Raleigh, NC – Dear Wolfpack Fans:
I know this is a time of great frustration and disappointment for all of you who care deeply and passionately about Wolfpack football. As Athletic Director, I can say that we all feel badly about losing–our coaches, our players and our staff, as well as our thousands of fans.
As I watched our fans streaming out of Carter-Finley Stadium after the third quarter of the Clemson game, I felt the same sense of sadness, disappointment, and frustration that many of you were experiencing. As you can imagine, our coaching staff and student-athletes were even more keenly affected than you or I. They dedicate countless hours to building a program and want to win so badly– in large part, for you, our fans.
When Coach Amato’s appearance on the jumbotron was met with boos and jeers from the crowd, I was amazed by the irony of it all. I thought, if it weren’t for the excitement that Coach Amato has generated for our entire program (and to which our Wolfpackers have generously responded), we might not even have a jumbotron, or a Vaughn Towers or a Murphy Center–facilities that are the finest in the nation.
Yes, we do now have premier facilities, but it still takes time for those facilities (and all other parts of a top program) to take effect. It’s just in the past couple of years, or even less, that we now enjoy competitive facilities that other top programs have experienced for years.
I am asking you to support Coach Amato and our team at this key time in our season. Maybe there was a time in your life when a friend, or boss, or a family member stood by you when you were struggling. They stood by you with an attitude of patience and perseverance. I’m asking you to extend that same gift of support to our coaches and student-athletes, to help us be part of the solution.
I ask you, our partners, and those who have invested so much in our football program, those of you who love NC State, to resist the urge to criticize, to become doubters and faithless about our program. The support you give now, when it is needed most, may well determine the outcome for the rest of the season.
Let’s rally around NC State and our coaches and team as only our Wolfpack nation can do. Let’s refuse to give in to cynicism and pessimism. At the time we hired Coach Amato, he was asked to lift a very heavy weight–to lead us to national prominence. Let’s believe he will do that. Champions are born out of adversity. We need your loyal support now.
Sincerely,
Lee Fowler, Director of Athletics
