For
the '68 season, Edwards provided players and fans with a small modification
of the white headgear, slightly increasing the size of the scarlet “S” on
each side of the helmet. Nine members of the “White Shoes Gang” graduated
and the record dropped to 6-4 but Edwards’ ability to post a 6-1 ACC mark
won the conference title. Defensive returnees DE Mark Capuano, DB’s Bobby
Hall and Gary Yount, and All American DT Ron Carpenter were joined by soph
DB Jack Whitley who led the ACC in INT’s to total five All ACC selections on
that side of the ball. They contributed to the conference-leading defensive
effort. Kicker Gerald Warren again was All ACC and All American while center
Cary Metz earned second team All American honors. The Pack could muster only
three victories and an overall 3-6-1 effort in ’69 despite the All ACC play
of safety Whitley and DT Carpenter who notched seven good years as a
defensive lineman for the Bengals. LB Mike Hilka and DB Yount were also All
Conference selections and the defense held up well. Guard Don Jordan was an
All ACC pick for the second consecutive year but the backfield was less than
effective at times, breaking down at critical junctures. Scoring only ten
TD’s for the entire 1970 season led to a disappointing 3-7-1 finish with
kicker Mike Charron the scoring leader with a paltry twenty-eight points. QB
Dennis Britt took the controls at mid-season as not one TD pass had been
completed and the offense showed but five for the season. Wingback Pat
Kennedy was the leading rusher with only 310 yards despite good play by OG
Bill Yoest. The defense had few poor games with 200-pound All ACC middle
guard George Smith playing well and the seven INT’s of safety Van Walker.
Safety Whitley completed his third consecutive All ACC season. Edwards took
the squad through 1971’s spring practice, in his words, “insuring that they
could hold their own” for the upcoming season, and then surprisingly stepped
down in June. Though the athletic administration reached out to successful
William And Mary head coach Lou Holtz, he expressed interest in the job but
declined to interview for the vacancy, believing it too close to the opening
of fall practice to leave his team. Now too late to search for a new head
man with Edwards’ fully in retirement, defensive coordinator Al Michaels was
handed the reins on an interim basis. The fifty-nine year old Michaels had
been with Edwards since the original staff was formed in 1954 and was
recognized as a defensive guru. An unfortunate tone was set for the ‘71
season as the opener was lost to lowly Kent State 23-21 as the Pack handed
over five fumbles. The very young team lost the first four games and earned
a victory against Wake Forest in game five only when Deacon QB Larry Russell
jumped off of his bench to trip up State return man Bill Miller in a replay
of the famous gaffe of Alabama’s Tommy Lewis against Dickey Moegle of Rice
years before. Miller was awarded a sixty-eight yard TD off of a blocked
field goal insuring NC State’s 21-14 victory. HB Willie Burden set a new
school rushing record with 910 yards and WB Mike Stultz earned ACC Sophomore
Of The Week honors a few times. The defense gave up 274 points, the bulk of
them in fourth-quarter play. Two of the three wins in this 3-8 season came
in the last three games which gave the Pack something to build upon going
into 1972.
If interested in any of these NCS helmets please click on the
photos below.
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