N.C. State legend Bill Cowher opens up on getting inducted into Wolfpack Ring of Honor

Former N.C. State legend Bill Cowher is back on campus on Friday night for the Wolfpack’s game against the Louisville Cardinals. He was also inducted into the school’s Ring of Honor. In the second quarter, ESPN’s Paul Carcaterra caught up with Cowher and asked him to share his thoughts on what it meant to him to have such a special honor bestowed upon him.

How did his time at N.C. State influence him post Wolfpack days? “These were the formative years of my life. I came down here as a kid from Crafton, Pennsylvania and left here a pretty good football player. And more importantly than that, I met my wife, the mother of my three children down here. And this place, best 4.5 years, the most memorable years of my life,” Cowher said on the field.

What were his emotions when they took down the banner and he saw his name? “You know what? I’ve played a lot of football games on this field. Like I said, playing this game at night, to see my name on there, is very humbling. Look at the other names that are up there. Two of my teammates are up there. Jimmy Richard and Ted Brown. Torrey Holt’s up there. Bradley Chubb’s up there. Bill Yost is up there. These are guys, it’s just legendary to be up there with them,” the legendary football coach said.

Two times in a single game Cowher racked up 24 tackles. A tackling machine during his time there, Cowher still ranks in the Top 10 in school history for total tackles (371). He racked up 195 tackles in 1978–which is still the single-season record for N.C. State.

What does he think about the Wolfpack’s dominant tackler the past few seasons, linebacker Payton Wilson? “Payton Wilson’s an athlete. He’s a football player. So, you know what, I told the team last night, I didn’t get down here to see these guys lose. I didn’t come down here to see the defense give up any scores. So, they’ve held up their end of the bargain so far,” Cowher said.

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