For many incoming NC State students, the roar of nearly 58,000 people in Carter-Finley Stadium is what excites them the most about going away to college. Indeed, cheering on Wolfpack athletic teams is a huge part of our college experience, especially at a school that is so steeped in tradition and history as NC State is.
So before you leave campus in four years (or more) with a degree in hand, here are the sports traditions that you need to experience.
NC State vs UNC-Chapel Hill
Although Carter-Finley Stadium and PNC Arena are packed for the majority of the Wolfpack’s home games, the venues take on a different feel when NC State’s bitter rival comes to town. The UNC football game is an annual tradition around Thanksgiving weekend, and is definitely worth returning to school for the day.
The fun doesn’t just include the game itself either, as there are many things pre and post-game that make the experience whole.
Tailgating at NC State is a different animal than at most schools, with the parking lots filling nearly five hours before the game and the tailgaters spreading as far as the eye can see. People get decked out in Wolfpack attire and play corn hole and other games in preparation for the football game later that day.
If you are lucky enough to get the opportunity, storming the court is a college must. It’s only happened once in the last three years, but court-storming is a staple of college basketball and usually happens against marquee opponents who come to PNC Arena.
To get the opportunity you’ll have to get to the arena early to get good seats, which makes the next tradition important.
Campout
With NC State using a lottery system to determine who receives tickets, student loyalty points are like gold if you want to get tickets to rivalry games and football games against Florida State and Clemson. You receive one point per event you attend and one point for getting to the event 45 minutes early. However, when seniors can start the year with 12 loyalty points to a freshman’s three, Campout can even the playing field.
Campout is the event in which students spend the night on Miller Fields, watching the NC State team scrimmage and enjoying other events like free concerts, games and giveaways. The event is a great way to meet new people, have fun and, of course, earn a bunch of loyalty points.
Campout gives all attendees six loyalty points, which can vault a freshman up to junior status in the loyalty program.
Lighting the Belltower Red
After every big win, the Belltower is lit up red to celebrate the Wolfpack’s victory. Students usually flock to this area after a big win, as was done after State’s past victories over Villanova and UNC, where a UNC jersey was set on fire in the celebration.
While the celebrations don’t usually get that rowdy, it is a fun tradition to celebrate with your fellow members of the Wolfpack after triumphs. Even if you can’t make the party, it’s still great to see the Belltower lit up in NC State red from afar.
Sneaking Into Case
Dining hall food is what it is, which is not very good. Eventually you will tire of Fountain and Clark Dining Halls, and when you do, stories of Case Dining Hall will reach you. Case Dining Hall is the athletes’ dining hall, but it is open to all students for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is restricted to athletes only and the food is on a different level than normal dining hall food. Having worked for the football team for the last two years and eaten the same food as is served at Case, I can vouch for the fact that it is fantastic. I’ve eaten steak, king crab legs and a bunch of other treats that Fountain regulars only dream of.
In the past, students have been known to sneak into Case at dinnertime to enjoy a meal alongside their favorite Wolfpack athletes.
These four bucket-list athletic traditions are just a small sample of the many NC State has to offer. With 25 varsity teams and a great many more clubs and intramural teams, there are a ton of options to immerse yourself in.
