It has been a great three months serving as your Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics!  The entire A-State community has welcomed our family with open arms and we couldn’t be more excited to be here.

We had an amazing first experience with the many outstanding community and campus events, such as Paint the Town Red Week and Order of the Pack, that signal the start of the fall semester and our 2022-23 seasons.  We hosted our annual Student-Athlete Welcome Back function, and it was fantastic to have all our Red Wolves together in one place celebrating each other and the year ahead as we set out to achieve our individual, team and collective goals. 

Along with today’s launch of our redesigned Athletics website (AStateRedWolves.com), we hope you enjoy the first edition of our “State of the Pack” newsletter.

We will continue this communication twice a month to keep you informed about our Red Wolves’ recent accomplishments and news, as well as upcoming events.  State of the Pack will also include a campus spotlight and be issued through many of our communication channels, including e-mail, website and social media.

Wolves Up!

NEW ADDITIONS AND RETURNING TRADITIONS

We appreciate all our fans who came out to support our Red Wolves football team at the season and home opener on Sept. 3.  Not only did they help our Red Wolves pick up a 58-3 victory over Grambling State, but also had the opportunity to see some new additions and returning traditions at Centennial Bank Stadium for this season.

Those who made their way to Halsey Thrasher Harpole Tailgate City hopefully had the opportunity to greet the team as Red Wolf Walk returned to the area, and we are also excited about moving the Hijinx Kids Zone to this location for families to enjoy.  You can support our team again at the next Red Wolf Walk at 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 1 ahead of our Homecoming game against ULM.  Kickoff for the game is 6:00 p.m.

Inside the stadium, we brought back a fan favorite with Howl riding a motorcycle to lead the team onto Allison Field. Fans with loge box seating in the north end zone were able to access the tunnel for pregame, halftime and postgame to cheer the team on as they entered and exited Allison Field.  We’ve also added fireworks and more to the game-day festivities and will continue to look at other ways to enhance game-day experience opportunities.

WIN NO. 250

Congratulations to head women’s soccer coach Brian Dooley on picking up his 250th career victory earlier this season when the Red Wolves defeated UCA in front of a great home crowd at A-State Soccer Park.  Coach Dooley has led our program to back-to-back Sun Belt championships the last two years, and we’re excited about the start of league play this Saturday at Texas State.

THE GERWIG ERA BEGINS

Our volleyball program officially began its first season under new head coach Brian Gerwig at First National Bank Arena by taking two of three matches at the A-State Invitational.  The Red Wolves then proceeded to go 3-0 at the Skyhawk Invitational to claim the tournament championship.  They have one more tournament this weekend in Texas before beginning Sun Belt Conference play at home with a pair of matches against Georgia Southern Sept. 23-24.

STARTING STRONG

Our men’s and women’s cross country teams got off to a great start this season by winning both team titles at the Little Rock Invitational.  Our women’s team has claimed the last three Sun Belt championships and is picked to win the conference again this year, while the men’s team was picked second in the league’s preseason poll after claiming the first SBC championship in program history in 2021.

USA INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONS 

Coming off a third-place finish in last year’s Sun Belt Conference Championships, its best since 2000-01, our women’s golf team led by head coach MJ Desbiens Shaw kicked off its 2022-23 campaign by winning the USA Intercollegiate after posting the lowest three-round score in program history.  The team collected a second top-five finish this week at the Payne Stewart Memorial, where 2021-22 SBC Golfer of the Year Olivia Schmidt finished runner-up in the individual standings.

HELMETS AND HEELS 

Hosted by the Red Wolves Foundation and presented by the A-State football program’s 1200 Club, the 10th annual Helmets and Heels was held July 28 in the Woodard McAlister Family Club at Centennial Bank Stadium and was another great success.  We appreciate the wonderful public support this event receives year-in and year-out!

PRESEASON TOUCHDOWN CLUB BANQUET 

Our football program’s Preseason Kickoff Banquet, also presented by the 1200 Club, proved to be a fun event inside the Student Activity Center with head coach Butch Jones and several of our football student-athletes addressing a fantastic crowd that also toured the Centennial Bank Athletics Operation Center. The evening also included a special moment when Coach Jones surprised the team and former walk-on kicker Dominic Zvada by awarding him a full athletics scholarship.  We enjoyed the opportunity to visit and interact with our great fans and donors, who helped make it another memorable event!

ROAD TAILGATE

Halsey, Thrasher Harpole Tailgate City is going on the road this Saturday when our football team travels to Memphis to face the Tigers.  The Red Wolves Foundation, A-State Alumni Association and Halsey Thrasher Harpole Real Estate Group are partnering to throw one big A-State Tailgate for alumni, donors and fans.  Please make plans to join us and enjoy our own Tailgate City in the Bluff City.  There will be food, drinks, tailgate games and more.  The tailgate will be located on Tiger Way.  Click here for more details and to RSVP.

BOOTS & BALLERS

Mark your calendars for Oct. 20, when our men’s basketball program will host its annual “Boots and Ballers” event at First National Bank Arena. This a great opportunity to meet the team, engage with fellow A-State fans and much more.  The Athletics Department will be releasing details soon, but you can also contact the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401 for more information and to go ahead and reserve tickets now.

GREENWAY EQUIPMENT PARTNERSHIP

We were pleased to announce that the Athletics Department and Red Wolves Sports Properties have entered a new partnership with Greenway Equipment, which makes it the presenting sponsor of our weekly “Live with the Red Wolves” radio coaches show.  We encourage everyone to join us at the show every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. throughout football season (with the exception of Nov. 2) at Lost Pizza Company on Southwest Drive.

NEW STAFF ADDITIONS

We’re proud to welcome Brandon Cunningham to our pack as Deputy AD for Development and Revenue Generation.  Brandon, a former student-athlete who comes to us from West Virginia University, has over 15 years of experience as an athletics administrator at the FBS level and has already started connecting with our donors and fans.

We’re also excited to welcome Brad Bobo back to the Athletics Department as our Associate AD for Marketing and Fan Engagement.  An Arkansas State University alumnus and previous member of our department staff from 2004-13, Brad has a diverse professional background in Northeast Arkansas. He will be a fantastic asset to our department as we examine our game day environments and work to enhance the opportunities for fans to have a great experience at all our venues while cheering on the Red Wolves!

KIDD TAKES OVER AS HEAD WOMEN'S TENNIS COACH 

We recently announced Scott Kidd, a nine-time national champion and seven-time Coach of the Year, as our new head women’s tennis coach.  Coach Kidd is a proven winner who has demonstrated the ability to identify and develop talent, and we’re excited about the future of the program under his leadership.

LACEWELL LEGACY

Larry Lacewell will truly be remembered as one of Arkansas State’s all-time greats, and our football program is proud to honor him this season by wearing a commemorative “LL” decal on the back of our helmets.  In support of the Larry and Criss Lacewell family, Arkansas State University and our Athletics Department hosted a Celebration of Life service in his memory this past June, and it was a wonderful tribute to our all-time winningest football coach and former athletics director.

CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT

Congratulations to Dr. Gil Fowler, Chad Niell and the family of the late Herman Strickland Jr. as all three were recently announced as selections for Arkansas State University’s Distinguished Alumni Awards, which will be presented during Homecoming Weekend.  Among the special activities scheduled, a halftime ceremony recognizing this year’s honorees is schedule for our Red Wolves’ Homecoming game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, Oct. 1.

GET YOUR WOLVES UP!

Beginning with the next edition, we will select two photos to feature in each State of the Pack blog.  Remember to use the hashtag #WolvesUp in your social posts and tweet your photos to me @JeffPurinton if you have any pictures with your Wolves Up! or promoting A-State.

TICKETS

Season and single-game tickets for our fall sports are available by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets or calling the A-State Ticket Office at 870-972-2781.  We still have a limited number of seats available in the Woodard McAlister Family Club level of the Johnny Allison Tower, as well as loge boxes located in the north end zone of Centennial Bank Stadium.  You can contact the Red Wolves Foundation at 870-972-2401 for additional information and/or to purchase tickets in our premium areas.