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 20 marks 44 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.

No. 44 Levar Fisher was a four-year starting linebacker for NC State from 1998-2001 and is the school record-holder for career tackles.

Fisher's 492 career tackles as a member of the Wolfpack still stands today despite a close call the season following his graduation when his teammate, Dantonio "Thunder" Burnette, finished his career with 476 tackles, the second-most career tackles at NC State.

The 6-foot-1, 238-pounder from East Carteret High in Beaufort (N.C.) had a career-high 166 tackles in 2000, a total good for sixth all-time in single-season tackles in the school record books. That same season, Fisher was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and also earned first-team All-ACC honors.

He repeated as a first-team All-ACC selection and was named a first-team All-American according to Sports Illustrated as a senior in 2001. In the matchup versus North Carolina his senior year, Fisher tied his career-high for tackles in a game with 21, a total he originally set versus Maryland as a junior.

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