Saturday's spring game marked the annual culmination of spring practices and allowed N.C. State coaches and fans an opportunity to see what the Wolfpack actually looked like on the field. On Friday, though, State football alumni got an early look at the Pack when they attended the second annual players reunion held at the Dail Practice Facility and Vaughn Towers.
"This is a great event," former tight end John Ritcher, who finished his playing days in 2005, said of Friday afternoon's reunion. "Even though [we] were here at different times, you kind of went through the same stuff, and it's fun to compare and contrast and stuff like that. This is awesome."
More than 300 former players registered on Friday afternoon and spent time mingling and talking during the practice before attending a reception held afterwards in Vaughn Towers.
Jerricho Cotchery, who finished playing for the Pack in 2003 and is one of State's all-time leading receivers, said he thought watching the practice gave former players a great chance to see the work being done by the Pack.
"The team got adjusted the second half of the season last year, and this is the year where they will turn things around," he said. "I'm really excited about this season. I'm expecting some big things this year."
Football coach Tom O'Brien has said before that he wants his current players to understand and appreciate the history of State football. The weekend reunion allowed many current players a figurative history lesson of N.C. State football. Raeford Turner, who finished up in 1949 and was the second-oldest alumnus in attendance, said he is expecting O'Brien's staff and the Pack to succeed on the field.
"Tom [O'Brien] is the man," Turner said. "We all trust him, and we all believe in him. He's bringing in good players, and he knows how to coach them. We believe he's going to give us some good football on the field."
Ritcher, who said that one of the more important impacts of Saturday's reunion was the history involved, echoed Turner's excitement about the 2008 season.
"When you get another year to learn a system, people get more comfortable with it," he said. "[State] finished last year with that winning streak, and hopefully they can build some momentum off that and get to a good bowl game this year."
The reunion culminated at halftime of the spring game when all the former players were honored during an on-the-field ceremony.
Cotchery, an National Football League receiver with the New York Jets, said the opportunity to come back to Raleigh is always something he looks forward to.
"It's not hard at all," he said of making the trip. "It's been that way since I left [Raleigh] because I just love N.C. State, period."
