Why NC State’s Dave Doeren, the ACC’s second-longest tenured head coach, is still going strong in his 13th season

By Noah Fleischman

Dave Doeren’s fourth floor office inside the Murphy Center is adorned with mementos from his first dozen seasons on the sideline at NC State.  There’s a row of commemorative footballs on top of his desk, including some from wins over North Carolina, while a framed jersey hangs on the wall nearby. 

The spacious room, which features a large wooden desk on the right, a set of couches on the left and a large bookshelf with photos and other trinkets a few steps away, has the feeling of someone who’s lived in it for a while. It’s a second home during the grueling schedule of a college football season, and Doeren has had plenty of time to add to its character over the years.

After all, the once up-and-coming coach that led Northern Illinois to the 2012 Mid-American Conference championship and a berth in the Orange Bowl (he left for NC State before the bowl) has become one of the anomalies in this era of college football. Doeren doesn’t have to look far to notice, either.

As he enters his 13th season at the helm of the Wolfpack, Doeren is the only FBS coach in North Carolina to spend more than two seasons on the sideline of a respective program. The six other teams in the state have replaced their coaches since the end of the 2023 season, including NC State’s closest peers at Duke — Manny Diaz was hired in December 2023 — and UNC with Bill Belichick’s arrival this past offseason. 

Zoom out, and more than a decade on the sideline of any program looks even more abnormal. Doeren is the ACC’s second-longest tenured coach, trailing Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, who is entering his 18th season guiding the Tigers. 

Take it one step further. Doeren is the sixth-longest tenured FBS coach in the nation, tied with Kentucky’s Mark Stoops.

Doeren, who is NC State’s all-time winningest coach with 87 victories through his first 12 seasons in Raleigh, has become an example of longevity in the rapidly changing college football landscape. Despite seeing all of his colleagues change around him, Doeren has seemingly found the secret sauce when it comes to building a program that he doesn’t want to ditch for the next-best job. 

“I’m glad they haven’t kicked me out yet or gotten sick of me,” Doeren said with a laugh. “I’ve embraced NC State in all ways, whether it’s helping out in the community, doing things on the academic side with OnePack Empowered. I’m not just a coach. I’m somebody that cares deeply about the University. … We look at this as our place.”

Why Doeren is still coaching

Doeren doesn’t want to coach into his mid-60s like several tenured college football coaches find themselves doing. Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is 69. Utah’s Kyle Whittingham is 65. Former UNC coach Mack Brown, who lost to Doeren in likely his final college game as a head coach, is 73. 

Even Belichick, who just began his college coaching career with the Tar Heels, is 73.

Doeren doesn’t see himself with a whistle around his neck by that age. His father, Bill, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s just a few years removed from his own retirement. It stole so much from him in a time that he believed would be for enjoying life and his grandchildren. The disease, eventually, is what led to his death in 2023. 

Doeren doesn’t want that to be him. He wants to be able to enjoy his post-career life without worry of what’s to come next.

While the 53-year-old coach knows that he likely has less than a decade left of coaching, in his mind at least, he hasn’t fallen out of love with his job. The once-medical student turned football coach has stuck around in the industry for as long as he has by honing in on the bonds he has built through his 31-year coaching career. 

And despite the outside forces changing what college football looks like with NIL and the transfer portal, Doeren hasn’t lost his love for the profession. Instead, he has found himself still motivated to coach. His biggest driving force is changing young people’s lives for the better.

“I still love the brotherhood of the sport. I love the chemistry with the staff. The serving part of leadership with the players, helping guys become something, the stories of what happens when you help a kid,” Doeren said. “I think all the time about those texts you get from players 10 years ago telling you how great life is and how much they’ve learned in the program. Those intrinsic values that you get back are why I still do it.”

Doeren, who is under contract through the 2029 season, isn’t motivated by the $5.625 million he’s due this fall. Making an impact on budding football players is what he remains focused on.

“I’ve told the team this, ‘This isn’t about money. I don’t need that anymore,’” Doeren said. “’I’m at the point where I’m doing it because I still want to help you.’ When I feel like I’m not helping them anymore, then it’s a different conversation. But I can’t wait to come to work, see these guys and help them. There’s a lot of joy in that for me.”

A ‘refreshed’ focus

As Doeren has navigated his first dozen years at the helm of the Wolfpack, he has changed. For the better, too. 

The young coach that was hired ahead of the 2013 season has evolved into one that is more hungry to learn than ever. He’s consistently asking questions of his staff and those he feels can help him in his circle. He is also “wiser through failure.”

“That’s how you learn and grow,” Doeren said. “I’m very hard on myself that way. I look at everything I do, and I have no problems saying I messed something up when I do and learn from it.”

Doeren, who has coached the second-most games in program history — he’s 21 behind Earle Edwards’ 173 from 1954-1970 — also knows the value of avoiding burnout. 

It’s something that has plagued some of his peers, including Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson, who retired earlier this offseason. The two battled throughout their coaching careers, starting with Northern Illinois’ clashes with Clawson’s Bowling Green squads before continuing in the ACC with the Demon Deacons and Wolfpack’s tilts.

Doeren, an avid golfer and fisherman, seemed to not want a similar end to his coaching career. He has been able to make time for himself over the years to maintain a level head, including a 11.3 golf handicap, the 12th-best of any FBS coach nationally. 

As he enters the 2025 season, Doeren noted that he feels “refreshed.” He has balanced work with his family, leaning on his faith, and his outdoor hobbies.

With a rested mindset, Doeren is looking to not let the 2024 season become a trend. He isn’t used to losing, and last fall’s 6-7 campaign wasn’t characteristic of a man with a .572 winning percentage in Raleigh. It marked just his third sub-.500 campaign at NC State, and the coach is determined to turn things around. After his first two losing seasons, the Wolfpack responded with a pair of eight-win campaigns in 2014 and 2020.

Now, Doeren is looking to engineer another improvement this fall.

“I care deeply about what we do,” Doeren said. “No one hurts more than I do when we don’t perform the way that I want us to. [I] put a lot of time, blood, sweat and energy into this place. We’ve built it the right way. I’m really excited about the group I have coming back and how hungry they are. It’s OK that we’re under the radar. I think that fits us. We need to go prove who we are.”