RALEIGH, N.C. — So much of NC State's unexpected run is about firsts, or at least first in a whiles. The Wolfpack made their first Final Four in 41 years. It came after winning their first conference tournament title since 1987.
This journey also includes a pretty impressive last. Longtime radio play-by-play broadcaster Gary Hahn is retiring at the end of this season. He's spent the last 37 years with a front-row seat to all things NC State.
The "Voice of the Wolfpack" admits he is just as surprised as everyone else by the team's sudden success.
"I'm thinking NC State's dead in the water, but somehow these guys pulled it together very quickly," he said.
Hahn said calling the ACC Tournament final win over UNC is the highlight of his career. He never expected to call a Wolfpack ACC championship in either football or men's basketball, the two sports he has spent decades calling. As the end of his career approaches, he said the team is fully behind him.
"I figured it was going to probably end sometime in March," Hahn said. "That would be it for me, and the players have kind of embraced it too. They keep saying, 'We're not going to let you retire, Gary. You can't retire.'"
"I think the whole thing is neat. It's just an incredible, unforgettable ending to a long and very good career at NC State," Hahn continued.
Hahn warned people to not count the Wolfpack out as they face their toughest test so far, #1-seeded Purdue on Saturday. NC State has played nine straight win-or-go-home games. The broadcaster said the team is full of confidence, and big games no longer faze them.
"Nobody expected the Wolfpack to win in '83, and I think there are a lot of naysayers out there now that don't expect NC State to win in 2024," Hahn said.
Hahn said the team has all of the pieces, and it is all clicking at the right time.
Hahn's mother recently died. Once he is officially retired, he has to finish sorting through her affairs.
After that, he plans to explore other areas of his life and will even get married this summer.
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