Introducing the ACC: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake Forest is the smallest school in the ACC with about 5,500 undergraduates, but it produced Tim Duncan and Arnold Palmer

Wake Forest Demon Deacons mascot leads the team onto the field / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

After more than a century as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, Cal has moved into the Atlantic Coast Conference. To introduce Cal fans to the Bears’ new conference rivals, we will profile each of the other ACC schools.  Today we introduce you to Wake Forest:

WAKE FOREST

NICKNAME: Demon Deacons

MASCOT: The Demon Deacon

LOCATION: Winston-Salem, North Carolina (pop. 251,350)

MILES FROM BERKELEY: 2,309 miles

MAJOR AIRPORT: Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina

YEAR FOUNDED: 1834

ENROLLMENT 5,471 undergraduates

TUITION: $67,642

CAMPUS LANDMARK: Reynolda House Museum of American Art

MOST POPULAR SPORTS BARS/RESTAURANTS: Second & Green Tavern; Carolina Ale House; Quiet Corners Sports Bar; Campus Gas; Finnigan's Wake

FAMOUS NON-ATHLETE ALUMNI: Former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms; actor Marc Blucas ’94; former Maryland governor Bob Ehrlich (Wake Forest Law School ’82); U.S. House of Representatives member Richard Burr ’78; (Actor Carroll O’Connor left Wake Forest after his freshman year.)

ATHLETIC WEBSITE: godeacs.com

Bill George / David Boss-USA TODAY Sports

FOOTBALL  

COACH: Dave Clawson (63-61, 11th season)

STADIUM: Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, commonly known as Allegacy Stadium (31,500 capacity)

CAL ON THE SCHEDULE: Friday, November 8, 2024 in Winston-Salen, North Carolina

2023 RECORD: 4-8, 1-7/last in ACC

BEST PLAYER ON 2024 TEAM: Senior defensive end Jasheen Davis (third-team all-ACC, 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks)

MOST RECENT BOWL APPEARANCE: 2022 (Beat Missouri 27-17 in Gasparilla Bowl)

BOWL HISTORY: 17 appearances (11-6)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2006

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: None

BEST ALL-TIME NFL PLAYER: Hall of Fame linebacker Bill George (only Wake Forest player in Pro Football Hall of Fame, 8-time all-Pro, played 1952-1966)

ALSO: Brian Piccolo

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Jim Grobe (77-82 in 13 seasons, 5 bowl games)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): Cal and Wake Forest have never met on the football field

Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) in 2016 / Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

MEN’S  BASKETBALL

COACH: Steve Forbes (265-189 in 14 seasons)

ARENA: The Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (capacity 14,665)

2023-24 RECORD: 21-14, 11-9 in ACC/tied for 5th

BEST PLAYER IN 2024-25 SEASON: Senior guard Hunter Sallis (first-team all-ACC in 2023-24)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2017 (lost to Kansas State in preliminary round 95-88)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2003 ACC champion

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 23 appearances (28-23), 1 Final Four, 1962 lost to Ohio State in semifinals

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Tim Duncan (2-time NBA MVP, 10-time first-team all-NBA, Pro Basketball Hall of Fame; 2-time ACC Player of the Year, 1997 national college player of the year)

ALSO: Chris Paul

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Dave Odom (240-132 in 12 seasons, 7 NCAA tournament berths, 3 final top-10 rankings)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): 1-2 (Wake Forest won 76-59 in NIT third round on March 24, 2000)

Dearica Hamby / Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 

COACH: Megan Gebbia (24-42 in 2 seasons)

ARENA: The Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (capacity 14,665)

2023-24 RECORD: 7-25, 2-16 in ACC/tied for last

BEST PLAYER IN 2024-25: Senior guard Elise Williams (led Wake Forest in scoring (13.3), rebounding (5.0) and assists (3.7) in 2023-24)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2021 (lost to Oklahoma State in first round)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: None

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 2 NCAA tournament appearances (1-2); 1988 second round

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Dearica Hamby (3-time WNBA all-star, Wake Forest career scoring and rebounding leader)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Joe Sanchez (109-93 in 7 seasons, reached second round of 1988 NCAA tournament)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL: (most recent meeting): 2-1 (Cal won 84-61 on November 29, 2013)

Arnold Palmer in 1964 / J.T. Phillips / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

MISCELLANEOUS

VARSITY SPORTS (18): Football, baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, women’s volleyball, women’s field hockey.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (10): Baseball (1955); men’s soccer (2017); men’s tennis (2018); men’s golf (1974, 1975, 1986); women’s golf (2023); women’s field hockey (2002, 2003, 2004)

BEST ALL-TIME NON-FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL ATHLETE: Pro golfer Arnold Palmer (winner of 7 majors, including 4 Masters titles)

MOST FAMOUS OLYMPIAN: Triathlete Hunter Kemper (competed in 4 Olympics – 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 – finishing seventh in 2008; ranked No. 1 in the world in 2006)

Previous ACC school profiles:

North Carolina

Duke

Notre Dame

Florida State

Virginia

North Carolina State

Miami

Pittsburgh

Clemson

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