For Charlie Cobb, the path between Atlanta and Raleigh has been well-worn through the years.
It will be again this weekend, when the Georgia State director of athletics returns to Carter-Finley Stadium with his family to see his Panther football team face off against NC State.
Cobb, a native of West Columbia, South Carolina, once plowed up the turf of the Wolfpack home field as an offensive linemen for head coach Dick Sheridan. He was one of Sheridan’s first recruits when the coach moved from Furman to NC State early in 1986, sitting out that remarkable Peach Bowl season as a redshirt and stepping in as a starter at center and guard his sophomore season.
In fact, 30 years ago, Cobb was part of the offense that helped the Wolfpack bounce back from Sheridan’s only losing season as a head coach. It was a year that included the biggest win in school history over North Carolina, a win over No. 9 Clemson, a third-place finish in the ACC standings and yet another trip to the Peach Bowl.
“That was a big rebound for us after the previous season,” Cobb said. “We had a really good defense that year, and those guys came up big in that game.
“That season was when we were really able to get things rolling again and set up a pretty good run under Coach Sheridan.”
That defense included future first-round draft pick Ray Agnew on the line, and a secondary that had Michael Brooks, Jesse Campbell and Fernandus Vinson. The offense wasn’t too shabby either, with the return of suspended wide receiver Nasrallah Worthen and the three-headed quarterback combination of Shane Montgomery, Preston Poag and Charles Davenport.
In the Peach Bowl, played at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Sheridan’s Pack survived a steady downpour, scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter and turned three Iowa turnovers into touchdowns in the 28-23 victory.
Cobb played on two more bowl teams, in the 1989 Copper Bowl and the 1990 All-American Bowl, in his career. He was also a second-team All-ACC pick as a senior and a three-time Academic All-ACC selection while pursuing a degree in business administration. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio.
“Charlie was just one of those guys you knew would be successful,” said the retired Sheridan, who was both a football coach and athletics director during his career. “I’m so glad it’s in college athletics.”
Cobb spent five years working in Atlanta with the Peach Bowl, the Sports Council and the Georgia Dome, all of which were important in bringing the Final Four, the Super Bowl and the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball tournament to what is now known as the College Football Capital of the World.
He returned to NC State under athletics director Les Robinson, and stayed as the senior associate athletics director for external relations until being named the athletics director at Appalachian State in 2005. Not long after he went to Boone, the Mountaineers came to Raleigh to face the Wolfpack in the 2006 opener, a game State won 23-10.
Cobb shepherded the Mountaineers from the Football Championship Subdivision to Division I-A Football Bowl Subdivision and was responsible for building some $50 million in facilities and enhancements, with new homes for baseball, softball, soccer and field hockey, as well as an indoor football practice facility.
He moved to Atlanta in 2014 taking over the athletics department at the state’s largest university, with more than 52,000 students.
He’s looking forward to returning to Raleigh, but it’s not exactly easy being on the opposite side of the field as his alma mater.
“We’ve been through this before,” Cobb said. “It’s going to be hard being on the other sidelines again.”
The Cobbs are an NC State family. Not only did Charlie play football under Sheridan, his wife Lindsay was an All-ACC goakkeeper for the Wolfpack women’s soccer team from 1987-90. Their two children grew up with former associate athletics director Frank Weedon as their default babysitter. Harrison is now a junior point guard at Hampden-Sydney, and daughter Branan is a high school senior softball player.
Cobb is elevating the Panthers’ in every sport, particularly football. Two years ago, Cobb spearheaded the school’s effort to purchase Turner Field for $22.8 million.
Named for billionaire and Atlanta staple Ted Turner, it was built specifically to host the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, then retrofitted to accommodate the Atlanta Braves from 1997-2017.
Now, it’s been retrofitted again for college football, a monumental achievement for a school that officially launched its football program in 2008. The Panthers compete in the Sun Belt Conference.
And, not only did the school get Turner Field, it also took over the land that was once home to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, where Cobb played in his first bowl game.
It’s a well-worn path between Raleigh and Atlanta.
Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu.
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