Getting To Know You:
NC State Football Coach Dave Doeren (Part One)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated Aug. 3, 2026)
As he enters his 14th season directing the NC State football program, Dave Doeren is one of the longest-tenured coaches in major college football.
Among the 138 head coaches competing at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level this year, only Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Air Force’s Troy Calhoun and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney have been in their current positions longer.
Longest-Tenured Active FBS Coaches
Seasons—Coach, School (Conference)
28—Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (Big Ten)
20—Troy Calhoun, Air Force (Mountain West)
19—Dabo Swinney, Clemson (ACC)
14—Dave Doeren, NC State (ACC)
14—Mark Stoops, Kentucky (SEC)
On the one hand, Doeren already is the winningest coach in Wolfpack history, with 95 career victories. He also has been very consistent, leading State to 11 bowl invitations in the past 12 seasons and regularly developing players who become National Football League draft picks.
On the other hand, Doeren’s average record in Raleigh is roughly 7-5, his ledger in Atlantic Coast Conference play sits at just 51-55, he’s never had a 10-win campaign, and his highest finish in the national polls is #19.
Doeren has been a regular guest on the David Glenn Show since 2013. Below is the full transcript (lightly edited for clarity) of Part One of Doeren’s most recent one-on-one conversation with Glenn. Part Two can be found HERE.
DG: You recently mentioned that, as a man who will turn 55 later this year, you’ve never lived anywhere — at any age — longer than these 14 years you’ve spent in Raleigh. What has gone into making Raleigh specifically, and more broadly the state of North Carolina, truly “home” for you and your family?
Doeren: “We absolutely love living in North Carolina. Raleigh is a tremendous place to live, raise a family, and work. (Also), just the geography of this state and how it plays into what I like to do — not just the weather, but to be able to be in the water, whether fishing up in Lake Gaston or up in Boone in the Catawba River, or just walking the beach somewhere. We can do it all by car.
“Growing up in the Midwest, like I did, you’re always going to the airport if you wanted to see something that was better than the state of Kansas, the state of Iowa or the state of Illinois. You had to fly.
“So this is just a tremendous place. With all the industry that’s coming to Raleigh, the city is just incredibly booming right now. You got to see that, up front and center, with the (Carolina) Hurricanes this year. They did a great job of showing what Raleigh is about during that great run.”
DG: You’ve said you want to bring a championship to NC State, but let’s talk about that “other” championship first. We’ve seen you as a siren sounder at Hurricanes home games, seen you and your family in Canes jerseys, and obviously NC State shares the Lenovo Center with the Canes. How have you and your family leaned into this amazing Stanley Cup hockey journey during your time here?
Doeren: “Well, we’re definitely Caniacs. We were season ticket holders for a long time, when my kids were all in the house. Two of my sons would try to go to every game. So we love the environment; it’s a great game day.
“Coach (Rod) Brind’Amour being a former player raising the Cup, and now the head coach raising the Cup, is just an incredible storyline. The way that he goes about leading his team, and how those guys run the locker room, and how much pride they have playing for him … I have a great amount of respect for what he does and how he does it, how they play.
“And they play hard, man. In professional sports, you can’t always say that. When you watch that team, it is a TEAM. That depth. When guys get injured — (backup goaltender Brandon) Bussi, the way that he came in. He took over! He didn’t just fill in; he took over.
“So it was a lot of fun. And for the city, man, the energy that was pouring through Raleigh in that run was incredible.”
DG: Rod Brind’Amour joined us on the David Glenn Show recently, after the Canes won the Stanley Cup, and of course he said that hockey is the greatest team sport, and he gave us his reasons for that point of view. He did mention football as his #2 sport in that regard. What would you say about football, given that’s the sport you’ve been involved with for these past 40 years or so?
Doeren: “Well, I’m not going to debate which one it is.
“We have 120-plus players, so our challenge is bigger in terms of getting that many guys on the same page. Their depth is playing all the time, rotating through the game. Our depth may not be doing that, but when called upon they have to play well. Injuries are a huge part of both sports. Physicality. The mental grind. I think there’s a lot of camaraderie and brotherhood in those two sports.
“I do think football is one of the greatest laboratories of life in the world. You take 100-plus guys, put them in a locker room, and ask them all to care about one thing together. They all come from completely different backgrounds — different parenting, school systems, neighborhoods, religious beliefs. Everything’s different. And then you say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this, all together, one way,’ and then you see if you can get that done. It’s a great opportunity to watch young men grow up and become who they can be.”
DG: Two of the themes I’ve seen you talk a lot about at this stage of your career with the Wolfpack are the family stuff and making this your home, which we just discussed, and then your comment about there being “more meat on the bone” and wanting to bring a championship to NC State, which hasn’t won the ACC football title since 1979. What all goes into your comments in that regard?
Doeren: “Well, when you do a little homework on my background, (nearly) every school that I’ve coached at won their conference. When I was an assistant coach (at Drake, Montana and Wisconsin). When I was a head coach (at Northern Illinois). I helped build those championships at those schools, and that’s something I came here to do.
“I’m a competitive guy, man. I coach because of the players. I love helping young men become the best versions of themselves. And I coach because I like to win, you know? So helping this program … we’re the second-winningest team in the ACC (48-28, behind only Clemson’s 57-22) since 2020 — in conference and nonconference games, by the way. We’ve had 27 sellouts in a row; it’s a great place.
“I want to raise that trophy, and I want to do it with these kids and help them be a part of that.”
