cross Country runner Julie Shea is awarded the Broderick Cup by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), as the most outstanding athlete of the year.
  133. 1980 ACC Athlete of the Year Julie Shea wins the first of two consecutive ACC Athlete of the Year awards, and becomes the first woman to receive the Alumni Athletics trophy at NC State.
  134. 1980 First female Athlete of the Year in the ACC Julie Shea Sutton of the Wolfpack's track and cross-country teams became the first female athlete to be named ACC Athlete of the Year.
  135. 9/5/1980 Pep rally arrival by helicopter First-year head football coach Monte Kiffin arrives at the first pep rally of the season in a helicopter.
  136. 11/29/1980 Jim Valvano's debut NC State beats UNC-Wilmington, 83-59, in Jim Valvano's debut as head Men's Basketball coach.
  137. 1981 Women's Gymnastics becomes a varsity sport
  138. 1981 Wolf mascots named Mr. and Mrs. Wuf The male mascot was named Mr. Wuf. One story has it that a student wearing the costume tried to have "Mr. Wolf" sewn on the jersey, but because there wasn't enough room it was shortened to "Mr. Wuf." Soon after the female version of the mascot was named "Mrs. Wuf."
  139. 2/28/1981 Wolf mascots get married Mr. Wuf and Ms. Wuf were married in a mock wedding ceremony by the Wake Forest Demon Deacon mascot during halftime of a Men's Basketball game at Reynolds Coliseum. The two were joined in "canis matrimonium," and Chancellor Joab Thomas gave the bride away.
  140. 1982 Weisiger-Brown Athletics Facility opens
  141. 1983 Women's Golf becomes a varsity sport
  142. 3/1983 Men's Basketball wins ACC championship The Men's Basketball team wins the 1983 ACC Championship.
  143. 4/1983 Men's Basketball wins NCAA championship Lead by Head Coach Jim Valvano, the Men’s Basketball team wins the 1983 NCAA championship.
  144. 6/28/1983 NBA draft selections All three seniors from NC State's 1983 national championship Men's Basketball team are selected in the NBA draft. Thurl Bailey is chosen 7th overall by the Utah Jazz, Sidney Lowe is chosen by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick of the second round, and Dereck Whittenburg is picked in the third round by the Phoenix Suns.
  145. 1985 Relay championship The Men's 4x100 Meter relay team win the NCAA championship.
  146. 1987 Kay Yow is inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame
  147. 1987 NC State University celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding
  148. 9/25/1987 Women's Soccer Win The NCSU women’s soccer team defeated Erskine College 5-0.
  149. 1988 Kay Yow coaches in the Olympics Kay Yow, Women's Basketball coach, coaches the winning Women's Basketball team in the 1988 Olympics.
  150. 1989 Nora Lynn Finch inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame Nora Lynn Finch, associate athletics director, is inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame.
  151. 1990 Soccer championship The Men's Soccer team wins their first ACC championship. Henry Gutierrez scored the game-winning goal.
  152. 6/24/1992 NBA draft selection NC State basketball player Tom Gugliotta is selected by the Washington Bullets as the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft.
  153. 7/22/1997 Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena groundbreaking A groundbreaking ceremony is held for the new Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena, located next to Carter-Finley Stadium, which will be the home of NC State Men's Basketball and the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.
  154. 3/1998 Final Four appearance The Women's Basketball team reaches the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.
  155. 11/19/1999 First game at the RBC Center The NC State Men's Basketball team beats Georgia, 67-63, in their first game at the RBC Center.
  156. 2000 Women's Golf is reinstated as a varsity sport Women's Golf is reinstated as a varsity sport. A team was previously fielded from 1980 to 1986.
  157. 9/21/2000 Victory celebration After an overtime football victory over Georgia Tech at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State students tear down a goalpost and carry it down Hillsborough Street towards campus, making it as far the Waffle House; the goalpost costs $5,000 to replace.
  158. 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference's 50th Anniversary 134 NC State athletes are named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Teams in twenty-one sports.
  159. 6/2/2002 Track and Field national championship NC State Track and Field athlete Kristin Price won the individual NCAA championship in the 10,000-meter event. She was a twelve-time All-American in track and cross country.
  160. 9/27/2002 Kay Yow honored NC State Women's Basketball coach Kay Yow is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Springfield, MA.
  161. 2003 Wendell H. Murphy Football Center opens
  162. 2004 J.W. Isenhour tennis facility opens
  163. 2005 Swimming gold medal Swimmer Cullen Jones wins a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the World University Games.
  164. 2006 - 3/2011 First African American head basketball coach Sidney Lowe served as the first African American head coach of the NCSU men’s basketball team. Lowe was the starting point guard for NC State’s 1983 basketball team, which won the national championship. From 1991 to 1993, Lowe served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lowe later served as the head coach of the Timberwolves and the Memphis Grizzlies. In March 2011, Sidney Lowe resigned from his head coach position at NC State. In a statement to the Technician Lowe declared, "This is my school. I love this school. I poured my sweat for our years here and gave it my best. It was my hope and dream to come back here and do something special again."
  165. 2007 Kay Yow celebrates 700th Win NC State Women's Basketball coach Kay Yow celebrated her 700th win. The Wolfpack beat Florida State, 68-51. Yow eventually racked up 737 wins, making her the fifth winningest active NCAA Division I basketball coach.
  166. 2010 Mascot Tuffy A Tamaskan dog named Tuffy became the new live mascot. This breed of dog resembles the wolf-like Siberian husky.