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This wasn’t part of the recruiting pitch.
N.C. State football hosted its eighth Victory Day on Sunday at Carter-Finley Stadium, following the public “Meet the Pack” event.
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The annual affair joined the Wolfpack football program and members of Gigi’s Playhouse, an organization designed to support individuals with disabilities, for a night of running drills, scoring touchdowns and viewing the facilities alongside the team. It allowed the participants /to share a gameday experience and see Carter-Finley Stadium up close.
While there were a number of returners — co-defensive coordinator Charlton Warren said, “She’s back!” to a participant during the introductory walk-outs — transfer safety King Mack, was one such player who hadn’t participated before.
Mack joined the Wolfpack in the offseason. He said none of the coaches or his now-teammates talked about Victory Day when he was in the transfer portal. It wasn’t a reason he came to Raleigh. In fact, he found out about the event last week. It made a lasting impression.
“It means a lot to me, because I have family members who are disabled,” Mack said. “Seeing these kids and these people walk around here with smiles on their faces, watching them have the time of their life doing something that we do every day, it’s a wonderful opportunity. It’s great. I’m grateful for it.”
Mack described Dave Doeren as a “family-driven man,” saying the longtime head coach teaches the team how to give back and serve others. Doeren explained the “togetherness” the team preaches includes the fan base and community, Mack said.
Victory Day, the safety said, is a manifestation of what Doeren tries to impart on his players and staff. It also validated his decision to join N.C. State.
Mack previously spent time at Penn State and Alabama. Of their own community outreach events, Mack said neither program had anything quite like Victory Day. So this was not only his first time doing it with the Pack, but it was his first time helping with a similar event of its style and caliber.
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“I believe in, ‘To whom is given, much is required,’” Mack said. “God’s blessed me with so much opportunity and so many blessings. The least I could do is give back, and it’s so great. I’m so grateful that Coach Doeren makes us do this because this is our way of giving back to the people who support us.”
Doeren’s job doesn’t stop at trying to win games. He said the staff wants to develop players and prepare them for the real world, so it’s nice to hear when players have positive experiences and see them embrace it every year.
“It’s a big part of growing them into the man I want them to be,” Doeren said. “When they get into the real world, it’s ‘Everything’s earned, not given.’ It’s nice at times to take a break from that lifestyle and go give back. I do think there’s a rewarding thing that comes through that for these guys. I’m really thankful. We got an unbelievable group of young men here, and they’re having a blast.”
Doeren credited his wife, Sara, who helped connect the program with 321 Coffee and Gigi’s Playhouse now nearly a decade ago. Their son, Jacob, is also on the autism spectrum. The couple has worked alongside local organizations who support individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, while providing financial support to various initiatives.
The Wolfpack officially begins game preparation this week, ahead of its season opener against Virginia on Aug. 29.
“When we’re planning the calendar out, it’s always like, ‘’All right, where are we putting this?’ Because I know what it does for the community, but I also know what it does for my team. You try to look at where all the things are and where they could use a little break. This worked out good. We start school (Monday), so this was kind of a really good ending to training camp.”
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This story was originally published August 17, 2026 at 6:00 AM.