Pack's Bible has cancer

RALEIGH -- N.C. State offensive coordinator Dana Bible, a coaching mainstay on sidelines and press box perches for more than three decades, has been hospitalized with leukemia, head coach Tom O'Brien said Monday.

Bible, 56, will spend 30 days undergoing treatment at the cancer center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.

"At the end of 30 days I guess we'll know where we go from there," O'Brien said. "He's still undergoing tests. It's certainly not a good situation."

According to O'Brien, Bible's doctor recommended Friday that he not travel with the team to last Saturday's game at Virginia Tech. Bible went to Chapel Hill for tests that determined he has acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Saturday was the first time in 34 years of coaching that Bible missed a game or practice. Bible has been on O'Brien's staff the past 11 seasons - eight of them at Boston College.

O'Brien described Bible's condition Monday during his news conference in preparation for Saturday's home game against North Carolina.

"He's a tough old guy, and he'll fight it," O'Brien said. "If he has a chance to beat it, he'll beat it."

At Virginia Tech, running backs coach Jason Swepson called plays from the press box and signaled them down to O'Brien, who relayed them to the players. On a temporary basis this week, N.C. State will add former graduate assistant Jay Civetti to the staff on offense.

Civetti worked under O'Brien with the Wolfpack and Boston College. He is the offensive coordinator at Division III Tufts University, which has finished its season.

"He has the best knowledge of our offense," O'Brien said. "We can hire him temporarily just to get through this week of practice and everything else. What we'll do is try to put a game plan together the best we can and go play a game on Saturday."

Moments after hearing the news, senior safety Bobby Floyd took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. He said Bible makes an impression on everyone.

"He's such a fiery personality on the field that you couldn't miss him," Floyd said. "... You know this has got to be tough news for him and his family. I'm sorry to hear it."

In addition to coordinating the offense, Bible serves as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach for N.C. State.

This is his second stint with the Wolfpack. Bible also coached quarterbacks and wide receivers at N.C. State under Tom Reed from 1983-85. He has coached two of the last three first-team All-ACC quarterbacks - Matt Ryan at Boston College in 2006 and Russell Wilson at N.C. State in 2008.

"He's a great coach," Wilson said Saturday. "He's helped me tremendously."

In 10 games with Bible calling plays this season, N.C. State has averaged 32.6 points and 413.2 yards per game, ranking the Pack third in the ACC in both categories.

N.C. State offensive guard Julian Williams said Bible is an excellent play-caller who works extremely hard. He added that Bible was like family to his players.

"He's always going to have you prepared for whatever's coming," Williams said. "He doesn't take any shortcuts. He's probably the first one here and the last one to leave, every day. So that's what makes him a great coach."

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