The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER He used his recruiting skills to help har- vest money by maintaining memberships and seeking the gifts needed to build much- needed facilities like PNC Arena and the expansion of Carter-Finley Stadium. "Both of them are about creating rela- tionships and maintaining them for a long period of time," Purcell said. A People Person Purcell knows how to tell a joke and ac- cept one. He's been kidded mercilessly over the years for his UNC Chapel Hill business administration degree and the fact that he has ties to the light blue. "Whenever I introduced Bobby I would talk about how much he loved NC State and everybody already knew that," Bry- ant said. "I started telling people how he started school at NC State, but transferred to North Carolina to get the business degree he wanted. I always said, 'He went from NC State to North Carolina and improved the academic standing of both institutions.'" Purcell eventually told Bryant to stop telling that one. Both his current and former staff love telling the stories that make Purcell so genu- ine. Like the time, somewhere smack dab in the middle of his mid-life crisis, he showed up for a Monday morning staff meeting sporting a Mike Krzyzewski-worthy black hair dye that no one dared talk about. Or a water skiing trip where he got to know more about fellow associate director Joe Hull than he wanted. Or the time he completely flummoxed a donor with a friendly greeting. "He always asked people when he saw them, 'How's your mama?' or 'How's your daddy?'" former associate director Chris Wyrick noted. "Eventually, everybody ex- pected it. We would kind of laugh about it because it was just so Bobby. "One day, he saw someone he knew for a long time and he asked him 'How's your dog?' The guy didn't know what to say." Good-natured ribbing is the lifeblood of creating productive relationships, as any member who ever attended a Spring Cara- van meeting or a Summer Jamboree knows. "There was nothing I enjoyed more than laughing with and busting on people, be- cause they always did that to me, too," for- mer men's basketball coach and director of athletics Les Robinson said. "We were down in Bobby's hometown of Clinton, and his mom and dad were there. It was a big night for him around all the people he knew. I was responsible for introducing him. "So after I said a few things, I go into my long introduction: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I want to recognize a young man from here in Clinton who has made his mark in coaching, in recruiting, in athletics administration. A person of great character, a person you all know has represented his beloved hometown of Clinton with pride and class. So let's take a moment or two to recognize and appreci- ate a great Johnston County native — Terry Holland. … Now, here's Bobby Purcell.' "His mom and dad both got a big laugh out of that … I think." A Lifelong Legacy During Purcell's and Bryant's over- lapping tenure at the Wolfpack Club and through Purcell's years of solo leadership since becoming executive director in 1991, the athletics department has been the benefi- ciary of the $165-million PNC Arena; some $150 million in expansion and improve- ments at Carter-Finley Stadium, including the Murphy Center and Vaughn Towers; the $14-million Close-King Indoor Practice Facility and the $35-million renovation of Reynolds Coliseum. And every year, the club has raised the money to pay for all the athletics scholarships, plus a few more for trainers, managers and other student support personnel with endowed grants. Last year, that bill neared $14 million. The Wall Street Journal once called him Purcell and his wife, Lori, were presented with NC State jerseys during ceremonies at PNC Arena when the Wolfpack played UNC in late January. PHOTO COURTESY WOLFPACK CLUB Purcell with his wife, Lori, and their then- young children Paige and John. Paige, now 27, is married, a doctor and doing her residency in Pediatrics at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, while John, 28, is a relationship banking specialist at North State Bank in Raleigh. PHOTO COURTESY THE PURCELL FAMILY