Dr. Edward Funkhouser , a professor in the Communication Department, has been the man behind the voice of the N.C . State football and women’s basketball programs for 12 years, and will continue to do so in the aftermath of one of the most difficult times of his life.

Dr. Funkhouser has been battling cancer since May of this year, but this is not the first time in his life that he has experienced hardships with his health or any of his loved ones. He lost his wife in 2010 from lung cancer after a two-year battle with the disease.

“I’ve had some health issues in 2006 when I had open-heart surgery,” Dr. Funkhouser said. “I had five heart bypasses. I’ve never had a heart attack, ever, so I was fortunate in that sense but I had heart disease. Earlier this year I wasn’t feeling well and it was determined that I had a cancer called non Hodgkins’ lymphoma of a subcategory called a B cell. I’ve been taking chemotherapy since May. It’s gone very well, the understanding is that this particular cancer has gone away. I don’t have any hair but it will start coming back the first of October. “

Dr. Funkhouser displayed an immense amount of strength during his ordeal by finishing the semester when he was diagnosed and continuing to teach during the summer months without missing a class.

Justin Wilson, a senior in Communication-Media could tell that he was getting sick when he was in his class during the spring 2011 semester.

“I was in his classroom,” Wilson said. “He said that he was sick but he never actually told us. We cancelled class a couple of times towards the end of the semester, then when it came time for the final exam he told us that someone would be here but he wasn’t sure that it would be him. He ended up being there for the final exam so I was really glad to see him.”

Through this difficult time, Dr. Funkhouser says that he finds his comfort zone away from the intense treatments in both the classroom and the press box.

“It does take my mind off of it and I’ve had a really good time the past couple of months of my life,” Dr. Funkhouser said. “I haven’t had a problem. I truly cannot say that the chemotherapy has made me horribly sick. I’m looking forward to the semester, looking forward to football this fall.

“I’m looking forward to doing the home football games and women’s basketball this fall and winter. I often do other things that come along, such baseball every now and then.”

He has also been noted as an innovator in the public address field, as he coined the famous “first down” chant that is now used by other schools and many professional football teams. He first introduced the chant during his first game as the Pack’s announcer against the Clemson Tigers in 1999.

“I would do the emphasis of ‘That’s another Wolfpack’ and then I would say, ‘first down’, deliberately, giving the idea that people would join in,” Dr. Funkhouser said. “Eventually, in that game on that night the fans all cheered in and shouted, ‘first down’, during the game. It was very quick and then hereafter we’ve been doing it and now football teams all across the country are doing exactly what we do. For example, the Miami Dolphins say, “It’s another Dolphins first down.”

But, the true measure of any educator or individual is their willingness to extend their hand out to help others. And in Dr. Funkhouser’s case he’s had a huge impact on both Pack football fans as well as his students.

“Dr. Funkhouser is a great guy, he actually wrote a recommendation for an internship that I applied for,” Wilson said. “He’s always been willing to do whatever he can to help out a student.”