Chuck Amato, former NC State HC, Florida State assistant, passes away at 80
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Chuck Amato, the fiery former head coach at NC State who won a school-record 11 games in 2002, died at age 80 after having a recurrence of throat cancer.
The guy who was nicknamed “Chuck the Chest” by NC State faithful played linebacker at NC State from 1965-67 and later found his way back to Raleigh as the head coach from 2000-06.
Through his coaching travels as an assistant, Amato also was on the staff at NC State from 1971-79, first as a graduate assistant, then as a defensive backs coach and finally as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Born in 1946 in Easton, Pa., Amato became a legend at NC State but also made his mark in other locales, such as Florida State, where he worked on the staffs of many great Seminoles teams under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden.
Amato spent nearly 2 decades at FSU, from 1982-99. He was a defensive assistant, working with the defensive line and linebackers, during that glorious run in Tallahassee. Then, after his time at NC State as a head coach, Amato returned to Florida State, spending 3 more seasons there from 2007-09, working as a linebackers coach and even as associate head coach.
He finished his long and winding coaching career as the defensive coordinator at Akron from 2012-17. Amato, who also spent 2 years as the linebackers coach at Arizona in 1980-81, will be remembered as a legendary figure and fan favorite at NC State after having played and coached for the Wolfpack.
Amato was a fighter on the sidelines, where he led the Wolfpack to a 49-37 record during that 7-year run in Raleigh, and then had his long battle with throat cancer that he ultimately succumbed to. He was in hospice care for several months before his passing.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
