Charles Michael Amato (born June 26, 1946) is a former American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Akron Zips football team. He served as the head football at North Carolina State University from 2000 to 2006, compiling a record of 49–37. On January 17, 2007, Amato returned to Florida State, where he had coached as assistant for nearly two decades before moving to NC State, as executive associate head coach and linebackers coach, a position he held for three seasons. Early life and education Amato was born in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. He graduated from Easton Area High School, where boxer Larry Holmes was one of his classmates. Amato attended North Carolina State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics in 1969 and a master's degree in education in 1973. At North Carolina State, Amato was a three-year letter winner in both football and wrestling. He played linebacker on the 1965 team that won an Atlantic Coast Conference co–championship and posted two undefeated seasons as a wrestler, winning two ACC titles at heavyweight in 1966 and at the weight class in 1968. Coaching career Easton High School Following his graduation from North Carolina State, Amato spent two years as an assistant coach at his high school alma mater, Easton High School. North Carolina State In 1971, Amato began a nine-year stint as an assistant coach with North Carolina State, working under Al Michaels, Lou Holtz, and Bo Rein. Arizona and Florida State He then spent two seasons at the University of Arizona (1980 and 1981), where he served as the linebackers coach. He then joined Florida State University, where he spent 18 years in various defensive football coaching capacities, including that of assistant head coach for 14 years. At Florida State, he was defensive line coach for 14 years and spent four seasons as linebacker coach. North Carolina State head coach In 2002, Amato was elected to the American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustees. Amato accumulated an overall record of 49–37, including a record of 34–17 during the four-year period from 2000 through 2003 while Philip Rivers was the starting quarterback. Amato's most successful season was in 2002 when the Wolfpack defeated Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl to cap off an 11–win season in which his team finished No. 12