THOMASVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) — When you live in North Carolina, there’s no shortage of colleges to root for.

Growing up, Brian McRee would follow the crowd and support Carolina Blue, but then it came time to pick a college, a red school came out the winner.

“I had applied to that other school and ECU as a backup. I got into all three, but I knew more people from my high school that were going to state. So I went there,” he said.

From that decision, a super-fan was born. He also happens to be part of the FOX8 morning news team!

“I’m not going to claim that I’m the biggest State fan,” he said. “I’ve probably been a State fan for 25 years, max.”

But for the last 25 years, it’s been all State: from the shoes he wore at his wedding to finding out his late grandfather had also attended to his personal man cave.

McRee’s collection features just about everything, but one of the most unique treasures is media guides for all but two seasons, dating all the way back to 1948.

“Someone was selling a box of the old basketball media guides on eBay. I don’t know why I wanted them. But it was a full box of almost all of them, through the 80s and 90s,” he said.

During the pandemic, he started writing former Wolfpack players asking them to sign their old player cards.

“I’ve gotten 83 I think responses out of 185 letters that I’ve sent out maybe.”

No matter how much he adds to the collection, the thrill of it never goes away, and will continue to grow, just like his loyalty to the Wolfpack.