Amato Holds No Grudges

'07 Football Chuck Amato General NCS Football64

“I love those kids up at North Carolina State,” Amato said Monday at FSU’s weekly press conference. “If I had one wish, it would be to meet them somewhere Friday night so I could hug every one of their necks.”

The Wolfpack, 3-9 in Amato’s final season, is 1-4 in Tom O’Brien’s first year as coach. The program is at a low ebb and confidence is lagging, while Amato has rejoined Bowden’s staff and helped the Seminoles regain their defensive snarl.

“I have never heard Chuck mention that or say, ‘I’m glad they got beat’ or ‘That’s what they get,’ ” Bowden said. “He recruited those guys. They’re his guys, and he wants them to do good.

“Now, he does not want them to do good against us. But he has not bad-mouthed N.C. State.”

Nor will anyone at N.C. State bad-mouth Amato.

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'07 Football Chuck Amato General NCS Football

64 Responses to Amato Holds No Grudges

  1. roandaddy 10/02/2007 at 3:29 PM #

    Looking at your roster Mr. O.. why did we fire MOC? haha
    Chuck was a show man.. and he turned Wolfpack football into one big show. He got ESPN air time with his glasses and shoes, he fired up boosters to bring in money to buid a bigger “tent” for the show. And what may be the greatest sales job of “striking while the iron was hot”, they sold us lifetime seats with the promise of greater shows.
    Unfortantely, the show was overpromised and the product couldn’t match the hype. TOB is a refreshing change to bring respectability and to put things back on a level course, but in a way I do miss the showman. (but not that much!)

  2. EverettBeez 10/02/2007 at 3:42 PM #

    When things go well, a show man is great. When things go south, he often just looks like a clown. How quickly the mob can turn – but when their is substance to the show, when the man behind the curtain is the whole show, you are in trouble.
    Faith is a tricky thing.

  3. SuperStuff 10/02/2007 at 3:46 PM #

    I think if Chuck could of had more consistency on his staff things would have been different. Maybe he just didn’t know how to command respect from his assistant coaches enough for them to stay around. It was his first head coaching job. He did some good things, but the wheels started coming off the wagon so NCSU needed to fix it.

  4. noah 10/02/2007 at 4:15 PM #

    Sean Locklear was a DT on that first Amato DL. I remember him playing well against Clemson in Death Valley.

    Also, after Washington got hurt, I think Anthony Cason played the other CB spot.

  5. Mr O 10/02/2007 at 4:19 PM #

    Cason definitely not NFL…we have had so many CBs make it that I assume every corner has made it to the NFL if only for a few years.

  6. Packaholic1 10/02/2007 at 4:29 PM #

    1. This was not an interview, it was the FSU weekly press conference.

    2. It should have said no one at NC State (except the ever present internuts, they’re at every school and they’re not real patient) would bad mouth Amato.

    3. I think we all know why he really got fired: the ignorant but rich bubbas didn’t like him.

  7. noah 10/02/2007 at 4:33 PM #

    I felt really bad for Washington. His grandfather died the week before the UNC game and the funeral was that saturday. He knew how big the game was, so he skipped the funeral to play.

    He blew out his knee and never played again.

  8. PamlicoPack 10/02/2007 at 4:34 PM #

    “Looking at your roster Mr. O.. why did we fire MOC? haha”

    And for those bemoaning Fowler, the incomparably dimwitted Les Robinson was AD at the time. And he didn’t fire MOC at all…MAF did with the infamous “Hardee’s Breakfast” massacre…

  9. Cosmo96 10/02/2007 at 4:41 PM #

    We had the really good Gator Bowl year, and then things began trending downward for four years after that (W-L record and recruiting-wise). I don’t think I’m being impatient when I say that the time was right to make a change. It’s just my opinion, but I don’t see us having a better record than we do right now if Amato is still here, which means the downward trend would have continued this year.

  10. bTHEredterror 10/02/2007 at 5:35 PM #

    “when the man behind the curtain is the whole show, you are in trouble.”

    Meaning PR? /\

    I will always appreciate Amato for giving us the dream of a bigtime program. It was good for a while, but when the bloom fell off we all looked back and saw what we wanted to deny during the fat times. Chuck was in trouble from PR’s senior year on, but he was fighter and could motivate his guys to fight in a fair amount of games. He is probably our fourth best coach (Sheridan, Edwards, Holtz), and he brought some good press with the bad. I have as many good memories of his tenure as bad, and the ND victory was priceless. We should remember him fondly.

    In my eyes this is a huge game for FSU, and we have absolutely nothing to lose. So, hopefully we won’t lose by 40, I think 45-10. The addition of the running QB dooms us.

  11. El Scrotcho 10/02/2007 at 5:44 PM #

    Truly a mixed legacy, but I’m definitely glad he was here, and I’m definitely glad he’s at FSU now.

    He put us in the position to take the next step and breakthrough if a few things went our way (like landing some serviceable OL and QB’s) – it just didn’t happen and the whole house of cards came tumbling down.

  12. redfred2 10/02/2007 at 8:50 PM #

    Amato did what no one else in Raleigh has done in years, he believed that NC State could rise above and he wasn’t shy about telling everyone about it. I cannot fault the man for that, or the fact that he has us all wanting more and at least looking at the big picture anyway.

  13. choppack1 10/02/2007 at 9:01 PM #

    I really wonder what would have happened if Amato hadn’t been successful initially. I think it’s entirely possible that the good early start is the worst thing that could have happened to him.

    There is no doubt he loved NC State and he loved his players. They loved him. However, players coaches usually have a tough time w/ either execution or effort. For Amato, his teams played tough, they just didn’t execute.

  14. RBCRowdy 10/02/2007 at 9:33 PM #

    If it wasn’t for Amato and his talk of championships, becoming a national program, and upgrades to C-F…then TOB would have never come here. TOB saw the potential Amato deeply believed existed here. Yes, there was some bad with Amato, but TOB isn’t here if Amato didn’t get us on ESPN whether it be for good or bad coverage.

    To sum it up, TOB was drinking Amato’s Kool-Aid when he took the job here.

  15. EverettBeez 10/02/2007 at 11:58 PM #

    bTHEredterror – do we know each other, cause the PR are my actual too first initials!! lol
    the meaning behind the man behind the curtain being all there was? Well, there was a great deal of smoke and fire, bluff and bluster. It was great, it got us media attention, it fired up the fan base. I really wanted him to do well at state, what could’ve been better? and I wish the best at FSU.

    All that smoke and such, and many folks desire to see him do well, hid the brewing trouble. I think most disturbing was the parade of assistants. when we pulled back the curtain, it wasn’t the OZ at all, but just a man trying to do his job – and from the looks of it ankle deep in leaking water.

  16. PacknSack 10/03/2007 at 12:59 AM #

    “Ignorant bubbas”? Chuck didn’t do much to change that perception of our alumni/fanbase. And Talahassee is the epicenter of culture, wit and wisdom in the Southeast?

  17. Sam92 10/03/2007 at 9:49 AM #

    one of espn’s funnier pieces, the Bottom 10, has mentioned us for the first time this season, albeit on the “waiting list” together with Duke and UNC as NC’s “reject triangle”. i shudder to think what they’ll say if we don’t get a W the next couple of weeks (i’m still optimistic about beating ECU)

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10075

    apoligies if this is off topic (but then again, maybe it’s not so off topic)

  18. partialqualifier 10/03/2007 at 12:02 PM #

    Amato is a class act. The time has passed for us to argue over whether he can coach or not. The bottom line he is no longer our coach, but as Wolfpackers we should be very proud of Chuck Amato. In 2000 no coach in America wanted this job. In 2007 one of the winningest coaches wanted this job.

    Please take the knife out of Amato’s back. Maybe the offense would still suck, but I would bet all I own that we wouldn’t be giving up 300 yards a game rushing every damn week either. I support TOB fully, and I am very glad he is our coach. But it is time for some of you to let go of this childish hatred of Amato and give him credit for what he did for the university that he still loves very much!

  19. RabidWolf 10/03/2007 at 12:20 PM #

    I am in full belief that if NCSU would have rid themselves of Foulup and offered Amato the AD job, the state of State athletics would greatly improve!! Just think of the financial implications of that!

    On the FB note…wouldn’t it be just freaking hilarious if the ‘Pack were to go down to FSU and steal one (wide right, perhaps). I know, I know, really tremendously wishful thinking. But Evans will be the starter and he’s 1-0 vs FSU RUNNING TRESTMAN’S OFFENSE!!!!!!!

  20. EverettBeez 10/03/2007 at 12:36 PM #

    It would indeed be cause for tremendous celebration if we can steal a win at FSU. Is it on TV?

  21. PAPacker 10/03/2007 at 12:40 PM #

    Amato as an AD? He was an organizational nightmare. He did do many good things in terms of articulating a major vision for the program and the expansion of facilities. He had enthusiasm and confidence that infected the fan base but he was also a terrible football coach. I think you would have to look back almost 25 years to the Tom Reed era to find the quality/talent level of an NC State squad being so low and to find game to game preparation being so poor.

  22. PAPacker 10/03/2007 at 12:43 PM #

    The FSU game appears to be on ABC in the Southeast and ESPN2 in Big Ten territory and the midwest. Otherwise on ESPN gameplan.

  23. PAPacker 10/03/2007 at 12:46 PM #

    BTW, at a Wolfpack Club meeting once I asked Tom Reed if there was any downside in his mind to playing Furman and Citadel in the same year, in case both games ended up being losses. Reed flew all over me talking about how good both schools were. State lost both of those games that year, I believe. I believe the Furman game was the famous one where Tom Sheridan shredded our defense and State turned around and hired him.

  24. RabidWolf 10/03/2007 at 12:47 PM #

    I am talking almost exclusiely about the inflow of money into NCSU athletics..say what you will, but CTC coud excite not only a fan base, but boosters and donors.
    Everyone knows that you can have the worst head coach, but if you surround that same coach with DECENT assistants, you have a winning formula regardless…..look at FSU…Bowden is a good coach, but notice what happened when Amato and Richt(sp?) left the program…can you say downhill slide? If Amato could have retained all the assistants he lost for whatever reasons, we would not be referring to him as our former coach, but as the saviour of NC State football.

  25. RabidWolf 10/03/2007 at 12:48 PM #

    BTW…you mean Dick Sheridan?

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