Wake Forest Athletics
Athas’ Efforts Helped Build Foundation for Wake Forest
12/29/2022 8:00:00 AM | Football
“Wake Forest was a game-changer for me.” – Terry Athas
Former Wake Forest linebacker and defensive end Terry Athas (1973-77) met Wake Forest football head coach Dave Clawson before he had even coached a game for the Demon Deacons, and was confident he would be a rousing success.
When Athas returned to campus recently to see the fruit of his labor as Midwest Chair of the Wake Will campaign, Clawson invited him to a coaches meeting in the hours before he had to fly back home to Chicago.
"This is Terry Athas and he's been with us since the beginning," Clawson told his staff.
"That really got to me," Athas said. "He's got a lot more to him than I knew. I have so much respect for Clawson."
The flowing introduction at the meeting wasn't the only thing that stood out for Athas on his trip back to Winston-Salem.
"When I got to campus, I didn't even recognize it," he said. "I haven't been there for any of the unveiling of the new buildings or anything. It's an amazing place. Until we got to the football area, I wasn't sure what part of campus I was on. I knew what side of the Quad I was, but didn't really know where I was.
"It's incredibly rewarding personally, because I know I had a hand in a very important process. I'm completely humbled and proud that I'm a part of that. I'm floored."
As part of Chuck Mills first recruiting class in 1973, Athas arrived having played quarterback in high school, but quickly transitioned to defense.
"It was a wonderful decision," he said of coming to Wake Forest, a decision that was largely pushed by his high school coach. "I came out of the gates strong. I had a great freshman training camp."
He played his first three seasons, but then wasn't able to pass a physical to compete as a senior, with lingering knee injuries haunting him. To graduate on time, Athas took 47 credit hours as a senior, 24 in the fall 1976 semester then 23 the subsequent spring.
"That first semester was brutal," he said. "I'm still shell-shocked. Wake Forest is a tough place. I had surgery my senior year. Once I came out of that surgery, all I did was study."
With a job waiting for him right out of college, Athas has ended up being in the insurance business his entire life, currently as Executive Vice President with Alliant Insurance Services in Chicago.
"Wake Forest was a game-changer for me," Athas said. "I'd never seen what you could do in life materially. Wake Forest taught me how to think. But before Wake Forest taught me how to think, they showed me there's a whole different world out there. If you work hard, you can get to it, and you can't get through Wake Forest without working hard, so it goes together."
The Demon Deacons teams he competed on laid the groundwork for the Tangerine Bowl season in 1979.
"We didn't have the best record on the field, but boy have we been successful off the field," Athas said. "We had to work really hard to get through the school, and most of us made it. Wake Forest was really big in that universe for me. I was lower-middle class. We lived in a nice neighborhood, but never had savings. We were immigrants from Canada through Greece.
"It's an American success story and Wake Forest was a big part of that. I want other kids to understand that, and to understand what Wake Forest can offer beyond football and athletics. You learned thought processes and I learned who I was."
Mills coached for just five seasons at Wake Forest, but his legacy continues to loom large. The players during that era remain close to this day, and their impact is felt all over campus to this day.
"We are so tight," Athas said. "There are dozens of us in a text chain today. It's an amazing group of guys who have stuck together. We still feel a part of every win that happens. We were there and gutted it out. We have great pride for our experiences of building Wake Forest. There were a lot of guys who threw a lot of desire into that program. We came away from Wake Forest forged in the heat of battle. Wake Forest has continued to up the game in every category, and just makes us look even better. Wake Forest is so much better-known and respected now. If you want to build a big building, you need a strong foundation, and we're part of that foundation. There's no way around that."
When Athas returned to campus recently to see the fruit of his labor as Midwest Chair of the Wake Will campaign, Clawson invited him to a coaches meeting in the hours before he had to fly back home to Chicago.
"This is Terry Athas and he's been with us since the beginning," Clawson told his staff.
"That really got to me," Athas said. "He's got a lot more to him than I knew. I have so much respect for Clawson."
The flowing introduction at the meeting wasn't the only thing that stood out for Athas on his trip back to Winston-Salem.
"When I got to campus, I didn't even recognize it," he said. "I haven't been there for any of the unveiling of the new buildings or anything. It's an amazing place. Until we got to the football area, I wasn't sure what part of campus I was on. I knew what side of the Quad I was, but didn't really know where I was.
"It's incredibly rewarding personally, because I know I had a hand in a very important process. I'm completely humbled and proud that I'm a part of that. I'm floored."
As part of Chuck Mills first recruiting class in 1973, Athas arrived having played quarterback in high school, but quickly transitioned to defense.
"It was a wonderful decision," he said of coming to Wake Forest, a decision that was largely pushed by his high school coach. "I came out of the gates strong. I had a great freshman training camp."
He played his first three seasons, but then wasn't able to pass a physical to compete as a senior, with lingering knee injuries haunting him. To graduate on time, Athas took 47 credit hours as a senior, 24 in the fall 1976 semester then 23 the subsequent spring.
"That first semester was brutal," he said. "I'm still shell-shocked. Wake Forest is a tough place. I had surgery my senior year. Once I came out of that surgery, all I did was study."
With a job waiting for him right out of college, Athas has ended up being in the insurance business his entire life, currently as Executive Vice President with Alliant Insurance Services in Chicago.
"Wake Forest was a game-changer for me," Athas said. "I'd never seen what you could do in life materially. Wake Forest taught me how to think. But before Wake Forest taught me how to think, they showed me there's a whole different world out there. If you work hard, you can get to it, and you can't get through Wake Forest without working hard, so it goes together."
The Demon Deacons teams he competed on laid the groundwork for the Tangerine Bowl season in 1979.
"We didn't have the best record on the field, but boy have we been successful off the field," Athas said. "We had to work really hard to get through the school, and most of us made it. Wake Forest was really big in that universe for me. I was lower-middle class. We lived in a nice neighborhood, but never had savings. We were immigrants from Canada through Greece.
"It's an American success story and Wake Forest was a big part of that. I want other kids to understand that, and to understand what Wake Forest can offer beyond football and athletics. You learned thought processes and I learned who I was."
Mills coached for just five seasons at Wake Forest, but his legacy continues to loom large. The players during that era remain close to this day, and their impact is felt all over campus to this day.
"We are so tight," Athas said. "There are dozens of us in a text chain today. It's an amazing group of guys who have stuck together. We still feel a part of every win that happens. We were there and gutted it out. We have great pride for our experiences of building Wake Forest. There were a lot of guys who threw a lot of desire into that program. We came away from Wake Forest forged in the heat of battle. Wake Forest has continued to up the game in every category, and just makes us look even better. Wake Forest is so much better-known and respected now. If you want to build a big building, you need a strong foundation, and we're part of that foundation. There's no way around that."
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