Richard Sykes has been N.C. State’s golf coach since Richard Nixon was president.
Let that sink in for a few seconds in thinking about longevity.
In Sykes’ 46 years as Wolfpack coach, there have been nine presidents and seven N.C. State chancellors. There have been 11 Wolfpack football coaches and now seven men’s basketball coaches.
And six athletic directors – Willis Casey the first, the one who asked if Sykes wanted the golf job in 1971, and now Debbie Yow.
“I got $200 my first year,” Sykes said, smiling, “It wasn’t really a salary. Willis came by at the end of the year and gave me $200.