The man who has walked the sidelines of Carter-Finley stadium for the past eight years screaming cheers into his microphone has decided to call it quits.

Mike Whiting, better known to N.C. State fans as “Mean Gene,” said last week that he decided not to return to the field this season.

Whiting posted last Monday on a message board at PackPride.com that he was not going to continue as the Mic Man at football games.

“I’ve been thinking about stepping away for a couple of years now,” Whiting said yesterday. “I’ve felt I was taking the opportunity away from a current student who might really enjoy it. I’ll still be at all the games, and I may miss being down on the field, close to the action. But I’m glad another person is going to get an opportunity.”

Whiting got the nickname “Mean Gene” when the RBC Center first opened. He said people in the crowd were all trying to get on the big screen above the court.

“I did a little dance,” Whiting said. “They put me on the screen with the title ‘Mean Gene the Dancing Machine.’ It just stuck after that.”

Whiting said he stumbled into the job as Mic Man at football games. He said he would stand and cheer on the big grassy hill that used to be where the Murphy Center now stands.

“The old cheerleading coach came up and asked me and my friend to do it since they were looking for someone,” Whiting said. “Luckily, [current cheerleading] coach [Harold] Trammel has invited me back every year so far.”

Student reaction to Whiting’s “Mean Gene” persona has always been mixed. Students have said they applaud and appreciate Whiting’s enthusiasm and passion for Wolfpack sports, but they were sometimes annoyed by his antics and cheers on the field.

John Tart III, a senior in poultry and animal science, said he gives Whiting a lot of credit for his spirit.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the students thought he was over the top and that the cheers were not exactly the most creative and fun thing going on at the games,” Tart said.

Joshua Rich, a junior in history education, said he always thought Whiting had a lot of love for N.C. State. When he heard Whiting was not returning, Rich said he was glad because he said the cheers often annoyed him.

“But that was mainly because I hoped the position would be dropped all together,” he said. “It wasn’t really Mean Gene that annoyed everyone; it was just the position.”

Whiting said he never took the complaints personally ñ it was just something that came with the territory.

“The complaints didn’t bother me,” he said. “I knew some people wouldn’t like it. It’s part of the college football experience, though ñ all the big-time programs have a mic man. The way I look at it is if I pleased everybody all the time, I’d be doing something wrong.”

Information regarding tryouts to replace Whiting was not available as repeated phone calls and e-mails to Trammel were not immediately returned.

Tart said there shouldn’t be tryouts, but that a cheerleader should take the job.

“If one of them wants to get on a mic and lead us, then that’s fine, but I don’t think there should be a specific person held accountable for that position,” he said.

Rich agreed, saying he doesn’t think Whiting should be replaced; rather, the position should be eliminated altogether.

“Isn’t that what we have cheerleaders for, to begin chants? An annoying microphone doesn’t make us students want to chant,” he said. “The students at the games are already pumped up enough.”

Whiting said whomever takes his place needs to be ready for a serious commitment to Wolfpack game days.

“It’s a big part of your day,” he said. “You’ve got to get there early on game days. You can tailgate with your friends a little bit, but you can’t get drunk and go out there afterward. You need to be committed and willing to do all the games. I’ve given up a few vacations to be there. It’s a lot of fun, but you can’t take it lightly.”