RALEIGH -- The voice of football games in Carter-Finley Stadium has changed.
Dr. Edward Funkhouser, a former dean at NC State, who has called games since 1999, tells Spectrum News that the university relieved him of that post in February.
"I see reports that and I hear about reports in the media across North Carolina that I have retired, or resigned, or stepped down, and that really wasn't the case at all,” he said.
Funkhouser adds that a university official then asked to honor his years of service during this year's first football game.
He refused, but wanted to thank his unforgettable fans.
"I thought about the last thing I wanted to do is walk across the football field waving to people saying goodbye and I really didn't want to say goodbye. I say thank you to the fans. I do say thank you to the fans. I've enjoyed doing what I've done in Carter-Finley Stadium very, very much,” said Funkhouser.
In a statement, NC State officials say, "We greatly appreciate Dr. Funkhouser's years of dedicated volunteer service as our football public address announcer. Each year, we consider all areas of our gameday presentation and atmosphere in Carter-Finley stadium and make changes based on a variety of factors."
In full transparency on this story, we do want to disclose that a member of the Funkhouser family is employed at Spectrum News.