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Dave Doeren was interrupted by an NC State reporter in his farewell press conference.
Dave Doeren was fired as the North Carolina State head football coach last weekend after a loss to Stanford. He held a farewell press conference on Tuesday to officially say goodbye.
One unprofessional reporter mocked Doeren while he delivered his message.
The presser was held over Zoom, which allowed media to be present. It wasn’t your typical interview. There were no questions asked. It was simply Doeren detailing his experience at NC State in one final appearance.
“We came here with the intention of allowing our family to put roots down. Fourteen years ago, our boys Jacob, Luke, and Connor were very young, and it was my goal not to have to move them, which meant staying at NC State for 12 years… I just want to use this moment to thank a lot of people, so many people that have been a part of our journey here at NC State.”
-Dave Doeren
Doeren spent 14 seasons in Raleigh, winning 98 games. He coached five All-Americans and led the program to 10 bowl appearances. He owned rival North Carolina, going 9-4 in 13 contests. Unfortunately, he could never quite get over the hump.
The Wolfpack never won 10 games in a season under Doeren’s guidance. They never played for an ACC Championship. And although the team improved to go 8-5 last year, many had grown tired of coming up short.
The 2026 campaign brought some uncertainty. Quarterback CJ Bailey returned after a monster sophomore season. The Wolfpack lost many of its other top players to the transfer portal, though.
NC State has been unable to fill those voids. The team is currently 3-4 with unforgivable losses to Vanderbilt and Stanford. As a result, Doeren was shown the door.
Dave Doeren held one final press conference.
He spoke for nearly 20 minutes. He addressed this year’s struggles while also reflecting on his past and the people that helped him get to this point.
All in all, it was a ‘thank you’ to North Carolina State as well as an explanation as to why things went south. Doeren’s not sure what the future holds.
“I have no idea what’s next for me, but I’m excited about my future. I’m excited to reset… I leave here with no grudges. I might be in the mountains somewhere, sitting in a river fishing or at the lake, but I’ll always be cheering for the Wolfpack.”
-Dave Doeren
He also took a moment to address the media.
“Since so many of the media have so nicely and eloquently critiqued me over my 14 years, I wanted to do a nice reporter-by-reporter critique back to you.
“I was going to go through your names one by one and put your pictures up and have T-shirts about all of you, but I decided not to do that.
“Maybe later in a podcast down by the river with a bottle of bourbon, that’s going to happen. That could happen.”
-Dave Doeren
The press conference put some closure on Dave Doeren’s tenure. It was lighthearted at times, and nostalgic at others. Unfortunately, there was one hiccup.
A reporter didn’t know his mic was on.
Just one minute into his opening statement, Doeren was interrupted by a media member that didn’t know he was unmuted. He criticized the former head coach for not wearing red.
What just happened here???
😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/GyjSj1SzHI— Larry Williams (@LarryWilliamsTI) October 27, 2026
“Dave Doeren’s not wearing red. He’s here in a washed-out green hoodie,” the reporter said. A background conversation continued on for another 60 seconds or so. It seemed a very minor detail, but apparently, Doeren’s wardrobe choice struck a nerve.
Again, this presser was not open to questions. There was no reason for a mic to be unmuted.
Doeren has shown frustration with media in the past. Last year, he eviscerated a reporter for asking a stupid question after a 34-point loss to Miami. Based on his commentary in the farewell presser, there were more than a few local media members that rubbed him the wrong way at times.
After seeing the bizarre interruption on Tuesday, maybe those feelings are justified. The reporter couldn’t even allow the coach to walk away from the program without being mocked. Sad.