Interesting Pack Gossip From Annapolis Paper

'06 Football General Media NCS Football52

Here’s some Pack-related stuff from this article regarding Paul Johnson’s extension to stay at Navy. Key excerpt:

Johnson had been considered a leading candidate to replace Chuck Amato at N.C. State. Sources told The Capital that Chuck Neinas, a coaching headhunter working on behalf of the Wolfpack, contacted Johnson on Sunday to gauge his interest in the job.

According to those same sources, Johnson never heard directly from athletic officials at N.C. State and never received a formal offer from the school. That despite the fact two powerful boosters – Wendell Murphy and Bobby Purcell – wanted Johnson instead of O’Brien.

Murphy, a pig farmer from Rose Hill, N.C., is the single-largest individual contributor to N.C. State football. The Murphy Center football team building is named in his honor. Purcell is the current head of the Wolfpack Club and is rumored to be in line to replace Lee Fowler as N.C. State athletic director.

Very interesting, to say the least.

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.

'06 Football General Media NCS Football

52 Responses to Interesting Pack Gossip From Annapolis Paper

  1. class of 74 12/08/2006 at 6:06 PM #

    If only AD Hayseed would make enough of the movers and shakers upset to get the axe, I wouldn’t care who the football coach was for awhile. But this article if correct is very interesting.

  2. Running Wolf 12/08/2006 at 6:24 PM #

    WRAL is saying the Tom O’Brien Deal is approved and done…PC tomorrow 1 PM and Tom will be at the BB Game.

  3. packpigskinfan23 12/08/2006 at 6:26 PM #

    at the BB game… NICE

    I might have to make that one!

  4. wolfpacker420 12/08/2006 at 6:31 PM #

    its official on gopack.com we got your guy here is his top notch bowl apperances and the outcome:Bowl Games as a Coach
    Boston College (6-1)
    √ 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl
    √ 2005 MPC Computers Bowl (Boston College 27, Boise State 21)
    √ 2004 Continental Tire Bowl (Boston College 37, North Carolina 24)
    √ 2003 Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl (Boston College 35, Colorado State 21)
    √ 2002 Motor City Bowl (Boston College 51, Toledo 25)
    √ 2001 Music City Bowl (Boston College 20, Georgia 16)
    √ 2000 Aloha Bowl (Boston College 31, Arizona State 17)
    √ 1999 Insight.com Bowl (Colorado 62, Boston College 28)
    I can’t wait for this kind of success!! Yeah!! we got Tom, Yeah!!!

  5. Running Wolf 12/08/2006 at 6:43 PM #

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2691537
    ESPN got it wrong Tom O’Brien would be three behind Bobby Ross but they just announced the deal…Welcome Tom…will see you at the BB game tomorrow….Go Pack!

  6. ncsu81 12/08/2006 at 6:45 PM #

    wedell is the “The Ray Kroc of pigsties ” as featured in this Forbes article.

    http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1997/1013/6008115a.html

  7. ncsu96 12/08/2006 at 6:49 PM #

    $1.1 millon…. that’s a good deal.

  8. quypack93 12/08/2006 at 6:50 PM #

    MAF, whatever you think of her, she, along with Amato, instilled a lot of enthusiasm into our university. state was full of good ole boys afraid to do anything in that athletic department in fear of the n&o criticism of paying too much attention to sports after valvano. MAF came in and set the goals for our football team. Larry Monteith (biggest loser of a chancellor – placed by the powers that be in unc leaning bog to keep us down) would never have uttered those words. MAF came in with incredible credibilities academically, and also a female, set those mandates and noone would dare to touch her. i wish we still have her here. she was a leader, and by being a leader, she stepped on many feet of lazy asses that has no vision inside our university community. that was the reason why we stuck with les and o’cain that long. we were too afraid to do anything to improve our athletic performance. the fact that she went to san diego says a lot about her and her ability to lead. without her, and chuck, our football head coaching job would not be as sought after as it was this time. we had many good choices as a head football; whereas, miami has to settle to a their dc.

    if you read john feintein’s “last dance”, there was no substantial evidence in any of “personal fouls” allegations that took down valvano. he was getting too big and too popular for the liking of unc. that was a reason why sheridan loved valvano, valvano would do anything that sheridan needed for our football team. after willis casey and valvano as ad’s, our athletic was taken over by a bunch of losers that has no courage to set any standard of performance for our sports teams. we are on the way back. go pack!

  9. quypack93 12/08/2006 at 6:57 PM #

    bladenwolf, i was holding pj’s torch and drank his coolaid since the day we fired coach amato (even obove cowher) and was upset when obrien was hired. but after further review, obrien’s hire was pretty solid. i think obrien’s floor will be as high as coach sheridan’s ceilling and obrien’s ceilling will be around amato’s best year and then some. we need to give abrien a chance since we can’t hire all of the candidates. as far as lee is concerned, i don’t hate him but if he was replaced tomorrow, i would cry. however, we need to hold on though, two fires in the same year would make us look like a bunch of thugs after the french revolution.

  10. quypack93 12/08/2006 at 6:59 PM #

    wolfpacker420, those bowls would have been gators or peach if he was here.

  11. wolfpacker420 12/08/2006 at 7:10 PM #

    how do you know that?

  12. quypack93 12/08/2006 at 7:14 PM #

    ate fresh tea leaves, face west at sunset, hold my breath, and whisper to the cloud. that’s how i know.

  13. HowlNowBrownCowl 12/08/2006 at 7:38 PM #

    Tom OB1 is a very good hire. I was for the PJ candidacy, but think that State has got their man.
    1) NCSU would have had to pony up >1.8 mil for PJ
    2) PJ does not have the ACC experience that Tom OB1 has – only 2 years at BC, but many at UVa
    3) PJ could have used NCSU as a stepping stone, whereas Tom OB1 is in his terminal appointment – he can give 10-12 good years before retirement

    Like PJ, Tom OB1 will instill discipline and with Dana Bible as OC, could do well with a more experienced and better coached Daniel Evans. (does anyone know if Bible could come here?).

    Wolfpacker420: you have to realize that BC does not travel well to bowl games and that with the kind of support we get, the pack is looking at a better bowl draw than BC. Also, Tom OB1 will do better at a program with greater commitment than BC – and much better facilities. Has the pack ever done any better than the Gator Bowl? I think our new coach can do at least Gator level and better.

  14. legacyman 12/08/2006 at 7:47 PM #

    It is interesting that some posters keep stating that Murphy and Purcell are two of the largest donors…that is half right. Murphy is a multi-millionaire…not Bobby.

    Bobby heads up the WPC and does a great job so if that is the same as giving many bucks then I would grant that poetic license.

    There are other big buck guys on the board and these folks call the shots.

    I have no idea why the info was leaked that Murphy and Purcell favored PJ over TOB nor do I understand why any one would be foolish enough to feed that to the press unless there is a sinister overthrow in the works.

    It would be nice if we could just settle down, restore stability to both the basketball and football programs and have the chance to enjoy sports once more.

  15. 98st8 12/08/2006 at 8:12 PM #

    Just Curious, ESPN is reporting that Frank Spaziani (def Coord) under O’Brien will be coaching in the bowl game. I would presume he would be coming to Raleigh after the game??? Thoughts..

  16. Cozy Cozell 12/08/2006 at 8:18 PM #

    Where can any of you people get off by bashing Wendell Murphy? I fail to understand your points. His is the epitome of the “American Dream”. Started out with absolutely nothing and makes Forbes magazine. AND most importantly, he is a die-hard NCSU fan. I’m proud to have people like that around the university that learned the hard way to be successful. We need a whole lot more like him.

    And by the way, “pig farming” is just what got him started. That is certainly not all he does. So now, we as NC State fans, put a negative connatation on people who work in the hog industry? Just don’t get it.

    We should probably thank him. If I had to guess he was more than likely very instrumental in moving MOC, Herb and CTC. I don’t have any facts behind that, I just believe it. And I don’t believe he would have any objections with the TOB hire.

    I wish BIG SID and TOB the best. GO PACK!!

  17. Woof Wolf 12/08/2006 at 8:48 PM #

    I feel so good about this that I am going to assume that the article tells the truth and not the whole truth. Maybe when Nienas contacted Johnson, PJ told him that he was in the process of renegotiating a new contract with Navy and was not interested. Johnson seems to be classy enough to handle it that and not have to say I told them no. If it happened that way then it could be that everyone moved on and got the best man available for State and lived happily ever after.

    In fact, I’m even going to lay off LF until he does or says something stupid again (hopefully not tomorrow).We mentioned this on the other thread earlier: Calling Murphy a hog farmer is like saying that Sam Walton sells groceries or Bill Gates is a computer geek.

  18. wolfpacker420 12/08/2006 at 8:58 PM #

    If he is as wonderful as you say he is, and believe me I want him to be. Why is the BC Eagle Nation so excited for him to leave?

  19. MatSci94 12/08/2006 at 9:40 PM #

    “those bowls would have been gators or peach if he was here.”

    “how do you know that?”

    Because a 9-3 BC team is going to the bowl game that a 6-5 NC State went to last year. BC has no traveling fan base, and the bowls know it.

  20. bTHEredterror 12/09/2006 at 12:27 AM #

    I can’t fault the selection of TOB, but I feel Johnson would have had more upside. I also think we’ll get to see it unfold, as nobody else of his caliber is in line for the Bama job. I expect they hire him and he turns them into something special in 2-3 years.

  21. aggr1103 12/08/2006 at 11:52 PM #

    “a pig farmer from Rose Hill

  22. aggr1103 12/08/2006 at 11:54 PM #

    ahem…I meant to say…

    “a pig farmer from Rose Hill, NC” doesn’t really put into perspective all that Wendell really is. Maybe if they would’ve said “largest pig farmer on the east coast” or “millionaire pig farmer” it would’ve done him some justice.

  23. MatSci94 12/09/2006 at 12:39 AM #

    “I can’t fault the selection of TOB, but I feel Johnson would have had more upside.”

    I’m the same way. However, I think there is very little chance that TOB will be a bad choice, where there was a significant chance that PJ would not do well (perception of offense, recruiting, staff).

    I was kind of hoping that Rodriguez would take the Bama job, because I think PJ would be a nice fit for WV. I’d like to see him do well, I like watching people who do things differently than everyone else.

  24. Six Pack 12/09/2006 at 9:24 AM #

    No, No, NO!!! If anyone should repace Lee Fowler its the former Wolfpacker who now runs the Athleteic Department at Appalachian.

    Bobby Purcell no way!

  25. crackdog 12/09/2006 at 9:53 AM #

    If you’re going to shout “No, No, No!!” like a sixth grader who just lost at Madden, you should at least tell us why you prefer Charlie Cobb to Bobby Purcell.

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