NC State Wolfpack: Meet Chris Dieterich
The year was 1979.
Some of you may remember that was the year the NC State Wolfpack last won an ACC football championship. You may remember the team had a formidable defensive unit that consisted of the likes of Simon Gupton, Bubba Green, Joe Hannah, Marion Gale, Brian O’Doherty, John Stanton, Donnie LeGrande, Mike Nall, Woodrow Wilson and others. Offensively, Scott Smith, Lin Dawson, Jim Ritcher, Dwight Sullivan, Billy Ray Vickers, Lee Jukes and Mike Quick ran the twin-veer offense to perfection.
If you followed Wolfpack football, you may also remember a linemen who had a stellar collegiate career at NC State, won the Outland Trophy and had a long NFL career. However, there was another Wolfpack lineman on this team who had a football career that any aficionado would be proud of.
His name is Chris Dieterich.
On a team that featured that year’s Outland Trophy winner Jim Ritcher, any lineman could easily get lost. Traditionally, linemen do not get a lot of press….that is unless something goes wrong, such as an untimely penalty or a sack. But, the 6’3” 248 pound behemoth born Christian Jeffrey Dieterich performed well enough to get recognized and be drafted in the 6th round of the 1980 NFL draft.
As defensive end in high school, the Stony Brook, New York native, excelled and was recruited by Lou Holtz to come to NC State in 1976. However, prior to arriving in Raleigh, Chris found out he had a new coach named Bo Rein. He didn’t know who Rein was nor did he care. Heck, Chris said he only began playing football a few years earlier because of peer pressure. He was an over-sized kid who succumbed not to girls or the love of the game, but to peer pressure. Chris told me he wasn’t a football fan and didn’t follow college football. About the only thing he actually liked about football were game days. Ironically, he played a sport that he didn’t even care for, but found it would have a long lasting physical and mental impact on his life.
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As a freshman, Chris was both in awe and scared to death when he first encountered upperclassmen Bill Cowher, Kyle Wescoe, and Tim Gillespie. Like most freshmen, Chris wondered if he was in over his head and questioned whether he could succeed in major college football.
By his sophomore season, Chris was a starter on the offensive line. Shifted from the defensive side of the ball, Chris thrived at the guard position. He credited his football success to Rein, who at the time (1976) was the youngest Division I head coach in college football at 31 years of age. Rein wasn’t much older than the seniors he coached. When talking about his mentor, Chris said Rein “had the foresight to see that I had NFL potential.”
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I asked Chris what he thought of the current troubles of his former team, the Detroit Lions. After a few seconds of non-responsiveness, it hit me. Chris still didn’t really want to talk football. It no longer interested him. Not even after a successful seven year NFL career. I think he only talked on this day because I was asking about his coach and mentor Bo Rein…not football.
Today, Chris is well into his fifties. His body, plagued with years of football abuse, has aged. However, life is still good. Chris now lives in South Carolina near the beach. An accomplished author, Chris has written multiple books about football and mysteries. Yep, he doesn’t follow much football, but does spend his time doing various charity work giving back to the community.
Life is good.