NC State athletics' notable No. 2s and 22s in honor of 2/22/22

On3 imageby:Tim Peeler02/23/22

PackTimPeeler

So many of my life events have happened while I was covering and writing about sporting events that the anniversaries sometimes take me by surprise.

So imagine when my oldest son, Michael, turned 20 the other day, followed quickly by yesterday’s once-a-century calendar date of 2/22/22.

See, he was due to be born somewhere between 02/02/02 and 02/22/02. Naturally, my wife and I had an iron-clad pact that if he was born on either of those days we would call him “Deuce.” (She doesn’t remember it that way.)

Yesterday’s date also made start thinking about twos in the history of NC State athletics.

The unquestioned leader of that team would have to be former head football coach Chuck Amato, who married into a family of pairs. His wife, Peggy, is the daughter of twins, a twin herself and the mother of the coach’s twin daughters, one of which, of course, had twins. That’s four generations of double takes.

There were also significant memories of the best players in school history who wore twos on their jerseys. Below then are two of the best who wore each jersey number in football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball.

If I had to pick a captain of this unusual collection of players from throughout the generations, it would have to be No. 22 Dick Hunter, who was a two-sport star in football and baseball during his late 1950s career.

He would be assisted by swimmer Steve Rerych, who did not wear a jersey, much less a number. He won a pair of gold medals at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He did, however, wear double-deuces in his one season as a relief pitcher for the Sam Esposito’s baseball team.

No. 2 At NC State Football

Safety Fernandus “Snake” Vinson: He was part of NC State’s remarkable defensive secondary in the late 1980s, earning All-America honors in 1989 while playing alongside Jesse Campbell. Taken by Cincinnati in the seventh round of the 1991 NFL Draft, the Alabama native played four seasons with the Bengals.

Safety Woodrow Wilson: The President of NC State’s defense was a three-year starter for head coach Bo Rein. A defensive back and punt returner, he led the ACC with five interceptions in 1978 and finished his career with 12. He was taken in the 10th round of the 1980 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

No. 2 For Men’s Basketball

Guard Anthony Grundy: The late point guard was unpressable by opponents and the floor leader for Herb Sendek’s program when it returned to the NCAA tournament after a 10-year absence. As a senior, Grundy was named first-team All-ACC after leading the Wolfpack in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and 3-pointers made, the only player in school history to do so.

Guard Cat Barber: The scoring point guard was a breakout player during the Mark Gottfried era. In his final season with the Wolfpack, he led the ACC in scoring (23.5 points per game) and minutes played (38.7 a contest), and earned first-team All-ACC honors. In three seasons, he scored 1,507 points. Undrafted by the NBA, he has played professionally at home and abroad, including a recent stint this season with the Atlanta Hawks. 

No. 2 For Women’s Basketball

Guard Raina Perez: She’ll be remembered forever for the shot that downed Louisville in the final moments of last year’s ACC Championship game. The transfer from Cal State-Fullerton was only supposed to play one season for the Wolfpack, but was granted an additional year thanks to the NCAA’s COVID accommodations. She currently leads the Wolfpack in assists while being the starting point guard in every game this year.

Guard Rachel Stockdale: A four-year player for Hall of Fame coach Kay Yow, the High Point native was picked for the All-ACC Freshman team in 2004 and helped Yow’s team qualify for three NCAA Tournament appearances. She is now the executive director of operations for the Wolfpack women.

No. 2 For Baseball

Shortstop Alex Wallace: Sure-handed Wallace was a freshman All-American in 1984, a second-team All-ACC selection in 1986 and a member of the All-ACC Championship team in 1987, when the Wolfpack advanced to the title game under first-year head coach Ray Tanner. Importantly, the late head coach Sam Esposito installed Wallace as a captain during his sophomore year, and he held that title for three seasons.

Outfielder Jonny Butler: Before switching to No. 14 as a junior, Butler debuted in his decorated career wearing No. 2 after transferring to NC State from Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill. Butler quickly became the Pack’s leadoff hitter in 60 games that season. Over his final two years he became a scholar-athlete, an All-ACC academic selection, first-team All-ACC and an All-American by several outlets. He was taken by the Oakland As in the 14th round of last year’s major league draft of amateur players.

No. 22 For NC State Football

Wide receiver Mike Quick: The pride of Richmond County didn’t put up huge yardage or reception numbers during his time as a receiver for the Wolfpack, but he excelled in that role as a first-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1982 NFL Draft . He led the NFL in receiving in his second season. A five-time Pro Bowl pick and a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame, Quick is now a color commentator for the Eagles radio network and called the franchise’s victory in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4, 2018.

Running back Toney Baker: One of the top high school running backs in the history of the state, Baker was a fearsome offensive weapon when he was healthy. However, he sat out two of his five seasons with injuries during his Wolfpack career. He scored 21 touchdowns as both a rusher and receiver, and won the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award as the league’s Most Courageous Player following his senior year.

No. 22 For Men’s Basketball

Guard Spud Webb: Yes, he wore No. 4 in his senior season when he helped the Wolfpack reach the NCAA Championship Elite Eight, but immediately after transferring in from Midland (Texas) Junior College the sky-jumping point guard and future NBA dunk contest winner wore No. 22 for his first season under head coach Jim Valvano.

Small forward Brian Howard: He might not be the most recognizable player on Valvano’s final three teams, but he was a strong complement to Chris Corchiani’s Fire and Rodney Monroe’s Ice, another deadly shooter who could drive inside and score. He helped the Wolfpack win the 1988-89 regular-season championship that was recently recognized at PNC Arena.

No. 22 For Women’s Basketball

Forward Trudi Lacey: In a life devoted to basketball, Lacey was twice (1979, ’81) named the most valuable player for head coach Kay Yow’s basketball team, leading the squad to a 105-30 record in her four seasons at the school. She finished her career with two ACC tournament titles, a regular-season championship, 1,957 points and 1,051 rebounds. After playing and coaching professionally, Lacey is now the athletics director at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte.

Her No. 22 is one of seven retired jerseys in NC State women’s basketball history.

Guard Dominique Wilson: After transferring following her freshman year at Arkansas and sitting out a season, the 5-8 guard was a foundational block in Wes Moore’s rebuilding of the Wolfpack women’s basketball team. A three-year starter, Wilson was named first-team All-ACC as a senior and is still playing professionally.

No. 22 For Baseball

Pitcher Alex Sogard: After playing on a pair of national championship teams at Oregon State (2006-07), Sogard transferred to NC State (2008-10), where he was an integral part of the Wolfpack’s successful postseason teams. He played professionally for eight years, reaching AAA with the Astros. He’s now the head baseball coach at Wright State in Cleveland.

Designated hitter Vinny Hughes: An offensive stalwart in a loaded lineup, Hughes combined with Pat Clougherty, Andy Barkett, Tim Tracey and Robbie Bark to give perhaps the greatest pitching staff in school history — including 1992 ACC Tournament MVP Matt Donahue and dual-sport star Terry Harvey — all the run support they needed to lead Ray Tanner’s team to the most recent ACC title in program history.

Two-Sports 2s For NC State (Both Wore 22)

Running back and outfielder Dick Hunter: Few people ever contributed more playing two sports better than Hunter, who was the captain and backfield mate of Dick Christy on NC State’s first ACC champion football team in 1957. The 5-foot-7, 157 pound bolt of lightning in size 5 ½ shoes was too small to play shortstop, so he converted to outfield and was twice named All-ACC. He played professional football for two years for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes and Ottawa Rough Riders.

Pitcher and swimmer Steve Rerych: He only threw four innings and gave up four earned runs in the three games he pitched for Sam Esposito’s Wolfpack, but that was only a couple months after winning two gold medals in freestyle swimming at the 1968 Olympics. Rerych was an accomplished swimmer for the Wolfpack for four years who had been drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school. He won more ACC titles than any swimmer in history during his career.

——

Talk about NC State football recruiting inside The Wolves’ Den

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker

Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker

Like us on Facebook

You may also like