College Spirit

L.J. Herring, an NC State alumni, felt that the football team should include more players from North Carolina.

Other administrators and alumni debated whether members of the football team who were not from North Carolina would develop their own strong sense of identity as members of the North Carolina State College football team. Could these players develop a strong connection to the school and devote themselves to it in the same manner that players who grew up nearby would? L.J. Herring, an NC State alum, did not think so. In a letter to administrators, he suggested that “there should be some ball players good and capable, who have names that are not so hard to pronounce.” Herring, like so many others, was very concerned by the names of some members of the football team. He went on to propose that “perhaps there are some North Carolina boys who are pushed out of the picture by these fellows I have reference to and boys who would have more college spirit than some of these.” In Herring’s view, North Carolinians might be more devoted to the team, perhaps based on their pre-existing sense of identity as North Carolinians. This would facilitate successful teams that students and alumni could take pride in supporting.