Dave Doeren Tells the Story of His Connection to 9/11

For those old enough to be alive, you'll never forget where you were on that fateful morning of Sept. 11, 2001. NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren recalls his personal connection to that day.

Sep 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren leads his team onto the field against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first quarter at the Dukes Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

This Friday marks 25 years since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

2,977 people, from all walks of life, were killed, and thousands were injured during those attacks. 

9/11 is a day of remembrance in America for those who were alive during that time. And for many, life as we knew it changed forever that day. 

A Panicked Sister

Dave Doeren took the time during his weekly press conference to share his 9/11 story.  

Doeren was a 29-year-old secondary coach at Montana. He was in his second season with the Grizzlies. He recalls being in a position meeting when the attacks started.  

“I remember it vividly because my father, at the time, was in Boston and was supposed to get on one of those flights,” Doeren said. “I don’t remember the flight number, but he was supposed to be on one of those flights that ended up crashing.” 

American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 took off from Boston Logan, headed for Los Angeles. Those planes were both hijacked and crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

When He Got The Call 

The team’s secretary alerted Dave that his sister called the office in a panic. 

“Your sister’s calling,” Doeren said. “She’s freaking out. And you know, of course, she thought he had crashed because, at that time, you know, cell reception was nothing.” 

Cell service along the East Coast was overloaded as millions of people tried to reach their family and friends at the same time.

Doeren recalls it taking him four or five hours to reach someone who could confirm his father’s whereabouts. 

Nov 11, 2023; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren leads his team onto the field during the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Missed Flight 

“What happened was the cab that picked him up that morning didn’t show up, and so he missed the flight,” Doeren said. “Thank God that he missed that flight, but I’ll never forget that day because, you know, for four or five hours, we thought we had lost my father in a plane crash. It was crazy.” 

He and the Montana staff were glued to the television news coverage. “I remember seeing the first tower on fire, and then you see this plane coming in and hitting the second tower, and you’re just in shock,” Doeren said.  

“How could something like this be happening in our country?” Doeren asked. “I try to describe that to the team, and when you’re 18, 19, you’re like, yeah, it’s a good story. But for those of us that witnessed it, I mean, it was intense. And the things that came out of that with our country was crazy, you know, and the war that followed and everything else.” 

The NC State football team will debut their special black camo “Wolfpack Warriors” uniform in the home opener versus Richmond on 9/11 in honor of those who have served.