NC State lost a legendary figure this week. On Monday, Frank Weedon passed away at age 82. Weedon was the SID and assistant athletic director for around 36 years before retiring, although he continued to come to work for an additional 15 years. He lived for NC State. The sheer amount of NC State Hall of Fame memorabilia can be traced back to Weedon.
There is no greater tribute to the five decades Frank Weedon spent in the athletics department at N.C. State than the mere existence of the N.C. State Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its inaugural class in 2012.
One of Debbie Yow’s priorities after taking over as athletics director at N.C. State, the new Hall of Fame awaits permanent residence in Reynolds Coliseum as part of the impending renovations to the venerable arena. Almost all of the artifacts that will soon be on display were collected and stored, some for decades, by Weedon in hopes that there would someday be a place for them.
[SNIP]
Most of what Weedon saved ended up in his overstuffed campus office or stashed in crevices of Reynolds not often visited by light. Weedon, though, was the most precious artifact of all – a witness to the glory days of Wolfpack athletics and, often, the silent hand behind that history.
Weedon epitomized and was the ultimate Wolfpacker. Here is a story of him from a long time ago:
“Frank and I used to room together at the ACC wrestling tournament,†said former NC State wrestling coach Bob Guzzo. “I remember one morning I walked in, about 7 a.m., and Frank was standing there in his red-and-white NC State boxer shorts, with a red toothbrush, whistling the fight song as he brushed his teeth.
“You can’t get much more NC State than that.â€
Here is a sampling of some of his accomplishments:
• More than a half century ago, Weedon was displeased with how local radio shows chose to cover NC State football and basketball games. He pushed a telephone call-in campaign with NC State fraternities, which led to Raleigh radio station WPTF AM-680 becoming the flagship station of the state’s first radio network. The Wolfpack Sports Network celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. Every other school in the state and around the southeast has developed a similar network to the one first instituted by Weedon at NC State, generating millions of dollars for their athletic budgets.
• For 12 years, Weedon was the sports information director at NC State. In addition to running a one-person media relations office, his duties included being the tournament manager for the Dixie Classic and the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament when it was played at Reynolds Coliseum.
• Was official scorer in football, basketball and baseball for all NC State games, for many ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament games, including the 1966 NCAA title game between Kentucky and Texas Western.
• Promoted to assistant athletics director in 1971, one of two administrators in a department of 26 varsity sports. Spent two decades as NC State’s senior associate athletics director, working for Willis Casey, Jim Valvano and Todd Turner. Continued to serve as senior associate athletics director emeritus and unofficial athletics department historian under Les Robinson and Lee Fowler.
• Instrumental in organizing the first national telecast of an ACC regular-season basketball game (1973 NC State-Maryland game in College Park, Md., on Super Bowl Sunday), which helped land the ACC its first television contract for men’s basketball.
The best way to sum up Weedon’s relationship with NC State is done by Bobby Purcell here:
Nobody has been a better Wolfpacker than Frank Weedon.
Thanks Frank for everything you have done for NC State. May you rest in peace.
