CRAIG REVELL
(Son of Al & Judy Revell)
November 12, 1984 - September 24, 2005

(Raleigh, N.C. / Feb22, 2010) Craig Revell never played a round of golf at NC State, but he's had a major impact on the fortunes of the Wolfpack men's program, both in recent seasons and for the years to come.

Revell, as a freshman at Michigan State in 2003, won the first college tournament he ever played, the Badger Invitational at Wisconsin, fighting through some troubling and persistent back pain for a 3-stroke victory in the rain-shortened event. The family celebrated the win, especially Brad, who was three years younger. He worshipped his older brother, following his footsteps in playing baseball and golf as they grew up in the small Ontario town of Kingston, about 100 miles east of Toronto. Over Christmas, Craig returned home to have an MRI in an effort to find the cause of his back trouble. Doctors found a large tumor resting on his spine, just over his right hip.

Days later, Revell was driving three hours round trip to begin week-long chemotherapy treatments. He would come home on the weekends to play golf with Brad, shooting some of the lowest scores of his life on the Cataraqui Golf and Country Club. "It was mind-boggling," Brad Revell said. "He was out there shooting 63's." Brad was finishing up his final year at Frontenac Secondary School in Kingston. He didn't think he was ready for college yet, and he wanted to spend some time with his brother. The community where they lived embraced the Revells, collecting money to send the entire family on a private plane to Augusta, GA., for the 2005 Masters, where they saw Tiger Woods win a thrilling one-hole play-off with Chris DiMarco. Not long afterwards, Craig Revell had surgery to remove the grapefruit-sized tumor. In the process, the surgeon had to cut his sciatic nerve on his right side, paralyzing him from the waist down. Then, his cancer returned. He died on September 24th, 2005, surrounded by his family, at the age of 20.

"We were as close as all brothers are," said Brad Revell, who is a senior on the NC State men's golf team. "He was my role model growing up, a great guy to follow. His attitude when he got sick was unbelievable. He was a fighter and a grinder. He taught me to never give up, to keep fighting. On every ball Brad plays in competition, he initials "CR" in honor of his brother. He uses a ball marker that reads, "Always With You". "Sometimes, it's hard to believe, even five years later," Revell said. "Sometimes it just hits me during the day that he's gone. But our family has a lot of faith. I know I will see him again some day."



BRAD REVELL
North Carolina State Golf Team