Official: Wolfpack Releases Chuck Amato (Updated 9:22pm)

'06 Football Chuck Amato General148

The News & Observer is reporting that a public statement regarding the future of N.C. State football coach Chuck Amato’s will be announced tonight, but at this point there is little reason to wait.

The NC State Football team was called for a team meeting tonight at 9pm at the Murphy Center to be officially told the news that at this point is merely a formality.

The News & Observer, ESPN, and other local media sources are all reporting the unsurprising news that Chuck Amato will not return as head coach of NC State’s football program in 2007.

SFN has already shared a detailed commentary regarding the situation that is linked here. We will have much more in the coming days.

from gopack.com

Wolfpack Releases Chuck Amato
Courtesy: NC State
Release: 11/26/2006

NC State Director of Athletics Lee Fowler has announced that head football Chuck Amato will not be retained for next season.

Amato, who has posted a 49-37 overall record and 25-31 mark in the ACC during his seven years as head coach, finished this season with a 3-9 mark and failed to qualify for postseason play for the second time in three years.

“No Wolfpack fan can question the excitement and enthusiasm that Chuck Amato brought to the NC State football program when he came here in 2000,” said Fowler. “His dreams have become our dreams and that has translated itself into our great new facilities, record ticket sales and five bowl appearances in seven years.

“However, because the results on the field in two of the last three seasons have fallen far below where we feel our program should be at this point, we have decided to take the program in a new direction.”

NC State qualified for a postseason bowl each of Amato’s first four years at NC State, earning victory in three of those contests.However, the Wolfpack finished with losing records in 2004 and 2006.

Amato had three years remaining on his contract.

“Chuck Amato has been a part of Wolfpack football for more than four decades and as a head coach has raised our expectations and goals,” said Chancellor James L. Oblinger. “We appreciate everything that Chuck has done for the program and our student-athletes. We wish him all the best in the future; he will always be a member of the Wolfpack family.”

Fowler added that the search to find Amato’s replacement will begin immediately.

“Our search will be national in scope and we will begin the process through a search firm very quickly. I ask that all Wolfpackers join together in supporting our student-athletes and staying behind our program.”

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'06 Football Chuck Amato General

148 Responses to Official: Wolfpack Releases Chuck Amato (Updated 9:22pm)

  1. choppack1 11/27/2006 at 10:24 AM #

    rf – I think the wins will bring $$ in. As much as folks loved Chuck, his first 4 years, we went to bowl games, and beat UNC 3 times. If Chuck had stayed another year, it would be even worse than the 3 games of this year…

  2. legacyman 11/27/2006 at 10:38 AM #

    If you look at next year’s football schedule then any coach, old or new, is going to have a rough go at it. Maybe Chuck is leaving at a good time.

  3. redfred2 11/27/2006 at 10:41 AM #

    “There was no press conference. Just a press release sent out.”

    It was very hush, hush, and late in the day. That’s in stark contrast to Miami where their AD was out there expounding on the all of the positive aspects of the job immediately the next morning. Sure, I wouldn’t want Lee Fowler on a national stage trying to sell this job. He cannot do it. But then again, isn’t that what an athletic director supposedly gets paid to do?

    He can’t hire, he doesn’t advise, if he does, he does it wrong, he doesn’t promote the programs or the university properly. Tell me Wolfpack4ever, what does your buddy do up there?

    COLD PIZZA saying Cowher may be heading to Raleigh.

  4. bb1983 11/27/2006 at 10:42 AM #

    Cold Pizza on ESPN2 just named a list of our prospects and theyre all the same as our ideas… Except they think Bill Cowher is the most likely choice. All the same reasons we think he *might* come, they are reporting it as a serious possibility.

  5. highstick 11/27/2006 at 10:51 AM #

    Has anyone given any consideration or thought that the Tarholes now have a “Dick” and “Butch” in charge? Maybe Davis will change his name to Wellington B. Davis, III.

  6. redfred2 11/27/2006 at 10:55 AM #

    Cold Pizza says the Cowher deal is a real possibility instead of a pipedream as thought before. Also saying Norm Chow may be heading ASU because of a relationship with AD.

  7. pack7483 11/27/2006 at 10:57 AM #

    where can you find next year’s schedule? gopack.com totally sucks.

  8. GoldenChain 11/27/2006 at 11:02 AM #

    I think the beauty of using a firm is that candidates won’t be afraid to talk to them like they might with LF. W/LF they would see their names on SportsCenter as a possible hire the next day.
    In fact many possible candidates might actually call that firm to let it be known that they are interested.

    Now the interesting point we get to is this (just like in hoops): do we go after a big name or an up-n-comer?

    If we cannot get Chow then I say go for the up-n-comer.

    I said this in hoops much to the disdain of the wp nation but in the end that’s what we got.
    There are plenty of young energetic coaches just chomping at the bit for a chance to step up.

  9. 94MEGrad 11/27/2006 at 11:06 AM #

    I would love to have Cowher and he would be my #1 choice. My only concern is how his coaching style would play with 18-22 year olds. He is very direct and will not play favorites. However, that may be exactly what our guys need.

  10. redfred2 11/27/2006 at 11:16 AM #

    94MEGrad

    I like that approach, but I have some of those same reservations about Cowher myself.

  11. pack7483 11/27/2006 at 11:19 AM #

    No reservations here…….let’s bring him in. It would be huge for our program to have a Super Bowl champion coach as our head man. What a recruiting tool!

  12. packpigskinfan23 11/27/2006 at 11:20 AM #

    he seems to have played favorites with Rothlisburger…

    that might be part of why this season is so horrible for the Steelers this year.

  13. justaguy 11/27/2006 at 11:24 AM #

    Cowher has 3 HS/college daughters. I think he can handle 18-22 year-old young men.

  14. RedTerror29 11/27/2006 at 11:25 AM #

    Cowher is well known as a ‘players’ coach’ and I believe he would deal very well with college age players. He did stick with Kordell Stewart waaaay too long.

  15. bb1983 11/27/2006 at 11:26 AM #

    Haha that brings a whole new meaning to the “shotgun approach.” I doubt that will work on a football team.

  16. DIXIE Wolf 11/27/2006 at 11:28 AM #

    Wouldn’t Cowher “come out” ASAP if he was not interested in our HC position (for the good of the program)?

  17. pack7483 11/27/2006 at 11:31 AM #

    Chow info from USC site:
    http://www.trojanwire.com/football/norm-chow/

  18. justaguy 11/27/2006 at 11:34 AM #

    ‘Reviewing the top coaching candidates’

    nice summary for all schols, not just state.

    http://www.fanblogs.com/ncaa/006787.php

  19. thebigwood 11/27/2006 at 11:43 AM #

    let Chow go to ASU – then they will have all of our leftovers

  20. GAWolf 11/27/2006 at 1:13 PM #

    If no Cowher and no Chow, Paul Johnson is the no-brainer.

  21. DIXIE Wolf 11/27/2006 at 1:14 PM #

    If we are lucky enough to get Cowher it’s going to be Pack F-ball & B-ball 365 days a year baby! Come on BC, say YES!

  22. FullMoonRising 11/27/2006 at 1:26 PM #

    I suppose that as the search really begins in earnest, today assumingly, we will hear little that is accurate until a coach is chosen.

    This is gonna be torture, but torture I am willing to go through since it is incurred by having a search firm as opposed to Lee Fowler.

  23. Red_Terrors 11/27/2006 at 1:30 PM #

    Can you imagine what Bill Cowher would do for recruiting here at State. I mean, what high school player wouldn’t want to play for the “The Chin.” It may be a pipedream, but its my dream none the less. Thanks Chuck for all you’ve done, but its time to move on to brighter futures!

  24. DIXIE Wolf 11/27/2006 at 1:37 PM #

    I just might have to sell the business down here in DIXIE and move back to NC should we get Cowher. I’ve never written big checks to the WPC but a “splash hire” like BC would certainly make me think twice about my next pledge!

  25. Spin Wolf 11/27/2006 at 1:41 PM #

    ^I dunno. While Cowher is certainly my top choice, any coach is going to be far from the second coming. Who knows if Cowher would be an effective recruiter? I’m not saying he would or wouldn’t, but State fans as a breed tend to pin our hopes on the next “big thing” too easily.

    It was only 4 seasons ago that Amato could basically do no wrong. I’ll bet that a Cowher hire would have its own challenges, and any coach would.

    Bottom line – IF we could land Cowher, we, as a fanbase, really need to temper our expectations. Having said that – if we can’t win with a) the top assistant from the top college in the country who is one of our own and b) a Super Bowl winning coach who is one of our own, then it’s probably not going to happen and we should be happy with 7 win seasons, occasionally beating the Holes.

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