Another Hurricane Game?

General NCS Football27

Hat tip to our friend Beowolf – who is wondering whether we will get a repeat of a very soggy opening night in 1999. I was there, and damn, was it ever wet. Of course, it was one thing to sit through a monsoon to watch a game against the rival Gamecocks, and quite another to watch the Pack take on a division 1-AA opponent, even a very good one like App State. Good luck getting spousal permission if the rains do come pouring down. My practical advice is this – wear umbros, running pants, or even a bathing suit – and flipflops. No matter how much raingear you slap on, you aren’t going to stay completely dry in a 1999-like monsoon.

Back to the 1999 game itself – it was a real circus inside the stadium. As usual, the Gamecock faithful were a tad over-excited – like puppies high on meth. The zero on their side of the scoreboard (which never changed) didn’t seem to faze them a bit. And from the post-game radio show, a classic Lou Holtz line in response to how a coach can prepare his team to play in conditions like that: “Our boys just aren’t quick enough to practice in lightning.”

Please feel free to share your opening night/weather memories and/or your Lou Holtz quotes below.

* Related: Link to RAWFS

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

General NCS Football

27 Responses to Another Hurricane Game?

  1. packpigskinfan23 08/29/2006 at 9:33 AM #

    well I guess its a good thing that I dont have a ticket… I was thinking of going and trying to get one before the game…. maybe if its pouring someone with give me one?!?!? wishful thinking…. poor college student.

  2. RAWFS 08/29/2006 at 9:33 AM #

    That 1999 game, for those that were not there, was like the scene in “Caddyshack” where the preacher is having the round of his life, all the while in a pouring rain — and I do mean pouring. In fact, the joke of the entire night between my friends and I was our poor imitations of Bill Murray saying “I don’t think the heavy stuff will be here for a while yet.”

  3. BJD95 08/29/2006 at 9:38 AM #

    23 – if it does indeed rain, show up in the parking lot and someone will have extra. There will be lots of parents there who leave their kids at home, and folks who had their spouses bail, etc.

    This might have some legs to it – weather.com’s 10-day forecast is calling for thunderstorms Friday and Saturday.

  4. BoKnowsNCS71 08/29/2006 at 10:18 AM #

    Looks like Ernesto is coming through On Friday night so the torrential rains will be north of us. In 1999 the winds blew sideways. I think we will just have to put up with residual showers and not TS rain/wind. But the field will be drenched unless we have some high tech drainage (ala the NCSU Engineering grads).

  5. BoKnowsNCS71 08/29/2006 at 10:24 AM #

    I viewed the SFN link to the John Locke Foundation and their weather prediction of a trapped system. Too conservative for me. I’ll go with the more liberal Weather Channel at

    http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm5/projectedpath_large.html

    lol

  6. Mr O 08/29/2006 at 11:01 AM #

    I remember trying to grill hamburgers under a tree in the arena parking lot(like that was going to provide cover???). This was before I had any rain gear, tents, etc….

    I almost turned the grill over in the parking lot and got back in the car. But I stuck it out.

    Was it the Baylor game back in 95 or 96 where it was raining and in the 30s at gametime? That might have been the worst ever.

    Then there was the Ark St game. Was that Floyd? It wasn’t supposed to rain for the game, so again I came with no gear. Stopped at an Eckerds and bought a cheap poncho that didn’t do much good.

  7. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/29/2006 at 11:10 AM #

    Mr. O… I was just about to ask but I think you answered. Didn’t we play 2 or 3 games in the late 90’s in the remains off hurricanes. Everyone speaks of 99 but it seems like there where several games with heavy tropical rains.

  8. joe 08/29/2006 at 11:11 AM #

    The Baylor game was rainy but not cold – it was in September. The cold/rain games have been in November mostly like the UNC game in 1995 where the Pack went for 2 to tie at the end but did not make it.

    Floyd was 1999 but Ark. State was 2000. The Pack was not impacted by Floyd but that was the storm that caused ECU to beat Miami at CF stadium. The Pack played at WF the day ECU played at CF.

  9. choppack1 08/29/2006 at 11:20 AM #

    The USC game was brutal – I remember watching water shoot down the some of the stairs. I think the Ark State game was nasty as well. We haven’t had one of these for a while – we did have the 2 entrances during the severe storm for the New Mexico State game a couple of years ago.

    The real bummer is that w/out this storm the weather would be the west we’ve had since the spring. I’ll hold out hope – there should be an update now on accuweather.

  10. Iam4NCSU 08/29/2006 at 11:42 AM #

    I’ll never forget the USC game during hurricane Dennis. I was still in school at the time and I remeber getting to the game early. All the entrances were closed. We went in one of the back entrances where the practice field is now. Another student a car or two ahead of us pulled up the fence post so we could get in. We were the first group in to tailgate, only a few cars besides us. We bought a tent early that morning from K-mart and actually returned it later (poor college students). It didn’t help against the sideways rain. We got wasted and had a royal rumble in the mud. It is still my most memorable tailgating experience.

  11. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/29/2006 at 11:53 AM #

    Any news on Lowe’s new bball recruit?

  12. WAWolf 08/29/2006 at 12:41 PM #

    in other news, espn.com reporting that the Warriors are finally buying out Mike Montgomery’s contract and Nelson will return to coaching them next year… interesting in light of the summer’s coaching search rumors.

  13. BJD95 08/29/2006 at 12:41 PM #

    I remember bagging the Baylor game due to the weather (think the temps dipped down into the 50s to go with the driving rain). Instead, my college buddy came up to Chapel Hill (I was in law school) to watch the satellite feed (Big 12 equivalent of Raycom) at the Original NC Sports Bar. Being a regular – despite my “enemy” status – we got a nice bigscreen in the corner, and proceeded to get hammered. It was perhaps the most pitiful game of the MOC era. 1 first down in the first half, on 2 consecutive offsides penalties. Immediately followed by a turnover.

    The coldest rain game was undoubtedly UVA in 1991. I was a freshman, and it was TRACS day – so I could only get 1 other guy from my dorm to go. Temps in the 40s, strong winds, and a 28-0 2nd quarter deficit (which I think ballooned to 35-0) led to my earliest exit from a home game in my 30+ years of attendance.

  14. cfpack03 08/29/2006 at 12:56 PM #

    The ’99 gamecocks game was my first game as a student! ahh memories.

  15. StateFans 08/29/2006 at 2:01 PM #

    Was it 1997 or 1998 that opened on a Thursday night in a tropical depression vs Ohio?

    We had to rely on a blocked punt in the 4th quarter to win.

    The almost back to back nature of the Ohio and USC experiences helped create the old ‘hurricane’ culture of our opening game.

    Of course, GT in 96(?) Was played on the day after Fran came through.

  16. GAWolf 08/29/2006 at 2:39 PM #

    Which game was played in mud slop carter finley after the rolling stones, I believe it was, trampled the field to mush while rocking out in the heavy rain?

  17. choppack1 08/29/2006 at 3:08 PM #

    SF – You’re right – the Ohio game was played in a TS. The next week we turned around and beat FSU. In 1996 we played GaTech two days after Fran rolled through.

    “in other news, espn.com reporting that the Warriors are finally buying out Mike Montgomery’s contract and Nelson will return to coaching them next year… interesting in light of the summer’s coaching search rumors.”

    I saw that earlier….interesting.

  18. packpigskinfan23 08/29/2006 at 3:48 PM #

    sounds like fun… my first game at CF was ’04 vs Ohio State!!! it was hot as hell, and had poured down rain the WHOLE morning. I had to drive a Wilburs BBQ van there because I served a tailgating party that morning… the van got stuck in the mud and I had to get some drunk guys to help push me out… me and my gf missed kick off because of the mud…

    as far as my first game as a student of NCSU I guess I will find that out this time next year… cant wait!!!! I will be a student for the historic return of Sid Lowe… should be fun!!!

  19. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/29/2006 at 4:03 PM #

    SF – You’re right – the Ohio game was played in a TS. The next week we turned around and beat FSU. In 1996 we played GaTech two days after Fran rolled through.

    Thanks for clearing that up. I knew there was more of home opener ‘hurricane’ culture than just the ’99 game. The Ohio game was ’98 so it was two years in a row and 3 out of 4 including Fran.

  20. RAWFS 08/29/2006 at 4:09 PM #

    Packpigskin — if you were in the TX lot next to the Faculty lot off of Trinity, I was one of the people pushing on your vehicle.

    Technically, the 1999 game against SC was a tropical storm. Dennis never made landfall as a hurricane.

  21. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/29/2006 at 4:22 PM #

    I have to ask this in the wrong forum but anyone know anything about our bball recruit? Last name Green younger brother of UNC’s Danny Green. I heard on WTVD (i think) last night that he coming to State in ’07 after spending next season in prep school but I don’t find anything about it on any site i’ve look at including WTVD.

    I was happy to hear we are recruiting prep school guys from NY! The Arizona State coach’s era is final getting to be a distant nightmare.

  22. packman247 08/29/2006 at 4:43 PM #

    scout.com lists him as a 2 star SG but nothing else, which is weird

  23. packpigskinfan23 08/29/2006 at 4:51 PM #

    RAWFS~ I dont remember the name of the lot… but it is the one by that white house on Trinity(?)… I think its the first lot on the right? wow… thats crazy… well I definatly appreciate the help… if it wasnt for you guys I would have never have made it to the game… either that, or would have had one hell of a time trying to get it out after wards during all the traffic….

  24. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 08/29/2006 at 5:24 PM #

    The Wardlaw lot? There is an old sign in that lot that says Wardlaw. The old man owned an insurance business in Raleigh and has a buiding across from the Memorial Tower. I would assume he has passed now. I met the man once about 15 years ago and he must of been in his 80’s then but still going to work. Ended up talking to him for an hour or so learning about some of his history most of which I don’t remember now. He did write an book that may of been auto-biographical if I remember correctly but he didn’t give me a copy when I left his office so I never read it.

    I have no idea if that is his old house and lot but that would make sense.

  25. beowolf 08/29/2006 at 8:23 PM #

    Arkansas State in 2000 was a monsoon game, too — Philip Rivers’ first TD pass came during a heavy downpour, and it was a 25+ yarder (can’t remember how long it was now).

    If it’s during a TS, and you’ve got “spousal permission,” then along with the other advice, keep a dry pair of socks and shoes in the car for when you get back. That was a lifesaver after the slog back after So. Car.

1 2

Leave a Reply