Red-White Goes Pink As State Football Saves The Boobies

Maybe it just worked out that way, but it seemed to be no coincidence that State held its annual Red-White Spring Game on the most beautiful day of the year. Any excuse to tailgate in April is a good one, but throw in the fact that the spring game was held in the name of former Wolfpack women's basketball coach Kay Yow, who recently passed away after a long battle against breast cancer, and it was a tremendous day for NC State. The icing on the cake was the Pack welcoming back hundreds of former footballers for an emotional alumni reunion that gets bigger and better every year.

The headline of the spring game was the quarterback battle between incumbent and reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Russell Wilson and much-ballyhooed (yeah, I said it) redshirt freshman Mike Glennon. Both had their moments, with Glennon throwing darts all over the field and Wilson continuing to show the ability to throw on the move and put amazing touch on down-the-field aerials. The final score was 10-7, the Red over the White, but the second half featured no Wilson (he had to jet off to join the baseball team for a game) and a running clock to get it over as quickly as possible.


Fans were allowed on the field after the game, which became humorous as scores of middle-aged men jostled to rip up the field turf using car keys. State is replacing the field, which featured a pink ribbon in Yow's memory, immediately following this weekend, so whoever had the stamina and desire to take home bits of the field were more than welcome. Kids chased players around the field for autographs and pictures, and 40-year-old men were reduced to 9 years old as they did the same (this means you, P-Nut). In a really nice touch, coach Tom O'Brien and his staff all wore pink polos and hats for the game (as did I, so I was in good company), in a show of solidarity for Yow and the fight against breast cancer.

All in all, more than 21,000 Pack fans packed Carter-Finley Stadium, which is a number made all the more remarkable when you consider that UNC and Duke both had around 1,500 at their own spring games. Wolfpack Nation raised over $30,000 for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and the Kay Yow Memorial Endowment. A sneak peak at the '09 version of the Pack, tailgating and football in April, wearing pink without feeling fruity, a beautiful day, a beer in hand, and all for a good cause? Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Go Pack!