The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/916614
JANUARY 2018 ■ 31 WHEREARETHEYNOW? Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. year for Michaels and then flourished for two years under Holtz. They played side-by-side all four seasons and each gained more than 1,650 career yards in their three years of varsity competition. Young — despite the fact Burden had big- ger numbers — was taken in the first round of the 1974 NFL draft by the Dallas Cow- boys, who had two first-round picks that year for the first time in franchise history. They selected Ed "Too Tall" Jones with the first overall pick in the draft and then added Young with the 22nd choice. Young started at fullback as a rookie and spent the following two years competing for playing time at halfback with Doug Denni- son after the departure of Calvin Hill. "Playing for the Cowboys was something else," Young remembered. "People either loved you or hated you. There was no in- between. It made for some interesting road trips." He was on the field for two of the most dramatic plays in Cowboys history, the Clint Longley-led comeback on Thanksgiving Day against the Washington Redskins in 1974, and the 50-yard "Hail Mary" pass from Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson in 1975. Young was Staubach's sole blocking back on the latter play. "It was magical, something I will never, ever forget," Young said of his participation in those famous games. Prior to the 1977 season, Young suffered a career-ending torn medial collateral liga- ment in his left knee. He tried to come back in 1978, but was unable to make the team. When he realized his playing days were through, he returned home to Raleigh and began working with the Wake County Sher- iff's office in crime prevention and public relations. He never worked on the streets as an of- ficer, but he did spend nearly three decades in the department, with a significant amount of time in juvenile investigations. He retired from the sheriff's office nearly 10 years ago and still lives in his hometown. "Mostly what I am doing right now is helping with my five grandbabies," Young stated proudly. "They are ages 5-18, and I have been totally engrossed in everything they do." Roland Hooks Career stats: 246 carries, 1,368 rushing yards, 12 TDs, 32 receptions, 417 receiv- ing yards, 4 TDs Honors: 7-year NFL veteran Hooks was born in New York City and wanted to grow up to be the next Willie Mays. He played baseball, stickball and streetball throughout his youth in the Big Apple, never giving a thought to any other sports except for some pickup basketball in the parks. "That's what I loved," Hooks said. That changed, however, when his fam- ily moved to Vanceboro, N.C., just before his sophomore year in high school. On his first day at his new school, Hooks was ap- proached by Vanceboro's football coach about trying out for the team. "It was a little bit of a culture shock mov- ing from a city with eight million people to a town of about 700," Hooks noted. "Football helped me make that transition." He attended an NC State football camp after his junior season and signed as part of Edwards' final recruiting class. He played freshman ball during Michaels' interim sea- son and three years under Holtz. "I absolutely loved being at NC State," Hooks added. "I didn't get as much play- ing time as the other three, but I got a good chance my senior year to show what I could do. For me, it couldn't have been a better opportunity. "We got to go to three straight bowl games." Hooks played enough to be noticed by the Buffalo Bills, who took him in the 10th round of the 1975 draft. He proved to be a versatile member of the roster, contributing on the ground, in the passing game and on special teams. He became a valuable return specialist, even though he never had a kick or punt return in college. "I can't tell you what it meant to me to go to NC State and get the opportunities I had," Hooks stated. "I tried to make the best of it." Hooks played seven years with Buffalo, rushing for 1,682 yards and 12 touchdowns and catching 96 passes for 950 yards and three additional scores. During his rookie season with the Bills, Hooks moved to Denver to be near friends and fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. He stayed there after retiring from football in 1983 and was involved for more than 16 years with various sports-related jobs. He reluctantly moved to Reno, Nev., in 1999 for a sports marketing job. The com- pany went under after 16 months, and Hooks found work with a small company in the oil and gas exploration field. He did that until retiring five years ago and making the decision to stay in Reno. Since retiring, he's volunteered as a high school assistant football and track coach at Galena High School. He's come back to campus a couple of times, being sure to embarrass his daughter by taking her to see his former dorm room. And he made quick plans to go to El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 29 to see the Wolfpack play Arizona State in the Sun Bowl. ■ Hooks, Fritts and Young (from left to right) reunited for a fundraiser in honor of their former team- mate Burden, who passed away in 2015. PHOTO COURTESY STAN FRITTS After rushing for 850 yards as a senior at NC State, Hooks embarked on a seven-year NFL career with the Buffalo Bills. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS