And so it begins – Nate Irving Injured in Car Accident

'09 Football78

Within hours of the Charlotte/News & Observer going to press with their selection that NC State would win the 2009 ACC Atlantic Division Football Championship, the Wolfpack’s all-conference junior linebacker Nate Irving was injured in a car accident.

Irving was injured on Saturday night and is currently in the Wake Med Trauma Center with non-life threatening injuries; he suffered a broken leg and a collapsed lung and is scheduled to undergo surgery on the leg on Sunday evening.

“Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with Nate and his family,” said head coach Tom O’Brien. “All of his teammates and coaches will be there to support him as he recovers and goes through the process of rehabilitation.”

Irving was an honorable mention All-ACC performer in 2008, despite missing almost a third of the season with injuries. He tied for third on the team with 84 stops.

This morning’s newspapers also selected Irving as one of the ‘3 defensive difference-makers to watch’.

Based on what we have heard, we think it would be impractical to presume that Nate will play football in the 2009 season. Be clear – we are NOT ‘REPORTING’ that Irving will miss the season. We are simply interjecting that, at this point, we would be surprised if Irving played this season.

If Nate were to miss the season then the Wolfpack’s young stable of talented, but inexperienced, linebackers would be asked to produce sooner than previously expected. Don’t forget names like Sterling Lucas, William Beasley, Dwayne Maddox and Terrell Manning. Does anyone out there have an update on John Ware?

Everyone at SFN is praying for what matters most for Nate and his family – his health and recovery.

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'09 Football

78 Responses to And so it begins – Nate Irving Injured in Car Accident

  1. Cosmo96 06/28/2009 at 2:28 PM #

    This is exactly the kind of crap I expected to happen with all the hype surrounding our program this year, yet I’m still shaking my head in dismay. I’m just glad that it looks like, overall, he’s OK and it wasn’t more serious.

  2. Zen Wolf 06/28/2009 at 2:29 PM #

    LOVE AND LIGHT TO YOU NATE. THE WOLFPACK NATION STANDS BEHIND YOU AND WILL SUPPORT YOU IN YOUR RECOVERY.

    We must look for the blessing and lesson in this. I see this being a great story for us. Nate’s Leg is fully healed in 3 months and he is back in the fourth game. During his absence One of the young linebackers becomes a leader and an all acc caliber player. When Nate does come back he comes back crazy focused and dominates the league the rest of the way. I feel this and will keep a space in my heart open for this to happen. I ask my fellow state fans to open that space in their hearts to help this become a reality.

    Go Wolf Pack. No Excusses. Play Ball.

  3. StateFans 06/28/2009 at 2:46 PM #

    ^ Don’t bet on it.

  4. wolfpack95 06/28/2009 at 3:24 PM #

    We are in a better position to absorb this loss than last year, but this will still be a considerable test to our depth chart. Replacing Irving is no small order.

    As for hoping that a freshman can replace Irving’s production, not going to happen.

    What lousy shit news.

  5. Dr. BadgerPack 06/28/2009 at 3:25 PM #

    Without knowing the severity of the leg injury… even if it minor the collapsed lung could be a bit more critical. That will limit any physical exertion for a while, so the spring/summer exercises are basically washed out. If anyone wants to look at a silver lining… if he missed the year, he would certainly have to return to get his NFL stock up and there have been many here who have expressed the belief that this team is a year away from being a serious contender.

    Get well soon Nate! <– This is the most important thing.

  6. wolfwarrior 06/28/2009 at 4:00 PM #

    Get well, Nate! Our thoughts and prayers for your well being are with you and your family.
    Life is so uncertain, good health is a blessing and so fragile. We look forward to your return.
    Well who’s going to step up in the LB corps: TM or SL or DM or someone else?
    Your best guess? I say TM but that’s purely an instinct thought, no analysis.

  7. McPete 06/28/2009 at 4:15 PM #

    I’d guess that dwayne maddox would get the 1st shot, since he’s behind Irving on the depth chart at WLB. Or move either Cole or Manning from SLB. Lucas is behind Michel at MLB so if you move him over to start, you have to move someone else or have freshman ryan cheek on the two deep.

  8. buttPACKer 06/28/2009 at 4:54 PM #

    . . . !

  9. tuckerdorm1983 06/28/2009 at 5:41 PM #

    steady everyone. Lets not be “nattering nabobs of negativism”. The team is not built on one player. TOB knows that.

    ALWAYS WITH THEM NEGATIVE WAVES

  10. highstick 06/28/2009 at 6:03 PM #

    Wish we could blame this on Lee, but I guess we can’t. Dang, this is tough, but it’s the nature of any team sport to have to deal with freak injuries. Just wish we weren’t constantly on the receiving end.

    Off topic question, but need some feedback. I’m thinking about dropping my cable service and going to Direct TV or Dish. Any suggestions? I don’t see that Direct carries ESPNU and I got a lot of State games last year that you guys were fussing about not getting. I’m not on Time Warner though, just the local monopoly with Comporium in Rock Hill.

  11. howlie 06/28/2009 at 6:48 PM #

    We are NC BadFate

    Highstick, I highly recommend Dish over Direct. My inlaws have Direct, and it just doesn’t measure up in a comparison [to me].

    As to losing signal in a storm, it happens about twice a year at our place. And when it does, it’s the type of storm you should be locking yourself in a closet or bathroom because a tornado is impending… a time no one should be watching, anyway.

  12. Wulfpack 06/28/2009 at 6:51 PM #

    Highstick,

    The only thing I would cution you about is the loss of service during storms. My brother has Dish and loses his signl every so often. I haven’t ever lost my cable signal, that I recall. Once you get set up, satellite is much more cost effective.

  13. tuckerdorm1983 06/28/2009 at 7:40 PM #

    thank god he is ok. look 6 weeks for his leg to heal that put us into august 15. Its another 2 weeks until USC. Say he misses the USC game. Two more games he might get into before Pitt. By the time we face wake on OCT 3 he should be back and rip roaring ready to go. We face VT in the championship game and he is ACC co-player of the year along with his teammate RW

  14. Dr. BadgerPack 06/28/2009 at 7:53 PM #

    Sigh. The Sportsline story indicates he was charged with careless/reckless and this occurred at 4:40am. Now, I’m not going to speculate one bit on any underlying cause, just point out that when do you ever hear about anything GOOD happenening at that hour in the morning!!!

  15. Wulfpack 06/28/2009 at 7:59 PM #

    I hope Nate will be ok. Obviously, he has a bright future. Hope we can make the best of what is sounding like a very unfortunate situation.

  16. tuckerdorm1983 06/28/2009 at 8:01 PM #

    negative waves man negative waves. What was he not charged with? DWI. Enough said!!!

  17. tuckerdorm1983 06/28/2009 at 8:03 PM #

    now if he had robbed the pizza man or broken into another person room to get a stereo or was breaking in cars then that is another thing completely

  18. Dr. BadgerPack 06/28/2009 at 8:09 PM #

    ^I certainly wasn’t alluding to that possibility (DWI). There are eleventy billions reasons he may have been out at that time, most of which probably could have waited. It was more like a “if you’re not getting done with work, why be on the road at that hour” sort of thing. It’s putting yourself at risk, for one, because of other idiots on the road in the wee hours that may not be behaving themselves.

  19. RagingWolf 06/28/2009 at 8:50 PM #

    He was driving back to Raleigh from his hometown (near Wilmington). He was on I-40 where the speed limit is likely 70 mph. They think he fell asleep. At that speed, he is lucky he survived.

    Still isn’t smart to drive at that time…

    Nate, we wish you the best. We love you on the field but care about your well being even more.

  20. 61Packer 06/28/2009 at 8:55 PM #

    Highstick: “I’m thinking about dropping my cable service and going to DirecTV or Dish. Any suggestions?”

    Anyone who wants the best sports should be on DirecTV. They do carry ESPNU although it’s on their sports tier package, which is $12 extra but worth it. You get that, college sports channel, and about 40 or 50 regional Fox sports cable stations.

    Another benefit of satellite, if you’re on Time-Warner now, is that even with the basic DirectTV package, you still get MASN, which shows the entire season of Orioles and Nationals games. TWC won’t carry MASN and their feud there has been going on forever. The local paper, which must be controlled somewhat by TWC, refuses to put MASN’s schedule in its sports listings, leading many to believe that the only places for baseball are ESPN, WGN, or TBS on the weekends, so TWC has just as many baseball games. False. The MLB Channel is also on the basic satellite package.

    Well, I see Highstick is in Rock Hill, not here in Wake County, so he won’t get the MASN feeds of the Orioles or Nationals as the Braves have that market there, but you see my drift. If Bill Walton said DirecTV is better, how can you go wrong?

  21. blpack 06/28/2009 at 8:58 PM #

    Thoughts and prayers to him. If he did fall asleep he is lucky to be relatively ok. Get well soon!

  22. wolfpackdawg 06/28/2009 at 9:12 PM #

    Amen. Get well soon Nate! And so it begins no doubt. How many people agree that we should be picked to win our division this year even b4 this? We can’t beat Clempscum if our lives depended on it. The N&O is setting us up imo.

    We have major SHi$$Y Karma for some reason and it’s not gonna end in the near future.

  23. Zen Wolf 06/29/2009 at 1:28 AM #

    wolfpackdawg

    If you say we have shitty karma than that is what you are manifesting. Once again it is metaphysics. Our Karma is clear and this could be a lesson for Nate and not the wolf pack fans. Once again to find the miracle, blessing and lesson in all of this is our challenge. Please everyone don’t start with the Oh no the sky is falling attitude. We are blessed with a great coach, two good QB’s, young talent at most positions (including linebacker)and the most loyal fans I have ever known. We are blessed that Nate is still alive and I believe this will add motivation to our team. If you look for the blessing it will reveal it self. My guess before the end of the season.

  24. Wufpacker 06/29/2009 at 3:14 AM #

    ^We are the “Wolfpack” or the “Pack”. Definitely not two words. Otherwise I agree with your post (though maybe not the overall tone of it which comes off as quasi-existential).

    First and foremost, we should thank God that Nate is OK (or at least mostly OK) and that this did not leave him in a permanently changed state like a paraplegic, persistent vegetative state, or God forbid dead. This certainly could have (maybe even should have) been a lot worse for him. From all reports he will be able to recuperate with relative ease and live the rest of his life essentially unscathed in the long term.

    However, regarding his short term, and the effects that it brings to the NCSU Football ’09 season, it certainly is a negative blow to a team when ANY starter at any position is suddenly unavailable. Fortunately we can likely absorb this adversity much better than last year when he was injured during the season and missed several games. The coaches have better personnel this time around, and more time to strategize how best to use that personnel. But I do not believe that him being out this year will have nearly the negative impact that it did last year.

    And that is a good thing because unlike some of you, I will be extremely surprised if Nate can return at any point this season. In fact, its probably best for him if he doesn’t even try.

    In the meantime, Nate can be very useful to the team by just being there, being a vocal team leader and being an example for others to follow. There’s absolutely no reason why his ability to be a team leader cannot continue. And while he’s out it gives younger player(s) the opportunity to gain experience which they would not have gotten otherwise, making the team that much stronger when he does return.

    On the surface it sucks that Nate is going to miss the season, but I agree with Zen Wolf that there is possibly some hidden upside that can be gained from the situation.

    Thoughts and prayers go out to Nate and his family and wish him the best. Hope he has a complete and speedy recovery and that God looks over him while he’s mending.

  25. waxhaw 06/29/2009 at 7:12 AM #

    ^ There is no upside to losing your best defensive player for the year (or at least a lot of the year). Even if you say he comes back next year when the team supposedly will be better, there are no guarantees. Some people never come back from a serious injury. There could be other injuries to affect next year.

    Losing Nate is huge loss.

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