How NC State Football Won an ACC Title on America's Saddest Day

© Tim Peeler, 2013

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Early in 1963, the season-finale NC State-Wake Forest football game was moved from Saturday afternoon to Friday night. State officials didn't want to have a conflict with the big game scheduled that Saturday in Durham between three-time ACC champion Duke and North Carolina.

Friday night games were not particularly rare at that time, as the gentleman's agreement between college and high school administrators that prevented Friday night college games was not yet in place. Future ACC foes Miami and Florida State had faced each other on a Friday night earlier that season.

The anticipated showdown in Durham had an added twist, thanks to NC State's surprising play throughout the regular season. The Pack beat Clemson earlier in the year, on the strength of a 77-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jim Rossi to receiver Ray Barlow, the first points the Pack scored against the Tigers since 1958. In its first home game of the season -- played on Oct. 26 at crumbling Riddick Stadium -- head coach Earle Edwards' team beat three-time defending ACC champion Duke for the first time since 1947.

The only blemish on the team's record was a loss at North Carolina.

Heading into the final weekend of the season, the Pack found itself in the unexpected driver's seat in the conference race, for the first time since halfback Dick Christy carried the 1957 Pack to its first ACC championship. All it needed to do was beat the 1-8 Demon Deacons on its home field in the only college football game scheduled for that night to gain a share of the ACC title with the winner of the Duke-UNC game.

So on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, the NC State campus was thinking of nothing but football.

That changed about four hours before kickoff, when Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. As a horrified nation watched and waited for reports about the president, the Wolfpack and Deacons tried to prepare to play a game.

There was some talk of cancelling the game. All but 16 of the Saturday games scheduled for that weekend -- including the Duke-Carolina game -- were cancelled or postponed. The Deacons, featuring future NFL players Brian Piccolo and Karl Sweetan and future Deacons and Texas Longhorns head coach John Mackovic, had already arrived by bus from Winston-Salem. When Dan Rather announced to a stunned CBS News audience that Kennedy had died, they were on the field doing their pregame warm-ups.

 

There was really no other option than to play the game.

"This is a day of deep tragedy for our nation and for mankind," said Chancellor John T. Caldwell. "Let not the playing of this game diminish our sense of respect for our great president or the office."

Players and fans shed tears during a long moment of silence before the game, but it proceeded as planned. The game itself was less than inspiring. The Wolfpack rolled up 408 rushing yards, including 133 by halfback Mike Clark in the only 100-yard rushing day of his career. The celebration for only the third conference championship in school history was muted, though, as the events of the day took precedence.

 

Roy Wood

One player, however, did get emotional following the game. Lineman Roy Wood, who was supposed to receive the game ball for the Duke game as part of a lottery for seniors, grabbed the football out of the hands of the game official as time expired and took it with him to Wolfpack lockerroom in the basement of Reynolds Coliseum. At the request of team captain Joe Scarpatti, Wood gave up the Duke game ball so it could be given to Coach Edwards and Scarpati promised to give up his claim for the ball from the Wake Forest victory.

 

Wood had every player on the team sign the ball after the Thanksgiving break and kept it for nearly a half-century. He eventually gave it to the NC State athletics department for display in the Reynolds Coliseum Walk of Fame and History.

North Carolina eventually beat the Blue Devils the weekend after Thanksgiving in 1963 to gain a share of the 1963 title and earn the league's automatic berth into the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. The Wolfpack, which had been denied a postseason berth in its first ACC title in 1957 because of a department-wide postseason ban by the NCAA caused by men's basketball, was invited to play Mississippi State in the five-year-old Liberty Bowl in Philadelphia, the second bowl bid in school history. It was the first time in league history that the ACC sent more than one team to a bowl game.

On a frigid afternoon, when an announced crowd of 8,300 spectators were barely visible in the wind-swept 102,000-seat Municipal Stadium, the 19th-ranked Pack fell 16-12 to its No. 11 ranked opponent.

Edwards was named the ACC Coach of the Year for the second time and receiver Don Montgomery was named first-team All-ACC for the second year in a row, was named second-team All-American and won the H.C. Kennett Award as the school's top athlete. He later became a Vietnam War Bronze Star recipient.

Winning a share of that ACC title in 1963 put Edwards' program on a roll. It won the 1964 title outright, and shared the title again in 1965, just in time for the long-anticipated opening of Carter Stadium a year later. The gleaming concrete stadium had long been Edwards' dream, the reason he agreed to play most of the teams on the road for more than a decade, traveling to all corners of the country to play against national powers in exchange for guarantees that paid athletic department expenses and helped with the down payment for the stadium.

Edwards led the 1967 team to the first bowl victory in 1967 and won another ACC title in 1968, winning two more ACC Coach of the Year honors before retiring after the 1970 season. He was elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1974 and was inducted into the second class of the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

'Squash the Anger. Squash It!'

Copyright 1996, Durham Herald-Sun Company
BY TIM PEELER
The Herald-Sun

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Greg Ellis walked out onto the field for East Wake High School's 1991 Homecoming game against Triton High School, escorted by two deputies from the Wake County
Sheriff's Department.

When the game was over, four deputies walked Ellis' parents to their car, then escorted their frightened son, a junior linebacker at the time, back to the locker room.

Ellis was in the middle of the most intense battle of his life and it had nothing to do with football.

Some former friends had had just about enough of Ellis' all-star accomplishments in football, basketball, and in the classroom, and they were pursuing him at every turn.

``This guy came up to Greg and said, `Greg, we have a gun out there waiting for you,' '' Ozell Ellis, Greg's mom, remembers from that night six years ago. ``I haven't ever been so scared in my life.''

Neither had her son.

He was distracted in the game and ashamed of what was going on around him. When he saw tears in his mother's eyes after the game, Ellis knew something in his life had to change.

``My mom started crying,'' Ellis said, ``and that really bothered me a lot.''

The feud went on for months. The gang showed up at the house of Ellis' aunt during a party looking for trouble. They went to Ellis' home, armed, looking for more trouble, which was avoided only because Ellis was at basketball practice. Both times, the law had to be called.

These were not average schoolyard bullies. Two of them are serving life sentences now for killing someone during a convenience store robbery, and a third is in jail on other charges.
One day, they cornered him on the grounds at East Wake. As he tried to walk by, one of them slapped him on the back of the head.

He swung back, in full view of the principal.

The instigators were suspended from school and Ellis was punished with an in-school suspension, but the matter was never fully resolved, not until Ellis left his hometown of Wendell to begin his All-America career as a defensive end at North Carolina.

The whole situation changed Ellis' life. He hadn't done anything wrong except stand up to some bullies who, he believes, simply couldn't deal with his pursuit of a better life. But in his mind, he also hadn't done everything right.

``I was doing things that I shouldn't have been doing,'' Ellis said. ``I just decided then that I needed to live for the Lord.''

Ellis, who grew up in a Christian home, became a more devoted follower of Christ after those experiences. It's a devotion he says has helped him through even more difficult days during his freshman year in Chapel Hill.<

Devastating losses
Ellis was two-sport star at East Wake High School, playing football for Johnny Sasser and basketball for Phil Spence. He was a Shrine Bowl selection in football and an East-West All-Star participant in basketball.

He remembers vividly his experiences at the East-West game, not so much for what happened on the court, but because of a brief conversation he had with Spence.

``He told me after that game that Coach Sasser had stomach cancer,'' Ellis said.

Ellis worried about his former coach, who had personally driven him to the Shrine Bowl and driven him to the airport for several of his recruiting visits, during his freshman season as he watched Sasser's health quickly deteriorate.

By spring, Sasser had passed away.

Then, a week later, Ellis' father, Lawrence, died from complications of diabetes, another devastating blow for a young college freshman. It was in the middle of spring football practice, when Ellis was fighting to earn some playing time, but he left school immediately to be with his family.

By the time the funeral was over, Ellis had made all the arrangements for his mother, taken care of the family and said goodbye to his father, one of the biggest influences in his life.

``I was worried about him a little bit,'' North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. ``When
you lose a parent and a high school coach who is very much like a parent, it is a very traumatic thing.''

Instead of being hardened and embittered by the double-barrel blow, Ellis turned to his faith to help himself and his family through the difficult times.

``With me being a Christian, I realized that God is a perfect God and he doesn't make mistakes,'' Ellis said. ``Everything happens for a reason. Even though my dad is no longer with me and my high school coach is no longer with me, I loved them dearly. God had a better plan than I did for them.

``You have to accept reality.''

The North Carolina coaches were amazed how the young freshman handled himself during that spring. It was then they realized Greg Ellis was a special person.
  
``He is the pillar of his family,'' UNC assistant coach Donnie Thompson said. ``He
is just a strong, strong individual. He puts God first. He is able to handle a lot of things.''
  
Ellis has always had a strong faith, even as a child.

His mother remembers those days in middle school when he would wake them on Sunday mornings and beg them to take him to church.

"Momma, y'all going to church today?'' he asked.
  
``No, son, we are too tired,'' they sometimes answered. Lawrence Ellis was working two jobs at the time and Mrs. Ellis was working as a custodian at Carroll Middle School.

``Well, can one of you get up and take me to church?'' he asked.

``If I didn't get up, my husband would and take him,'' Mrs. Ellis said. ``He would come to our bedroom after church and say `Momma, y'all need to give God some of your time. Maybe things will be better for you.' ''

Sacked out
Ellis has squashed more quarterbacks than any player in UNC football history. He broke Marcus Jones' career sack record in the first quarter of the first game of the season, getting rid of a cloud that had followed him since last year's Louisville game, when he blew past Lawrence Taylor for second place on the career sack list.
  
But he went the final two games without a sack and since bowl game statistics don't count, he spent the off-season wondering if he would ever get the record.

He's only gotten one more since then, as he's faced the same kind of double-teaming pressure Jones got his senior year. That season, as a sophomore Ellis became a star.

This year, other players such as junior Ebenezer Ekuban, Mike Pringley and Vonnie Holliday are building their reputations while Ellis tries to fight off several blockers.

That's fine with Ellis.

``It gets frustrating sometimes,'' Ellis said. ``But it gives other
players a chance to step up and make some plays.''
  
With Ellis getting all the attention, North Carolina has more sacks
than this time last season.

Still, Ellis is a little itchy in the trigger finger.

``I want a sack,'' Ellis said.

Make them say 'Ouch'

On any given Saturday, during network broadcasts of college football games, Ellis appears on screen, imploring young people to walk away from violence. He obviously has first-hand knowledge of his message.

``When they asked me to do this commercial, I was really amazed,'' Ellis said. ``It was like God was saying `Greg, you are the one to do this.' It is my big opportunity to give back to a lot of little kids and help them.''

Ellis, however, has been giving back for years. He spends many of his Monday afternoons, the only day the football team has off during the week, speaking at schools in the Triangle. So far this year, he has been to Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, East Wake Middle School in Wendell and several other local schools.

Ellis' firm Christian beliefs might seem mutually exclusive for those who see him only as a fierce All-America defensive end for UNC's top-ranked defense. But whenever Ellis knocks someone down, his is the first hand to reach out to pick that person up.

When he sacks a quarterback, Ellis lifts him up off the ground, then pats him on the helmet.

``When I am playing football, I am not out there trying to hurt anybody,'' Ellis said. ``I want to hit people, make them say `Ouch!' and make them think No. 87 is a pretty good player, but it is all part of the game.''

UNC defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, a devout Christian himself who leads chapel services and Bible studies for Ellis and his teammates, sees nothing passive about his star defensive end, despite the contradictory message of ``Love Thy Neighor'' and ``Kill the Quarterback!''

``I have always been a firm believer that if I am going to witness to somebody or get their attention to witness to them, the best thing to do is whip them,'' Torbush said. ``If you keep coming at them, then they will say, `Hey, there is something to this guy.'

 ``Greg is that way. If he knocks someone down, he will help him up. Then he will knock him down again. After the ball game he will hug him around the neck. Sometimes you hear that Christian athletes are a little passive, but that is far from the truth.''

Of course, Ellis sheepishly admits that he's not totally as gentle as a lamb. The gesture of helping up a quarterback is noble and all, but it's also part of a ruse Sasser taught him long ago.

``When you knock somebody down in football, you can go help them up and make sure he is all right,'' Ellis explains. ``That kind of makes them think I might not do it again. Maybe they think I didn't mean to do it.

``It is kind psychological.''
From the Heart

There is no ruse to Ellis' fundamental beliefs, which he frequently shares with his teammates and with kids in the community. He talks about his faith and hard work and overcoming adversity, all topics he knows well. He doesn't really enjoy making the speeches, he just thinks it something he ought to be doing.

``I really don't like it,'' Ellis said. ``I hate giving speeches. I hate talking a lot, period. But I realize it helps people so I don't mind doing it.''

Torbush knows that Ellis isn't the most comfortable witness on the planet. He's seen him squirm.

``I have asked him several times to give a testimony and that is not easy to do in front of your teammates or people you don't know,'' Torbush said. ``He probably sweated more for five minutes than he does in a two-hour practice, but it all came from the heart.''

 When he doesn't make it back to his home church in Rolesville, Ellis attends services at King's Park Christian Fellowship in Durham or, during two-a-days when Tar Heel players aren't able to go to regular worship services because of practice, he joins defensive coordinator Carl
Torbush's chapel services.

``He is a man of God,'' King's Park minister Ron Lewis said. ``He is an outstanding person.''

``I don't think Mr. Webster went far enough in coming up with words,'' UNC defensive ends coach Donnie Thompson said. ``He is so extremely bright beyond his years, as far as having his life in order.''

``He is the ultimate coach on the field,'' Brown said.

Everyone has an anecdote about how kind and sharing Ellis is. Last Saturday during UNC's win over Virginia, a young defensive end was getting a good bawling out by an assistant coach. Ellis went over to the young player and put his arm around him.

Brown came over and called off his assistant, and Ellis leaned over and told his teammate, ``It'll be all right.''

And, even since the decision he made that Homecoming night so many years ago, everything has been all right for Ellis.