In May, we started a countdown to NC State football's season and ACC opener against Louisville, a game that was originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 3.

In mid-June, the game was moved up a day to Wednesday, Sept. 2 in order to not conflict with the Kentucky Derby which was postponed from the traditional first Saturday in May to Saturday, Sept. 5 over Labor Day weekend.

Today, July 28 marks 36 days from the Wolfpack's season opener, for now.

Each day, The Wolfpacker will do a countdown to the season with a reflection on the significance of that number to NC State.

Damien Covington was a four-year linebacker for NC State from 1991-94. He ranks third all-time for career tackles in school history with 457.

The Wolfpack finished in the AP Top 25 in three of his four seasons in Raleigh, the first two under head coach Dick Sheridan and the last two with head coach Mike O'Cain.

Covington earned first-team All-ACC honors as junior and senior in 1994 and 1995. His final game with the Wolfpack was a 28-24 win over Mississippi State in the Peach Bowl.

The Pack linebacker went on to be drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 96th overall pick in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft.

He played three NFL seasons, all of which with the Buffalo Bills, but his career was cut short with a knee injury in 1997. In 30 professional appearances including 11 starts, the 5-foot-11, 236-pounder brought down 103 career tackles.

Covington was tragically killed at age 29 in an attempted robbery in a New Jersey apartment in 2002.

——

• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den

• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker

• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker

• Like us on Facebook