Football

O.M. Gardner was team captain of the A&M football team. He later became governor of North Carolina.

The first on-campus football game was played at the new athletic field that would later become Riddick Stadium. The game ended with a 20-0 victory over Randolph-Macon College and secured the Southern Intercollegiate Association Championship for A&M.

The football, basketball, and baseball teams had bulldog mascots named "Togo" and "Tige."

Riddick Field (formerly A&M Athletics Field and later Riddick Stadium) was named for Wallace Carl Riddick, a former president of the college and dean of the School of Engineering. The field originally hosted football and baseball games.

Harry Hartsell was hired as General Manager of Athletics and oversaw coaching of the basketball, football, track, and baseball teams.

Football player John Ripple became the first All-American athlete at State College.

The first evening football game was played on campus with a 37-0 victory over High Point.

Sam Gurneau (part Ojibwe) was a star athlete in football, basketball, track, and wrestling. He intercepted and ran 65 yards for a touchdown versus Carolina in November 1930.

The Raleigh Junior Chamber of Commerce distributed free tickets to NC State's Homecoming football game against Furman by releasing balloons with instructions for the finders on how to claim their free tickets.

Mechanical engineering student Ira Helms Jr. created a robot-like Wolfpack mascot costume (see Technician, Vol. 27 No. 10, November 29, 1946 for photograph) worn to football games during the 1946 season. One student wore the costume while another walked behind with a "remote control" that appeared to control the robot's movements.

NC State beat 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.

A football game against Duke was the first appearance of the marching band following the conclusion of World War II.

State College secured a "victory train" to take 6,000 students to the football game against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The train tickets were $0.65 and tickets to the game were $1.00.

The NC State football team made their first bowl game appearance against the University of Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl.

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.

All NC State athletics teams adopted Wolfpack as the official name. Previously, only the football team was called the Wolfpack, and other sports teams were called the Red Terrors and a variety of other names.

A State College football game against the University of Maryland was televised for the first time.

NC State athletics teams withdrew from the Southern Conference and joined the newly formed Atlantic Coast Conference.

The football team defeated the University of South Carolina to win their first ACC championship.

Dick Christy was the 1957 ACC "Player of the Year" in football and 1958 ACC "Athlete of the Year." His jersey number was retired after his time at NC State. In 1958, he was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Football team quarterback Roman Gabriel was selected as a second-team All-American. He was selected for his second All-American a year later. After leaving NC State, he joined the NFL and played 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. He was named the NFL Most Valuable Player of 1969. In 2012, he was inducted into the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame.

For the first time ever, an NC State football game was shown in Reynolds Coliseum on a closed-circuit television.

The last football game was played in Riddick Stadium. Members of the football team mobbed Harold Deters after he kicked the winning field goal against Florida State which resulted in a final score of 3-0.

Carter Stadium, as it was originally known, opened as the football team took on South Carolina. Carter Stadium and the A.E. Finley Fieldhouse were dedicated during a halftime ceremony.

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.

As a football defensive player, Dennis Byrd became a two-time All American in 1966 and 1967. He was a member of the "White Shoes" defense that helped the Wolfpack achieve the rank of No. 3 in the 1967 season and win the Liberty Bowl. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

The football team had 8 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie in 1967. During the season, the team became known for its "White Shoes Defense," holding opponents to less than nine points per game.

Marcus Martin was the first African American player to join the football team.

The 1967 Freshman Football team finishes the season with a perfect 5-0 record.

The NC State football team defeated the University of Georgia in the Liberty Bowl, 14-7. This was NC State's first bowl game win.

Clyde Chesney was the first African American to receive a football scholarship.

Willie Burden and Charley Young became the first African American students to receive full football scholarships as incoming freshmen. After their college careers, Burden and Young were recruited into the NFL.

The NC State football team record during the 1972 season was 8 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie, and a victory at the Peach Bowl.

NC State quarterback Bruce Shaw passed for 294 yards against Wake Forest and broke the team's previous record for single-game passing yardage.

The NC State football team beat West Virginia in the Peach Bowl, 49-13.

Bo Rein was the football head coach from 1976 to 1979. He led the Wolfpack to back-to-back bowl victories in 1977 and 1978 and the 1979 ACC championship.

Ted Brown became the first African American player named an All-American in football. In 2012, he was inducted into the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Football player Jim Richter won the Outland Trophy, which was presented each year to the nation's premier college offensive lineman. That same year, he also helped NC State capture the ACC championship. After leaving NC State, he played 16 seasons for the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons. He was inducted into the NC State Hall of Fame in 2012.

First-year head football coach Monte Kiffin arrived at the first pep rally of the season in a helicopter.

Torry Holt played as wide receiver with the football team from 1995 to 1998. He holds numerous school records, and his No. 81 jersey was retired in 1999. He joined the Saint Louis Rams and became a 2000 Super Bowl champion.

After an overtime football victory over Georgia Tech at Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State students tore down a goalpost and carried it down Hillsborough Street towards campus. The goalpost cost $5,000 to replace.

Mario Williams was on the All-ACC team in 2004 and 2005. He was named the 2004 Freshman All-American, 2005 Sports Illustrated 1st team All-American, 2005 Walter Camp 2nd team All-American, and 2005 Team MVP. He was the first ACC player ever selected as the first pick in the NFL draft and was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2006.

Football quarterback Philip Rivers was chosen as ACC's "Male Athlete of the Year." He was rookie of the year in 2000 and a four-time bowl MVP for two Tangerine Bowls, the Gator Bowl, and the Senior Bowl. His jersey was retired in 2003, and in 2024, he was inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Russell Wilson was the first quarterback in league history to earn first-team All-ACC honors as a freshman.

A Tamaskan dog named Tuffy became the new live mascot for football games. This breed of dog resembled the wolf-like Siberian husky.

Bradley Chubb was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Chubb was later drafted to the Denver Broncos as NC State’s first player taken in the first round of the NFL draft since 2006. He was inducted into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024.

Ryan Finley became NC State’s first player to be named to the prestigious National Football Foundation’s National Scholar-Athlete Team.

NC State linebacker Bill Cowher became the first Wolfpack player to be honored at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.