Last summer, I wrote an article entitled, “Why this is no longer ‘Our State’” regarding the dropping of NC State Athletics’ infamous former slogan: “This is Our State.”
I argued to discontinue the phrase because, at the time, it was simply untrue; this was not our state.
During the two years in which the motto was used, the Wolfpack was 1-5 against in-state teams in football and 4-8 against in-state ACC schools in men’s basketball. After every loss to a fellow North Carolina school, NC State fans were mocked, and the school’s slogan was heavily chastised.
So one year ago, the athletics department introduced a new motto: STATEment. A simple phrase that could be used easily following a big win or a great individual accomplishment by an athlete.
No one is arguing that “This is Our State” shouldn’t have been dropped — I argued that it should have been. However, after the overwhelming success of the 2014-15 athletic year, North Carolina belongs to the Pack once again.
The renaissance began with the Wolfpack’s 2014 football campaign. Head coach Dave Doeren was coming off of an incredibly disappointing first season at the helm; a 3-9 season without a single conference win was not what State fans had envisioned from a coach who had previously taken Northern Illinois to a 12-1 season and Orange Bowl appearance.
With newcomer Jacoby Brissett giving the team newfound stability under center, the Wolfpack rattled off four straight wins and nearly knocked off No. 1 Florida State in the team’s first ACC contest.
Despite a midseason slump, Doeren finally earned his first ACC victory against Syracuse, and State capped the regular season with wins over Wake Forest and UNC-Chapel Hill — two teams that had bested the Pack in 2013.
Even with a bowl victory in the St. Petersburg Bowl, Wolfpack Nation was only concerned with one thing: in-state dominance.
Among the four teams ACC in North Carolina, the Pack was the only one with an undefeated record against other in-state teams. The Pack had been the best team in the state on the gridiron, and fans wanted to see it repeated on the hardwood.
The Wolfpack delivered. The men’s basketball team finished the year with wins over UNC-CH, Duke and Wake Forest, as well as other small in-state programs. The Pack capped off its impressive year with a surprising run to the Sweet 16, making it to the same level as its rival Tar Heels.
State’s win in Chapel Hill was one for the history books, as the Pack held Carolina to the fewest points ever scored at home in program history. More importantly, it gave Wolfpack Nation pride in its team and its school.
The Pack hasn’t just been making strides on the court when competing against other North Carolina programs; NC State has made off-the-field moves that have made an impression on its neighbors around the state.
When hunting for high school talent for his team’s incoming recruiting class, Doeren made it a goal to go after the best talent in North Carolina.
The Pack hauled in the 33rd best recruiting class in the nation, according to ESPN, and 14 of its 22 members came from within North Carolina’s borders. State also signed four of the top 10 recruits in the state.
In no way am I demanding Athletics bring its former slogan back — STATEment has been a welcomed change. I’m just saying that if there were ever a time for this to be the Wolfpack’s state, it would be now.
