As we piggy-back this entry from just a couple of weeks ago that was written when NC State had ZERO conference wins in fall sports, it is time for our annual mention of just how poorly the NC State soccer programs are being managed (or, just how wonderful the programs are being mis-managed).
Just last year, Lee Fowler’s NC State ‘accomplished a rare double dip of pathos with its men’s and women’s soccer teams each being the bottom seeds, based on their conference records, in their respective tournaments.’ (You can review our entry on the topic by clicking here.)
Well, this year ain’t going much better as the men and women’s teams are again BOTH at the bottom of the league with a collective ACC record of 1-12. Pack Pride has a thread on the topic with some additional historical information included.
OF COURSE this topic is discussed exclusively on the message boards as you would never see such an ‘article’ ever produced at PP (or The Wolfpacker). As you know, the sites are far too busy writing recruiting diaries and profiles on 15 year old high school students. Of course, a kid in Ohio who has a 5% chance of playing sports at NC State in five years is much more relevant to NC State websites than thought provoking stories about NC State Athletics.
In this instance, it looks like quite a few posts have been deleted from the thread, so we have no idea if the posts included inside perspectives that the site didn’t want in the public domain (so as to not harm their relationship with the all powerful Annabelle Vaugn Myers); or if the posts were derogatory.
Regardless, this interesting tidbit was included in the thread. Sounds like old Coach Fowler’s ‘leadership’ skills have allowed the Nora-Lynn-Finch-attitude to permeate throughout the Athletics Department.
My wife played for a top 5 program in the nation and was one of the faster players on the team. She got homesick and wanted to come back to NC. She detested the whole atmosphere at UNC and wanted to major in engineering. She decided on State and called Kerrigan to arrange her transfer to State. Kerrigan wouldn’t even contact her back and she had to go through the AD to get a tryout. Kerrigan took her on reluctantly and then stuck her on State’s bench for her career while State finished last every season in soccer. Kerrigan was trying to prove a point to the AD that she could recruit and would only play her players. The seniors on the team at the time Kerrigan was hired sat the bench that year and basically all freshmen played. It was pathetic to watch and I actually would boo her outloud at games for her decision making. She is a pathetic excuse for a coach and the sooner she is let go, the faster our soccer team will come out of the cellar of the ACC. She has never finished better than 7th in the conference and that was in the 9 team ACC and with GA Tech not having a team at the time.
It’s funny that many fans presume that Coach George Tarantini’s 41-76-14 ACC record would support his removal as coach from a sport that produces no revenue. That winning percentage is pretty similar to the Wolfpack’s most recent Head Basketball Coach whom our AD wouldn’t dare remove.
For the record, the following are NC State’s rankings in the NCAA’s annual ‘all-sports’ rankings now known as the “Director’s Cup’ (originailly known as the ‘Sears Cup’). The Pack finished 8th amongst ACC schools after posting our best finish in the Lee Fowler years of a fantastically mediocre 6th (in the ACC) last year.
—Lee Fowler Years—-
2006-07 – #44
2005-06 – #34
2004-05 – #51
2003-04 – #39
2002-03 – #43
2001-02 – #46
2000-01 – #56
—Les Robinson Years—
1999-00 – #40
1998-99 – #63
1997-98 – #43
1996-97 – #57
—Todd Turner Years—
1995-96 – #34
1994-95 – #32
1993-94 – #59
Any conversation about ‘all sports’ would not be complete without this entry.