Tim Peeler: NC State football's history in Charlotte

Long ago, just before the start of the world’s largest conflict, NC State made an annual trip to Charlotte by train to face Clemson, its old Southern Conference and modern Atlantic Coast Conference rival.

From 1939 until 1944, the Wolfpack of coaches Doc Newton and Beattie Feathers traveled to Legion Memorial Stadium to face the Clemson Tigers of Jess McNeely and Frank Howard, a neutral site contest that the two schools hoped would overshadow the annual North Carolina-South Carolina game that was always played at those schools’ home fields, often on the same days as the State-Clemson games.

Thirteen of the first 20 meetings between the Wolfpack and Tigers were played off campus. The first two were in Columbia, the next two were in Florence and nine were in Charlotte, making the Tigers the Pack’s most frequent opponent in the Queen City. (State has played Davidson seven times in Charlotte and seven times on Davidson’s campus outside of Charlotte.)

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The Wolfpack heads back there again on Saturday to face former ACC-rival Maryland in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the ninth game at what is now called Bank of America Stadium, which opened in 1996 as Ericsson Stadium.

When the rivalry moved to Charlotte in 1938, the State-Clemson games drew some of the largest crowds to ever see a football game in the state, peaking at 16,000 in 1941, a month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the United States into the global war.

The next year, despite the popularity of the game, only 10,000 spectators showed up to see the old rivals meet, an attendance decline blamed on both gas and rubber tire rationing for fans of both schools.

The two teams continued to play in Memorial Stadium through 1944, but returned home sites in 1945. Every game played in the series since then has been on the home campus of the two schools.

State and Davidson continued to play against each other through 1951, but there was a 45-year gap in the Wolfpack playing in the Carolinas’ largest city.

That didn’t happen again until the end of the 1996 season, when State and East Carolina scheduled a neutral-site game in hopes of reviving a rivalry that had been cancelled after a 1987 game won by the Pirates ended with postgame destruction at State’s Carter-Finley Stadium. East Carolina won that game, 50-29, and behavior by fans from both teams was tame enough to restart the rivalry at home stadiums.

Perhaps the low point of State’s games in Charlotte came on Nov. 11, 1999, when a 6-5 Wolfpack team traveled to face a 1-8 North Carolina team that was concluding its worst season in a decade. The two teams played an exceptional game the year before, featuring opposing All-Americans (and future NFL teammates) Torry Holt of State and Dre Bly of Carolina. The Tar Heels won the game 37-34.

By the end of the next season, however, Tar Heel head coach Carl Torbush was without two starting quarterbacks because of injuries and was down to playing tailback Domonique Williams under center. 

In the final moments of the game, UNC defenders Errol Hood and David Bomar stopped Pack receiver Chris Coleman 6 inches short of the goal line, allowing the Tar Heels to hold on for a 10-6 victory.

In the aftermath of the humiliating loss, Pack coach Mike O’Cain was fired and the school began a month-long wait for NC State alum Chuck Amato to be hired as its head coach.

State’s most recent trips to the fertile recruiting grounds of Charlotte have been for the postseason bowl games like Saturday or the affiliated Belk (now Duke’s Mayo) Kickoff Classic. The last two trips there have been disappointing, from the postseason loss to Mississippi State in 2015 to the season-opening loss to South Carolina in 2017.

Through the years, though, there have been some high points in the Pack’s 14 victories in and around Charlotte. Here are three of them.

NC State 7, Clemson 6
Oct. 3, 1942

The Wolfpack had not beaten Clemson since 1932, a five-game losing streak in games played at State’s Riddick Field, Clemson’s Memorial Stadium and Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium.

State established its dominance early in the game, when tiny receiver Robert Renfroe “Peanut” Doak, broke free on a 71-yard non-scoring reception down to the Clemson 2-yard line. The Pack did not score on that possession or three other trips inside the 20-yard line.

However, on the first play of the second quarter, State’s George Allen scored State’s only touchdown on a 1-yard run and back Eddie Teague kicked the game’s only extra point. Clemson scored on its next possession, but could not convert on its two-point attempt.

Newton’s Pack dominated the game, blocking a punt in the third quarter and recovering the ball at the 7-yard line, but could not expand its lead.

It was the Pack’s only victory in 13 neutral-site contests against the Tigers.

NC State 31, Davidson 0
Nov. 10, 1951

Future NFL star Alex Webster assured himself of the 1951 Southern Conference scoring title by rushing for three touchdowns in the Wolfpack’s final Southern Conference game in Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium.

As All-American tackle Elmer Costa shut down the Davidson offense, Webster and fellow running back Jim O’Rourke smashed through the Wildcats all afternoon long. The rivalry with the former Big Five rival, which now plays at the NCAA Division III level, ended in 1953.

Webster rushed for 634 yards and threw for another 622 in 10 games that season. However, the Wolfpack managed just a 3-7 record and head coach Beattie Feathers was relieved of his duties after the season.

Webster’s 74 points that season not only led the league but also set a school record that lasted until Dick Christy scored 83 in 1957.

It was the Wolfpack’s last game in Charlotte for nearly 45 years.

NC State 52, East Carolina 14
Nov. 27, 2004

The most dominant defense in NC State history held East Carolina to 140 total yards and just seven first downs on the turf at newly renamed Bank of America Stadium.

State recorded three sacks and intercepted two passes to end its 5-6 season on a high note. One of the Pirates’ touchdowns came on a fumble returned for a touchdown and the other followed a fumble deep in Wolfpack territory.

The defense, coached by first-year coordinator Reggie Herring, featured future No. 1 overall NFL pick Mario Williams and NFL picks Manny Lawson, John McCargo and Tank Tyler.

Quarterback Jay Davis threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in the rout, while the Wolfpack defense finished the season with a nation’s best 211.4 yards per game.

NC State 14, South Florida 0
Dec. 31, 2005

For the second year in a row, the Wolfpack ended the season with a totally dominant defense performance, posting a New Year’s Eve shutout against a team making its first ever bowl appearance.

In 34 postseason games, it’s the only time the Wolfpack has held its opponent scoreless.

Junior linebacker Stephen Tulloch was the game’s defensive standout after posting 15 tackles, three sacks and five tackles for loss, while junior Mario Williams had 1.5 sacks to finish his career as the program’s all-time leader in sacks and tackles for loss.

State scored both of its touchdowns in the second quarter, first on a 9-yard pass from Marcus Stone to Brian Clark and a second 1-yard run by Andre Brown with less than 20 seconds remaining before halftime.

The Tulloch-led defense forced two South Florida fumbles and an interception by Garland Heath, his fifth of the season.

NC State 31, Louisville 24
Dec. 27, 2011

In the last non-conference game between future ACC rivals, the Wolfpack scored 24 unanswered points in the second and third quarter to take control of the game, as quarterback Mike Glennon threw a pair of touchdown passes to T.J. Graham and another to Tobais Palmer in the first half and defensive back David Amerson returned an interception 65 yards for a score.

Amerson then ended the game with his school-record 12^th interception of the year.

Glennon finished the season tied with 31 touchdown passes, matching the season-best of predecessor Russell Wilson and just three shy of ACC and school career-leader Philip Rivers.

The third consecutive victory in Charlotte marked the Wolfpack’s longest winning streak in the Queen City and was head coach Tom O’Brien’s eighth bowl victory in 10 postseason games.

Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at [email protected].

NC State games in Charlotte area
(14-16-2)

Date Score Location Record

11/17/1899 NC State 0, Davidson 0 Charlotte 0-0-1
11/18/1899 Clemson 24, NC State 0 Rock Hill, S.C. 0-1-1
11/7/1908 NC State 21, Davidson 0 Davidson 1-1-1
10/18/1913 NC State 26, Davidson 6 Davidson 2-1-1
10/26/1912 NC State 7, Davidson 0 Davidson 3-1-1
10/7/1916 Davidson 16, NC State 0 Davidson 3-2-1
11/5/1921 NC State 3, Davidson 3 Charlotte 3-2-2
11/3/1923 NC State 12, Davidson 6 Charlotte 4-2-2
11/31/1925 Davidson 9, NC State 0 Davidson 4-3-2
11/5/1932 NC State 7, Davidson 3 Charlotte 5-3-2
11/10/1931 Clemson 6, NC State 0 Charlotte 5-4-2
10/11/1930 Clemson 27, NC State 0 Charlotte 5-5-2
9/24/1938 NC State 19, Davidson 7 Charlotte 6-5-2
10/07/1939 Clemson 35, NC State 6 Charlotte 6-6-2
9/28/1940 NC State 34, Davidson 0 Davidson 7-6-2
10/5/1940 Clemson 26, NC State 7 Charlotte 7-7-2
10/04/1941 Clemson 27, NC State 6 Charlotte 7-8-2
10/03/1942 NC State 7, Clemson 6 Charlotte 8-8-2
10/02/1943 Clemson 19, NC State 7 Charlotte 8-9-2
10/07/1944 Clemson 13, NC State 7 Charlotte 8-10-2
10/4/1947 NC State 14, Davidson 0 Charlotte 9-10-2
10/9/1948 NC State 40, Davidson 0 Davidson 10-10-2
10/8/1949 Davidson 24, NC State 14 Charlotte 10-11-2
11/10/1951 NC State 31, Davidson 0 Charlotte 11-11-2
11/30/1996 East Carolina 50, NC State 29 Ericsson Stadium 11-12-2
11/28/1998 North Carolina 37, NC State 34 Ericsson Stadium 11-13-2
11/20/1999 North Carolina 10, NC State 6 Ericsson Stadium 11-14-2
11/27/2004 NC State 52, East Carolina 14 Bank of America Stadium 12-14-2
12/31/2005 NC State 14, South Florida 0* Bank of America Stadium 13-14-2
12/27/2011 NC State 31, Louisville 24* Bank of America Stadium 14-14-2
12/30/2015 Miss. State 51, NC State 28* Bank of America Stadium 14-15-2
9/2/2017 South Carolina 35, NC State 28* Bank of America Stadium 14-16-2
12/30/2022 Maryland vs. NC State* Bank of America Stadium 

# Meineke Car Care/Belk/Duke’s Mayo Bowl
* Belk College Kickoff Game