![]() By the fall of 1946, however, the population exploded to some 5,000 college students, mostly war veterans who were taking advantage of the GI Bill to get an affordable education. ![]() However, enrollment at the school in 1945 was only about 750 college students, while the rest of the personnel on campus were military trainees. 7, 1941, to more than 4,500 by Victory over Europe Day on May 8, 1945. The campus swelled from less than 2,000 students prior to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. That name stuck to every varsity program except football, which has been consistently called the "Wolfpack" since 1921.ĭuring World War II, NC State served as a military training ground for the Navy, Army and the early aviators who eventually became part of the Air Force. Because of Tebell's intricate passing schemes that made the team so successful - and the fact that the team had ginger-haired captain Rochelle "Red" Johnson - writers of the daybegan referring to Tebell's team as the "Red Terrors." Previous togs had been mostly white, with red trim. Other teams were still referred to as the Aggies or Farmers or Techs until 1925, when new basketball coach Gus Tebell unveiled bright red silk basketball uniforms. However, only the football team was called the Wolfpack. That victory, played in front of the largest crowd that had ever gathered at Riddick Field, secured the mythical state championship for the newly nicknamed squad. That unruly bunch of football players, by the way, finished with a 3-3-3 record for head coach Harry Hartsell, a season highlighted primarily by a 7-0 victory over North Carolina during the State Fair. Three years later, the school was ready for a more consistent nickname, and the anonymous letter-writer provided the perfect opportunity. ![]() In 1918, as the school changed its name to North Carolina State College, the AMC logo was replaced by a new N SC monogram that eventually morphed into the Block S logo that is still in use today. The school sold a few pennants, letterman sweaters and red ribbons to fans who gathered at Riddick Field for games, but other school merchandise was limited. Other than the interlocking AMC monogram used for athletes who won varsity letters, there were no official logos, no marketing campaigns, no official branding of any sort. Local wags often referred to the football, baseball, basketball, track and tennis teams as the "Techs," "Farmers," "Aggies" - anything that might represent the school's agrarian and technical roots. In the first three decades of athletics at the North Carolina School for Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, from 1892-1920, there was no formal nickname for the varsity teams that represented the school in intercollegiate athletics. In 1921, an anonymous alum was upset that the behavior of some players on the football team was "as unruly as a pack of wolves." Within weeks, both the NC State Alumni News and the new student newspaper, Technician, began referring to the football team as "The Wolfpack." NC State was tagged with the nickname "Wolfpack" out of anger.
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