Here Comes Homecoming

Each day this week, we'll take a look at different aspects of what Homecoming means at NC State. As we count down to Saturday, we'll highlight new features generated by members of the Wolfpack community at ncsu.edu.

11.02.09 | A Place to Call Home

Explore the past century of Wolfpack football facilities - the playing fields may have changed, but the passion's remained the same.

11.03.09 | Leaders Among Us

The Leader of the Pack Program honors two students who make outstanding contributions to NC State in the areas of leadership, scholarship and community service.

11.04.09 | Serving Others

NC State offers its students myriad opportunities to serve others and address social justice issues on a local, national or global level.

11.05.09 | A History of Success

The Black Alumni Society celebrates history and contributions of African-American students at NC State University.

11.06.09 | Gameday Preview

Come "home" to NC State for a weekend of exciting events. From the Hillsborough St. parade to Saturday’s matchup with Maryland, there’s plenty to do on and off the field.

Maintaining A Sense of Place & History:

Our facilities may have changed over the years, but our passion for Wolfpack football remains as strong as it's ever been.

Part 5 - Home of Champions

For more than three and a half decades after it opened, there were virtually no improvements at the stadium, other than hyphenating its name to honor of A.E. Finley in 1979. The only real improvements came as repairs were needed, usually after a visit by rival East Carolina.

Carter-Finley has been the home to some of the school’s most decorated athletes: Jim Donnan, Gerald Warren, Dennis Byrd, the Buckey twins (Don and Dave), ACC-career rushing leader Ted Brown, Joe McIntosh, Erik Kramer, Jamie Barnette, ACC-passing leader Philip Rivers and NFL No. 1 pick Mario Williams, just to name a few.

Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, the school tinkered with plans to upgrade the facilities, kicking off a fundraising campaign in 1993 to raise $45 million by selling seating rights within the stadium. The Gabriel-coached Raleigh Skyhawks of the World League of American Football played there in the summer of 1991, the franchise’s only year of existence.

Like Reynolds, Carter-Finley has been a multi-purpose facility. The Billy Graham Crusade made a stop here in the earliest days. Concerts – like the recent U2 show – were scheduled on a semi-regular basis, with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Buffett and George Strait making stops here.

The 1987 Olympic Festival Opening Ceremonies were hosted at Carter-Finley, as well as the 1999 World Special Olympics Summer Games Opening Ceremonies. For years, before the RBC Center opened next door, spring commencement ceremonies were held inside the stadium.

But the early 1990s – shortly after athletics director and men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano was forced to resign and football coach Dick Sheridan suddenly retired for health reasons – were difficult times for NC State athletics. The renovation plans languished while the school raised the funds and momentum to help build a new basketball home, the Entertainment and Sports Arena (now known as the RBC Center, at upper right, under construction), which it shares with the State of North Carolina, the City of Raleigh and the Carolina Hurricanes.