N.C. State's Mark Gottfried To Jump Out Of Plane To Promote Military, Wolfpack Hoops

Getting attention isn’t always easy for a basketball program playing in the shadow of North Carolina and Duke. But new NC State coach Mark Gottfried has figured out at least one unusual way to get noticed.

On Saturday, Gottfried plans to jump out of an airplane and land on the 50-yard line before kickoff of the Wolfpack’s football game against South Alabama, ESPN.com reports.

Gottfried will be latched onto the veteran tandem jumper who helped former President George H.W. Bush jump on his 80th birthday.

"I figured if he could survive it, I could survive it,'' Gottfried told the website. “The No. 1 reason is to bring attention to our military since it's military appreciation week. I want to say thank you to them. But we're also trying to get attention for NC State basketball.''

Gottfried doubts North Carolina's Roy Williams or Duke's Mike Krzyzewski would pull a similar stunt.

"They don't have to,'' Gottfried said. “We're at a different point with our program. We have a long, long, long ways to go, about as long as that fall out of the plane.''

NC State athletic director Debbie Yow said in a text to ESPN.com, "I am worried about his safety … but he is not!''