Coach Sheridan was at practice the other day after visiting friend and Wolfpack family member David Horning who is dealing with some complicated medical issues. First and foremost, our best wishes and prayers go out to David Horning and his family.
Back in 2007 O’Brien had Sheridan come speak to his first High School Coaches’ Clinic. This was clearly an olive branch to the many NC high school coaches who TOB realized may have felt slighted by the prior regime. That event was described here by Gopack.com. This is a great read in case you missed the previous discussion here at SFN. (It’s extremely interesting to go back and read those comments from 2007. Oh how some things have changed in two years… and oh how some have not.)
Coach Sheridan spoke with the media at practice, and Ken Tysiac put that conversation on his blog over at the Charlotte Observer. Please take a moment to read the interview as it’s textbook Sheridan.
Like many of you, my respect for Sheridan will never wane. I’ve spoken to numerous former Sheridan-era Pack players, and each of them speak of Sheridan with complete respect and admiration. I’m not sure I’ve spoken to a group of players in any sport at any level who hold their former coach in such unanimous high regard.
And that’s why this particular answer makes me giddy:
Q: Coach, how much fun is it for you and how much pride do you have being around the red and white and on the sidelines?
A: It’s very enjoyable to me. I have a lot of respect for Coach (Tom) O’Brien and his staff. I like watching them work and the pace and tempo of practice and the teaching that’s going on. They’re doing a fantastic job in my opinion and I have a lot of respect for them.
It also brings me much joy to see TOB’s continued efforts to rejuvenate previously lost relationships with NC State Football’s past successes. As State fans there are only a few periods of recent history for which we can have complete and unfettered pride. Without a doubt Sheridan’s tenure in Raleigh is one of those periods. This, to me, is just another example of some of the intangible things that TOB has done that make me excited about the future.
This is something to be excited about… I hope I’m able to be in the stands if and when this happens:
Q: Do you plan to come back and speak to the team at some point?
A: Well, they don’t know who I am and they don’t care (laughing). It would be an honor to come back and do that. . . .I’ve been invited to toss the coin before the North Carolina game. I guess they felt like we had some good luck against the Tar Heels. Maybe I can bring a little luck.
You may enjoy some of our previous entries focusing on Coach Sheridan that you can peruse by clicking here.