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Published Jul 15, 2020

The Wolfpacker countdown to NC State football: 49

Justin H. Williams • TheWolfpackCentral

Staff Writer

@JustinHWill

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 15 marks 49 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. 49- Legendary running back/full-back Alex Webster (1950-1952)

Alex Webster, nicknamed "Big Red", is most famous for his professional career with the New York Giants, where he was both a player and a coach, but the former Wolfpack ball carrier began his path to the NFL at NC State before the Atlantic Coast Conference even existed.

His legacy with the university is in some way incomplete, as the Wolfpack didn't allow freshman to play varsity back then and only team stats were recorded during his sophomore year in 1950.

As a junior in 1951, Big Red rushed for 634 yards and was named to the second-team All-Southern Conference squad. He added another 459 yards on the ground as a senior the following season in 1952.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder was drafted in the 11th round of the 1953 NFL Draft by the Washington D.C. football team formerly known as the "Redskins". He went on to spend 10 seasons with the New York Giants from 1955-1964 where he rushed for 4,638 yards and 56 touchdowns.

The bruising full-back was twice recognized as a second-team All-Pro and was selected to two Pro Bowls. In 1956, he scored two touchdowns in the New York Giants' NFL Championship victory over the Chicago Bears. He went on to serve as the head coach for the Giants from 1969-1973 and was later inducted into the franchise's "Ring of Honor" in 2011.