Here's why NC State football’s Victory Day 'really means a lot' for Wolfpack and fans
RALEIGH – Lukas Steele sprinted through a human tunnel inside the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility on Friday night.
With a pair of NC State football players by his side, Steele, 15, held out his hands to high-five the masses as he made his way to the 50-yard line, where his father, Gary, was waiting for him.
“Lukas, are you excited about Victory Day?”
“Oh yeah!” Lukas said with a smile.
On a day that realignment and TV money continued to be the talk of the college football world, the Wolfpack was in its own universe to celebrate its fifth annual Victory Day.
Normally held at Carter-Finley Stadium, a soggy day in Raleigh prompted the Wolfpack to move the annual event indoors. Each year, NC State partners with GiGi’s Playhouse to give cognitively and physically impaired children a chance to play football.
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Funded solely by donations, the nonprofit organization provides educational, therapeutic and career-building opportunities to those with Down syndrome.
“This is probably the only time people with Down syndrome get to be the center of attention,” Gary Steele said.
“Regular athletes get this kind of experience every Friday night. It’s a once-a-year thing for (Lukas), and it really means a lot.”
Lukas was among roughly 50 participants, all of whom had the chance to wear uniforms, meet players and coaches, go through drills and score a touchdown.
For most of the evening, Lukas tagged along with senior defensive back Shyheim Battle and redshirt freshman defensive back Jamarion “JJ” Montford.
“We’re not here for us, we’re here for GiGi’s Playhouse,” Battle said.
“We know every year we make their year by just having this event. They enjoy it. We come out, put together some stations for them to learn football and everybody gets to score a touchdown. It always feels good to score.”
Battle sees it as a chance to show the community that the Wolfpack is focused on more than football.
“We like to take care of people who support us. They’re Wolfpack nation and they’ve supported us on the field and off the field,” he said. “We don’t just see them once a year. … The team is invested in giving back.”
Montford, who experienced the event for the first time, nodded in agreement.
“I love doing stuff like this for the community,” Montford said. “I’m new to Raleigh — I’m from Newport — but being in a new area and seeing how (fans) support us, it’s only right that we give back to them.”
Ahead of his 11th season with the Wolfpack, coach Dave Doeren couldn’t stop smiling as he welcomed several Victory Day participants to take the mic from him and belt out a howl.
“It’s just about bringing joy to a bunch of peoples’ lives — a group of people that oftentimes get blocked and labeled and told what they can’t do,” Doeren said.
“(Victory Day) lets them do things that other people don’t get to do, making them feel special, because they are. They’re a part of our team, a part of our family.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State football: What Victory Day means for Wolfpack, fans
