Welcome Home: Chuck Wade Joins Football Staff, Alumni Networking Event Set for Friday Night

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Chuck Wade, Jr. ('19), a former standout player and 2018 team captain, has returned to the Wake Forest Football program as an offensive analyst, head coach Dave Clawson announced Thursday.

Wade, who graduated with a degree in communication three years ago, has always wanted to better the lives of those that are around him.

"I'm proud of Chuck because I have a personal relationship with him and he deserves this," Jaboree Williams said. "It feels good and shows that the coaches are bringing in guys who are young and had the opportunity to be coached by them. They are starting a movement to bring back those guys who have been in the program to help the current players develop."

"Chuck is like my brother and he's a great hire," Elontae Bateman said. "This shows that the coaches are allowing people who played for them and are familiar with the culture the opportunities to come back as staff members to make an impact and build the culture in other ways."

A 2015 graduate of Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, Wade began his college football career at Wake Forest as a wide receiver in the summer of 2015. As a freshman, he quickly made an impact for the Deacs, collecting 33 receptions for 348 yards while leading the team in kickoff return yards. He continued to be a productive wideout and returner during his sophomore and junior years as well.

"Chuck Wade was a tremendous teammate and someone that helped change the culture of our wide receiver room and overall program at Wake Forest," associate head coach Kevin Higgins said. "His return to our offensive staff is of tremendous value as he has a great football mind and understands what we need to do to help our young men find success on and off the field during their time in Winston-Salem."

Prior to his senior season in 2018, Wade met with the staff and decided that it would be best for the team if he changed positions and became a defensive back. Amidst his selfless and team-first attitude, Wade was voted a team captain for the season and tallied 63 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and one interception that fall.

"Chuck Wade is a person of high character that has been in the position of all our current players and is an aspiring young coach with a great football IQ," head coach Dave Clawson said. "After being a successful wide receiver for the first three years of his career, Chuck saw that we were thin at defensive back and changed positions before the betterment of the team. His unselfishness led to him being a captain within our program and he is someone that embodies what our program is about. Chuck has done a great job for us since he returned to our staff and we really value having former players on staff who can relate to our student-athletes and help them grow on and off the field."

Following Wade's career at Wake Forest, his first position was as a marketing internship with the Atlantic Coast Conference where Wade was a sales representative with the league, focusing on generating exposure for the ACC Women's Basketball tournament. He returned to his high school alma mater in 2020 to be the defensive backs coach for the football team and he has also worked in the corporate setting as a client solutions executive for the past two years before returning to Winston-Salem.

"It feels crazy to be back at Wake Forest and extremely nostalgic," Wade said. "When I was here as a player we did not have the Sutton Sports Performance Center and all the incredible facilities our program has now. Being back and having the ability to embrace our players to help them and share experiences of when I was a player here has been very special. I am really glad to be back at Wake Forest."

Wade joins his former teammate and current Director of Player Development Wendell Dunn on the Wake Forest football staff. Dunn ('17, '19) was appointed to his role a year ago and his role of mentoring student-athletes off the field was made possible through a generous gift by Billy Prim to create the Football Player Career Development fund.

"As we can see, these guys now have everything with the new facilities, technology, and winning the big games," Williams shared. "Guys like Wendell and Chuck can remind the guys that this took hard work and we can't forget the little things like going to class and eliminating the off field distractions."

"It affects the athletes in a positive way, to see alumni striding in spaces on and off the field after graduating," Bateman said. "Current players can see actual proof that when you commit to the program as a student-athlete that there may be opportunities to come back as an alum and even be on the staff. This is the start of a new tradition for Wake Forest football current players and alumni."

Opportunity Awaits: Alumni Networking Set for Friday, April 15

While the Demon Deacons have approached this spring with the very football team Mindset of improving each day to ensure the Deacs are ready to attack the next phase of the offseason program, Wake Forest's student-athletes will look far into the future on Friday night as they connect with former football alums for the Deacs annual Alumni Networking Career Night.

"No matter where guys are, we support each other," reigning Japanese football league MVP Jaboree Williams said. "Even if it's the XFL, CFL, Japan league, or NFL. We have a fraternity of our own, even if we don't talk for a while we always connect like it's been a non-stop connection. I grew up around women and no brothers but after Wake football, I have more than a dozen brothers I can reach out to whenever."

"We are very tight knit, it's like our own personal country club," current University of Tennessee Director of Student-Athlete Development Elontae Bateman said. "I think about Chuck Wade, Jaboree Williams, Willie Yarbary and other guys I talk to on a daily basis. Most of my best friends are guys I met on the Wake Forest football team."

As part of the Ultimate Deacon Weekend and Wake Forest's spring game that will be shown live on ACC Network on Saturday, April 16 at 2 p.m., Director of Player Development Wendell Dunn and Wake Forest's coaching staff organized this event with 20 former Deacons football players returning to Winston-Salem. After an afternoon of golf on Friday, the former Deacons returned to Bridger Field House for dinner and a seminar with the current team. For the seventh time under head coach Davce Clawson, there will be a Career Night as the alums help the current Deacons navigate life after football.

"This is a great opportunity for the alumni to share the wisdom they have gained, not only through football but through their career, with our current team," said Clawson. "There is a tremendous wealth of knowledge among our alumni and we are grateful they were willing to share that insight with the team."

"Coach Clawson prepared me for life," Williams said. "I can mentally get through anything because I was forced to grow under Coach Clawson's program. I thank him everyday for it. Additionally with guys like Coach (John) Hunter, Coach (Kevin) Higgins and Chad (Bari) too. In college, you learn about adversity, Coach Clawson has a system to prepare his players for life and to value their image as a man."

"Playing for Wake Forest made me grow," Bateman said. "The high expectations of football and academics and the tight knit culture forced us to be accountable. Coach Clawson in general is a first-class man, who is a builder and sticks to his plan and goes by his script because he trusts his own process "

Former Wake Forest players Darren Skinner ('95) and Luke Fedlam ('01) will be the featured speakers.

Wake Forest's players will be divided into sections based on their future interests for the event and receive mentoring from the alumni who have followed career paths in those areas.

Here is the list of some of the alums expected to return to Winston-Salem for this special event:

Herman Lewis Jr. ('98)
- After he earned his undergraduate degree in communication, Lewis has spent 20 years in the banking industry and he currently owns and operates his own real estate holding company.
- Played for the Demon Deacons from 1994-1997. Led the '97 team with 470 yards rushing along with four touchdowns. Finished his career with 848 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Greg Hunter ('97)
- Hunter earned his degree in business from Wake Forest and has worked in real estate and as a consultant over the course of his professional career.
James Quander ('95)
- Quander earned his J.D. from Wake Forest and began working as an associate attorney in Winston-Salem upon his graduation. In 2005, he partnered with a former classmate of his from his time in law school to form Quander & Rubain, PA.
- Was a steady presence on the Deacon defensive line from 1991-1994. Saw his production increase each year. Ended his tenure as a Deac with 99 career tackles with nine of them being tackles for loss and recorded four sacks.
Dr. George Bakalis ('79)
- Dr. Bakalis attended chiropractic medical school in Chicago following his time in Winston-Salem and has successfully run a practice for the past 36 years. Along with serving as the football teams chiropractic physician during some of Coach Clawson's tenure as head coach, Dr. Bakalis has treated the Washington Capitals and New York Yankees during his career.
Darren Skinner ('95)
- Skinner is an entrepreneur as he opened Lake Wylie Bowl N' Bounce in 2011. Additionally following his time at Wake Forest, he worked for executive recruiter and ran his own independent recruiting practice.
Dr. Tom Fehring ('76)
- Dr. Fehring is an orthopedic physician specializing in hip and knee surgery at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte for 36 years. He was the final person in a seven-doctor group to begin the service that now is 150 strong. In addition to his work at OrthoCarolina, Dr. Fehring is a professor on the faculty of Atrium Health.
- Through networking with Wake Forest football players, Dr. Fehring connected with former tight end Dr. Ben Wooster during his tenure at Wake Forest in the mid-2000s and they now work at OrthoCarolina together.
- Led the 1974 team with 17 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown. Finished his Wake Forest career with 35 receptions for 424 yards and one touchdown.
Jeff Sigmon ('97)
- Sigmon earned her degree in speech communication from Wake Forest and went on to own a small business in Winston-Salem that focused on screen printing and embroidery. His wife, Judy, is also a Wake Forest alum and currently works at the University.
- Known as being a great teammate, Sigmon dedicated himself to bettering not only himself but also his teammates. Sigmon gained a place on the roster as a non-scholarship player early on due to his dedication and work ethic on the practice field.
James MacPherson ('02)
- Following a successful career on the gridiron at Wake Forest, MacPherson earned an invite to camp with the Indianapolis Colts in 2003. He went on to play two seasons (2004-05) in the Arena Football League with the Green Bay Blizzard and later played with the Georgia Force (2007) and Grand Rapids Rampage (2008). A longtime NFL scout, MacPherson has worked with the LA Chargers since 2014.
- Finished his career as one the most efficient quarterbacks in Wake Forest history while recording over 4,900 total career yards. Still holds the longest scoring bowl game pass play with a 63 yard touchdown during the 2002 Seattle Bowl.
Luke Fedlam ('01)
- Following his time in Winston-Salem, Fedlem spent five years with a sports management firm working with professional athletes on the financial side of their lives. He later went to law school to pursue a goal of becoming a non-agent sports attorney. He currently leads the sports law practice at a large law firm representing professional athletes across the country and around the world serving as their general legal counsel.
- He started Anomaly Sports Group in 2015 to help educate teams of athletes and he has worked with the NBA, multiple NFL teams and colleges/universities across the country to educate athletes, coaches and administrators on the ever changing topics that impact athletes and sports.
Steve Brown ('91)
- Following his career on the gridiron in Winston-Salem, Brown was invited to training camp with the Chicago Bears in 1991. He later played two seasons (1991-92) in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Following his football career, Brown focused on track and field where he became an Olympian in 2000 in the 110m Hurdles.
- Since he retired from being a professional athlete, Brown has worked as a corporate sales trader with Wachovia Capital Markets and he has been an educator as the director of financial aid and institutional research at the Lovett School in Georgia. Additionally, he is the CEO/Founder of the Steve Brown Academy.

A 2009 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame Inductee and former Arnold Palmer Award winner, Brown was a four-year starter at wide receiver for the Deacs. On the track, he was a four-time ACC Champion in the 55m and 110m hurdles. Additionally, he became the first Demon Deacon in program history to be named an All-American.

Cam Serigne ('17)
- After he earned his finance degree from Wake Forest, Serigne spent a brief period of time in the NFL before working in real estate and private equity. He now owns his own technology business.
- Listed in the Wake Forest record book more than 20 times. Serigne finished his career with the fifth most all-time career receptions with 174, finished in the Top 10 all-time with over 2,000 receiving yards in his career as well as being tied for third all-time with 21 career receiving touchdowns.

Wake Forest football alums are encouraged to contact Director of Player Development Wendell Dunn (dunnw@wfu.edu) to connect with other former players and current student-athletes. Additionally if there are internship opportunities available within your network, please reach out to Wendell as well.

Wake Forest Athletics

Welcome Home: Chuck Wade Joins Football Staff, Alumni Networking Event Set for Friday Night

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