East Carolina Pirates football
Encyclopedia
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football
team that represents East Carolina University
(variously "East Carolina" or "ECU"). The team is currently a member of the Conference USA
, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA).
The Pirates
have won seven conference championships and eight bowl games. The Pirates have 20 All-Americans over its history. Four players have their jerseys retired.
The team was founded in Greenville
, North Carolina
, in 1932. The team played home games at College Stadium on the main campus from the 1949 to the 1962 season. With the exception of the 1999 Miami
football game, they have played their home games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
every year since 1963. The stadium is located south of East Carolina’s main campus near the intersection of South Charles Boulevard and 14th Street.
The coaches and administrative support is located in the Ward Sports Medicine Building, which is located adjacent to the stadium. Strength and conditioning for the players occurs in the Murphy Center, which is located in the west end zone of Dowdy-Ficklen. The Pirates scrimmages at adjoining practice facilities named the Cliff Moore Practice Facility.
. They played under the nickname Teachers because the school was a teacher training school. The team played five games, with two in Greenville. They however did not score a point the whole season, while opponents scored a combined 187 points. The 1933 season started just as they left the 1932 season. The team lost the first four game not scoring a point. The first victory in school history came against Campbell on November 11, 1933. The final score was six points for to zero points against. The 1933 team lost their final game against Appalachian St.
14–0. Coach Beatty left after the season.
G.L. "Doc" Mathis was appointed the head coach after Coach Beatty left. Before the season, the school decided to change their nickname. The Men's Athletic Association wanted a nickname to inspire "more spirit and enthusiasm." The name was changed from the Teachers to the present Pirates. His first year, the team lost four games. But, they did win against Presbyterian Junior College and tied William & Mary. The 1935 season included three wins, which was the largest total so far in history. Coach Mathis left after the season.
Bo Farley
was introduced as the third head coach. The 1936 season was the first winning season in school history. Coach Farley's team won against William & Mary, Duke Junior Varsity
and Louisburg
. He only stayed for one season.
in Tennessee
. The season started off bad, losing the first five games. But the team finished on a high note, beating both High Point and Louisburg to finish out the season. The one win in the 1938 season came against Western Carolina. The 1938 team also tied against Guilford.
O. A. Hankner
coached for only one season at East Carolina. His team managed only 18 points and lost every game. The team had numerous injuries that prevented the team from winning a game.
After the disastrous 1939 season, John Christenbury
was tapped as the new head coach. His 1940 team had the first winning season since the 1936 season. The team won the first four games, and lost to North Carolina St. Freshmen
and High Point. The first and currently only undefeated season happened in the 1941 season. The team scored 159 points compared to allowing 20. East Carolina did not field any athletics from 1942–1945 because of World War II
.
, California
on July 1, 1944. Replacing him at coach was Jim Johnson
. Coach Johnson was a 16 letterman while at East Carolina. He was brought in to revitalize the athletic program that was on hiatus because of World War II. His football team went 5–3–1 in 1946. The 1947 season brought East Carolina into the North State Conference
, their first conference affiliation. In the first year of conference play, the team had three wins compared to six losses. The next year was even more disastrous; as his team did not win once. Coach Johnson left after the 1948 season.
Bill Dole
became the Pirates eighth coach after Coach Johnson left. His teams went 4–5–1 in 1949. That made the third consecutive losing year for East Carolina. The 1950 season turned out better. The team tied the amount of wins from the past three years with seven. Coach Dole's last year with the Pirates was in 1951. It was another losing season 4–6. Coach Dole left East Carolina and became the head coach at Davidson.
stepped in as the new head coach after Coach Dole left. During his first year, he guided the Pirates to their first bowl game
ever. After a 6–3–2 regular season, the Pirates were invited to the Lion's Bowl. The team came up short to Clarion College
, losing 13–6. Coach Boone lead the school to another first in the 1953 season. The football team won the North State Conference championship. The team won eight while losing two en route to this championship. For the second time ever, East Carolina went to a bowl game. The team competed against Morris Harvey College
, losing 12–0.
The 1954 season would be the last winning season for four years. Over the four year span the team won 12, losing 23 and tying twice. Coach Boone stayed at East Carolina for four more years, finally leaving after the 1961 season. He, at the time, was the longest tenured coach. He helped usher the Pirates into a conference and post-season play.
. His team went 5–4 his first year. The Pirates went to their first bowl game in nine years in 1963. The team went 9–1 and was invited to the Eastern Bowl. They beat Northeastern
, 27–6 in their first ever bowl win. The next two years, the team again went 9–1 and was invited to the Tangerine Bowl
. They won both games against Massachusetts
, 14–13, in 1964 and Maine
, 31–0 in 1965. Also in 1964, Coach Stasavich was named the NAIA Coach of the Year. The 1965 season also marked entering their first conference, the Southern Conference
, since the North State/Carolinas Conference.
Despite going 4–5–1, Coach Stasavich guided the Pirates to their first conference championship in 13 years. Even though East Carolina won eight games in 1967, they were not invited to a bowl game. The last two seasons for Coach Stasavich were losing seasons. The teams went 4–6 and 2–7.
. He left for the 1971 season to become head coach at his alma mater
, Duke
. The 1970 season would also mark the first game in the ECU-NC State series. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1990.
Sonny Randle
, an assistant coach in 1970, was tapped to take over as head coach after McGee left. His first season only saw four victories. But one victory came over instate rival, North Carolina State. The 1972 season accumulated the most wins in a season for the Pirates, since the 1965 season. The team won the Southern Conference Championship, which was the first time since the 1966 season. The only two losses of the season came against North Carolina State and North Carolina. The 1973 season was much like the 1972 season. The team again won nine games, while only losing to North Carolina State and North Carolina. They also won the conference championship. After the 1973 season, Randle left to become the head coach at his alma mater, Virginia
.
assistant, Pat Dye
, as their new coach in 1974. His first season, the Pirates won seven games, while losing four. The next year, Coach Dye won even more games. The team started the season with an opening losses to North Carolina State and Appalachian State. On October 24, 1974, long time coach and administrator, Clarence Stasavich died. This was one day before the Pirates beat the UNC Tar Heels for the first time ever, 38-17, with Coach Dye preemptively ending the game and taunting the Tar Heels by downing the ball just yards from goal line late in the game. Two games later, on November 8, East Carolina and Dye faced former ECU coach Sonny Randle, who commented on leaving to the ACC program, that the difference between the Virginia program and the ECU program "was like comparing Apples and Oranges." ECU pelted Virginia 61-10 as ECU fans, including then Chancellor Leo Warren Jenkins
, threw tons of apples and oranges onto the field late in the fourth quarter and chanted "We Can Handle, Sonny Randle". Coach Dye brought the team to the nine win plateau again in 1976. His team also became Southern Conference Champions for the first time under his tenure. It would also be the last time the Pirates ever could become Southern Conference Champions. East Carolina left the conference after the 1976 season. The team again became independent. The team had a winning season in 1977. The Pirates won its opener again NC State, 28–23. The next game it went to Durham
to play Duke. Former Pirates coach Mike McGee was still the coach. East Carolina beat the Blue Devils 17–16. The team went on to win eight, while losing three for the season.
. With the winning mark, ECU went to their first bowl game in 13 years. They beat Louisiana Tech
in the Independence Bowl
, 35–13. The 1979 season would be the last for Coach Dye at East Carolina. He moved to coach with Wyoming for a season, before moving again to Auburn
. The team again had a winning season, 7–3–1, but was not invited to a bowl game.
Former player, Ed Emory
became the Pirates fourteenth head coach. His first two years were lackluster, going 4–7 and 5–6. Coach Emory lead East Carolina to a Pirate first in the 1983 season. That team went 8–3, losing only to Florida State
, Florida and Miami
. The Pirates lost by a combined 13 points in those three losses. The team was ranked number 20 in the final AP Poll
, the first time East Carolina finished ranked in the polls. The next season the team won two games while losing nine. Coach Emory was fired after the season.
Art Baker
became the head coach. He previously was the head coach at Furman and the Citadel. Coach Baker never had a winning record. His best season was 1987, when his team won five, while losing six. His teams went 12–32 over four years and he was fired after the 1988 season.
as their new coach. He previously was the coach at Wyoming but was replaced by Pat Dye in 1980. His first year, Coach Lewis won six games, including wins over Cincinnati
and Virginia Tech
. This was the first winning season for the Pirates since the 1983 season. The 1990 season was mediocre for the football team, going 5–6. The best winning season for East Carolina occurred in the 1991 season. After losing the opening game to Illinois
, 31–38, the Pirates won every other game. Notable wins were South Carolina
, Syracuse, Pittsburgh
and Virginia Tech. For their accomplishment, the Peach Bowl invited them to play in their 1992 contest. The team played NC State and came from behind to win 37–34. The Pirates finished the season ranked number #9 in the AP and Coaches Poll
. After the season, Coach Lewis won the 1991 Coach-of-the-Year Award. Coach Lewis left East Carolina to become the new head coach for Georgia Tech
.
Steve Logan
as their seventeenth head coach. He led East Carolina for eleven seasons, from 1992–2002. The 1992 and 1993 seasons were both losing efforts. In 1994 Coach Logan logged his first winning season as a head coach, with ECU winning seven games and losing four in the regular season. The team was rewarded by being invited to the Liberty Bowl
to face Illinois. The Fighting Illini shut out the Pirates 30–0. This was their first bowl game shutout since the Elks Bowl against Morris Harvey in 1954. The Pirates took the momentum from the 1994 season and increased their win count to nine, while losing three in the 1995 season. The only losses were to Tennessee
, Illinois and Cincinnati. For their victories, the Pirates were invited again to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis
, Tennessee
, where they played Stanford
and won 19–13. After the bowl game victory, East Carolina was ranked number 23 in the final Coaches Poll of the year. The 1996 season was another winning year, where they went 8–3 with wins over South Carolina, Miami and NC State. Because they were still Independent, with no bowl tie-ins, the Pirates were left out of post-season play. For the 1997 season, the University was invited to Conference USA
. This would be the football team's first year of conference play since they left the Southern Conference in 1976. The team struggled to shake mediocrity for their first two Conference USA seasons, going 5–6 and 6–5, respectively. The next three years were more fruitful for the Pirates with quarterback David Garrard
. The team enjoyed three straight bowls, losing two while winning one. After going 4–8 in 2002, the administration fired Coach Logan for a substandard season.
The next coach for the Pirates would be then defensive coordinator
from the University of Florida
John Thompson. Coach Thompson's tenure set the Pirates back several years, accumulating only three wins over two years. His teams beat only Army
both years and Tulane
his second year. Newly hired Athletic Director from the University of Virginia
, Terry Holland
, immediately fired Coach Thompson after the 2004 season.
Holland brought in Skip Holtz
to become the Pirates nineteenth head coach. During his first year, Coach Holtz helped turn the team around by winning five games, winning two more games than the entire Thompson era. His first win came during the season opener against Duke. During his second year, he won seven games, making East Carolina bowl-eligible for the first time since the 2001 season. The 2006 team had notable wins over Virginia, Southern Mississippi, Central Florida and North Carolina State. A loss to Rice
in the last conference game of the year kept the Pirates out of the Conference USA Championship Game. For the teams winning season, the newly created Papajohns.com Bowl invited the team to play in their contest, where East Carolina lost to former CUSA rival South Florida
, 24–7. The 2007 team continued their winning ways. The team won eight regular season games; earning the team their second bowl game in two years. For the postseason game they played the Boise State
in the Hawai'i Bowl
, where they beat the Broncos 41–38. This was the first bowl game win since the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl win against Texas Tech
in 2000. On August 30, 2008 the Pirates pulled off a stunning upset against then 17th ranked Virginia Tech 27–22 on a late blocked punt returned for a touchdown by senior wide receiver
T.J. Lee. The next week they pulled off an even more amazing upset of then 8th ranked West Virginia by the score of 24–3, not allowing a touchdown for the entire game. This was the Pirates third straight victory against a top-25 ranked opponent, counting Boise State from the year before. As a result East Carolina was awarded with the number 14 ranking in the Associated Press poll and 20th in the USA Today poll, the highest since January 1992 when the Pirates were ranked ninth. The Pirates finished the 2008 regular season at 9-5, winning the Eastern Division of Conference USA and defeating Tulsa in the Championship game. This was the first Conference Championship for ECU since 1976. ECU was then invited to the Auto Zone Liberty bowl to face the University of Kentucky
, where the Pirates controlled the first half, but fell to UK 25-19. The next season, East Carolina produced a second Conference USA title with a 38-32 win over Houston, and finished the season at 9-5 after an overtime loss to the University of Arkansas
in the Liberty Bowl. On January 14, 2010, it was announced that Holtz was quitting his position at East Carolina for the University of South Florida
, taking the place of the recently fired Jim Leavitt.
and Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill
would become the 20th head coach of the Pirates. McNeill was a defensive back for the Pirates for four years, three of which he was a starter and two he served as team captain. In his first year with the Pirates, McNeill helped East Carolina to the 1976 Southern Conference Championship and a berth to the Independence Bowl two years later. McNeill graduated from East Carolina University in 1980.
The Pirates play their home games at Bagwell Field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. Dr. Leo Jenkins
, President of East Carolina, announced his plans to build a new stadium for the Pirates on October 7, 1961. It took a year for Dr. Jenkins to raise $283,387, even though only $200,000 was requested. The James Skinner Ficklen Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Sept. 21, 1963. The original stadium included stands on the south side, a press box and a lighting system.
Ficklen Stadium has gone through many enhancements over the years. The north side stands were built in 1968, increasing its capacity to 20,000. During 1977–
1978, seating was increased by 15,000. In 1994, the stadium was renamed Dowdy-Ficklen and roads were improved around the stadium. For the 1996–
1998 seasons, the upper deck on the north side was built and improvements were made to the press box on the south side. A new scoreboard was introduced in 1999 and a 12 feet (3.7 m), three ton sculpture of the Pirate was unveiled.
James Ficklen, a Greenville tobacconist, established the Ficklen Foundation, which is a financial aid foundation. Ronald and Mary Ellen Dowdy, a real estate developer in Orlando
, Florida
, donated a million dollars to the school. For his donation, Ficklen Stadium changed names to the current Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 1994. Al and Debbie Bagwell of Lake Gaston
, Virginia
, donated a large gift to the school and the field was named Bagwell Field in their honor in 1995.
on Charles Boulevard. The facility consist of three fields, two natural
and one FieldTurf
. The natural fields are based on Dowdy-Ficklen field. The fields are Bermuda Tift grass
with gravel and sand-based drainage. Both fields are parallel to one another and run north to south. The FieldTurf field is perpendicular to the natural grass fields. The field is 78120 square feet (7,257.6 m²).
, North Carolina
. The Center was built for approximately $13 million.
On the second floor, football and basketball offices are located here. Also, the ECU Hall of Fame is housed. In addition, classrooms for students are situated here. On the third floor, the Pirate Club has their offices. Also, the Director of Athletics Terry Holland
, has his office here. Other administrative and support officials have offices here. The building is named for two alumni, Robert Allen (Bob) and Margaret Ann Cude Ward.
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† - North Carolina vacated all wins from 2009.
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, where the Hokies won 17-7. In 2008, the Pirates beat the Hokies in Charlotte with a blocked punt 27-22. Virginia Tech leads the series 11-5.
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. The NCAA recognizes five All-American lists. They are the Associated Press
, American Football Coaches Association
, Football Writers Association of America
, The Sporting News
, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation
. Some of these also have levels such as a first team All-American, or second team, or third team. A consensus All-American is determined using a point system; three points if the player was selected for the first team, two points for the second team, and one point for the third team. East Carolina has had 21 All-Americans (three consensus) in its history.
style="font-size:90%;">
1989
Junior Robinson - DB, KR
1990
Robert Jones
- LB
1991
Jeff Blake
- QB
Dion Johnson - WR, KR
Robert Jones - LB
1992
Tom Scott - OL
1993
Carlester Crumpler Jr.
- TE
1999
Andrew Bayes - P
2001
Pernell Griffin - LB
Leonard Henry
- FB
2007
Chris Johnson
- RB-KR
2009
Matt Dodge - P
East Carolina has had 63 players picked in the draft. Their first ever selection was Roger Thrift, a blocker that was picked by the Cleveland Browns
, in the 1951 NFL Draft
. In the 2008 NFL Draft
, Chris Johnson
, was picked by the Tennessee Titans
in round one. The team's selection in the most recent draft, the 2011 NFL Draft
, was wide receiver Dwayne Harris
that was selected by the Dallas Cowboys
.
, Virginia
who participated in football from 19xx–19xx. He was a kicker for the Pirates. Farris died in an automobile accident while driving back to Greenville to start the 1967 football season.
, North Carolina
who participated in football from 1963–1965. He was a blocking back and was voted the most valuable player on the 1965 team. Swindell drowned during Christmas break near his house after the 1965 season.
over 2700 yards (2,468.9 m) over his career.
honorable mention Little All-America for the 1949 and 1950 seasons
es of the Pirates. Steve Logan is the all-time leader in games coached, years coached, and wins, while John Christenbury leads all coaches in winning percentage with 0.867. O. A. Hankner is statistically the worst coach the Pirates have had in terms of winning percentage, with .000.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team that represents East Carolina University
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
(variously "East Carolina" or "ECU"). The team is currently a member of the Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA).
The Pirates
The Pirate (mascot)
PeeDee the Pirate is the official mascot of East Carolina University. PeeDee is usually represented as a stylized Pirate cartoon, with an over sized head with a full black beard and patch over his right eye. On top of his head is a large purple hat with ECU written in yellow on the front. He...
have won seven conference championships and eight bowl games. The Pirates have 20 All-Americans over its history. Four players have their jerseys retired.
The team was founded in Greenville
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, in 1932. The team played home games at College Stadium on the main campus from the 1949 to the 1962 season. With the exception of the 1999 Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
football game, they have played their home games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Bagwell Field at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium is the on-campus football facility for the East Carolina Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina. The official capacity of the stadium is 50,000, making it the third largest college stadium in North Carolina. The record attendance for the stadium was on October...
every year since 1963. The stadium is located south of East Carolina’s main campus near the intersection of South Charles Boulevard and 14th Street.
The coaches and administrative support is located in the Ward Sports Medicine Building, which is located adjacent to the stadium. Strength and conditioning for the players occurs in the Murphy Center, which is located in the west end zone of Dowdy-Ficklen. The Pirates scrimmages at adjoining practice facilities named the Cliff Moore Practice Facility.
1932–1977
Beatty, Mathis and Farley era
East Carolina began organized football in the fall of 1932. The first football coach in school history was Kenneth BeattyKenneth Beatty
Kenneth Beatty was the first football, basketball and baseball coach at then East Carolina Teaching College. He was the coach from 1932-1933. He volunteered his time to the teams. He was inducted into the ECU Hall of Fame in 1974.-Football:...
. They played under the nickname Teachers because the school was a teacher training school. The team played five games, with two in Greenville. They however did not score a point the whole season, while opponents scored a combined 187 points. The 1933 season started just as they left the 1932 season. The team lost the first four game not scoring a point. The first victory in school history came against Campbell on November 11, 1933. The final score was six points for to zero points against. The 1933 team lost their final game against Appalachian St.
Appalachian State Mountaineers football
The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team is the college football team at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers have competed in the Southern Conference since 1972, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
14–0. Coach Beatty left after the season.
G.L. "Doc" Mathis was appointed the head coach after Coach Beatty left. Before the season, the school decided to change their nickname. The Men's Athletic Association wanted a nickname to inspire "more spirit and enthusiasm." The name was changed from the Teachers to the present Pirates. His first year, the team lost four games. But, they did win against Presbyterian Junior College and tied William & Mary. The 1935 season included three wins, which was the largest total so far in history. Coach Mathis left after the season.
Bo Farley
Bo Farley
Roland "Bo" Farley was the head coach of the East Carolina University college football program in 1936.-Football:-References:...
was introduced as the third head coach. The 1936 season was the first winning season in school history. Coach Farley's team won against William & Mary, Duke Junior Varsity
Duke Blue Devils
Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry...
and Louisburg
Louisburg College
Louisburg College is a private two-year college located in Louisburg, North Carolina. The Methodist-affiliated college claims that 90 percent of its graduates move on to four-year institutions...
. He only stayed for one season.
Alexander, Hankner and Christenbury era
J. D. Alexander began coaching in the 1937 season. He previously was the head coach at Lincoln MemorialLincoln Memorial University
Lincoln Memorial University is a private four-year co-educational liberal arts college located in Harrogate, Tennessee.LMU's campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park....
in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The season started off bad, losing the first five games. But the team finished on a high note, beating both High Point and Louisburg to finish out the season. The one win in the 1938 season came against Western Carolina. The 1938 team also tied against Guilford.
O. A. Hankner
O. A. Hankner
Oscar A. Hankner is an American sports personality who, during the 1938 season, served as the fourth head football coach in Eureka, Illinois for the Eureka College Red Devils....
coached for only one season at East Carolina. His team managed only 18 points and lost every game. The team had numerous injuries that prevented the team from winning a game.
After the disastrous 1939 season, John Christenbury
John Christenbury
John Boyd Christenbury was East Carolina Teachers College sixth head football coach. He was also the head basketball and baseball coach. He coached during the 1940 and 1941 seasons. His 1941 team went 7-0. This is currently the only time an ECU team has gone undefeated. He finished his two...
was tapped as the new head coach. His 1940 team had the first winning season since the 1936 season. The team won the first four games, and lost to North Carolina St. Freshmen
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
and High Point. The first and currently only undefeated season happened in the 1941 season. The team scored 159 points compared to allowing 20. East Carolina did not field any athletics from 1942–1945 because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Johnson and Dole era
Coach Christenbury was killed in an explosion at Port ChicagoPort Chicago, California
Port Chicago was a town on the southern banks of Suisun Bay, in Contra Costa County, California. It was located east-northeast of Martinez, at an elevation of 13 feet...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on July 1, 1944. Replacing him at coach was Jim Johnson
Jim Johnson (coach)
Jim Johnson was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was tapped to reintroduce men's sports to East Carolina after World War II. He was the seventh head coach of the football, basketball and baseball teams at East Carolina Teachers...
. Coach Johnson was a 16 letterman while at East Carolina. He was brought in to revitalize the athletic program that was on hiatus because of World War II. His football team went 5–3–1 in 1946. The 1947 season brought East Carolina into the North State Conference
North State Conference
The North State Conference was a collegiate athletic conference in the United States and is the predecessor of Conference Carolinas. Founded on December 6, 1930 at the Washington Duke Hotel in Durham, North Carolina, the conference was formed “for the greater advantage of the small colleges in...
, their first conference affiliation. In the first year of conference play, the team had three wins compared to six losses. The next year was even more disastrous; as his team did not win once. Coach Johnson left after the 1948 season.
Bill Dole
Bill Dole
William Edward "Bill" Dole, Sr. was a head coach of the East Carolina and Davidson college football program.-Head coaching record:-References:...
became the Pirates eighth coach after Coach Johnson left. His teams went 4–5–1 in 1949. That made the third consecutive losing year for East Carolina. The 1950 season turned out better. The team tied the amount of wins from the past three years with seven. Coach Dole's last year with the Pirates was in 1951. It was another losing season 4–6. Coach Dole left East Carolina and became the head coach at Davidson.
Boone era
Jack BooneJack Boone
Robert Lee "Jack" Boone was an American football player and coach. He became the ninth head football coach for East Carolina Teachers College in 1952. In 1952 the Pirates saw their first action in the postseason when they played Clarion State College in the Lions Bowl, but lost 13–6...
stepped in as the new head coach after Coach Dole left. During his first year, he guided the Pirates to their first bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
ever. After a 6–3–2 regular season, the Pirates were invited to the Lion's Bowl. The team came up short to Clarion College
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Clarion University of Pennsylvania, located on a campus in Clarion, Pennsylvania, is one of fourteen universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education ....
, losing 13–6. Coach Boone lead the school to another first in the 1953 season. The football team won the North State Conference championship. The team won eight while losing two en route to this championship. For the second time ever, East Carolina went to a bowl game. The team competed against Morris Harvey College
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston is a private university in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of over 1,300 students.-History:The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church...
, losing 12–0.
The 1954 season would be the last winning season for four years. Over the four year span the team won 12, losing 23 and tying twice. Coach Boone stayed at East Carolina for four more years, finally leaving after the 1961 season. He, at the time, was the longest tenured coach. He helped usher the Pirates into a conference and post-season play.
Stasavich era
The tenth head coach for the Pirates was Clarence Stasavich. He came to East Carolina after 16 years at Lenoir-Rhyne CollegeLenoir-Rhyne College
Lenoir–Rhyne University is a co-educational, private liberal arts university founded in 1891 and located in Hickory, North Carolina, USA. The university is affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ....
. His team went 5–4 his first year. The Pirates went to their first bowl game in nine years in 1963. The team went 9–1 and was invited to the Eastern Bowl. They beat Northeastern
Northeastern Huskies
The Northeastern University Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey ; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey and volleyball, swimming, and men's and women's soccer , and...
, 27–6 in their first ever bowl win. The next two years, the team again went 9–1 and was invited to the Tangerine Bowl
Capital One Bowl
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl...
. They won both games against Massachusetts
UMass Minutemen
The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I sports competition. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure. Strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and...
, 14–13, in 1964 and Maine
Maine Black Bears
The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams which represent the University of Maine. They compete in NCAA Division I athletics, with the majority of the teams playing in the America East Conference...
, 31–0 in 1965. Also in 1964, Coach Stasavich was named the NAIA Coach of the Year. The 1965 season also marked entering their first conference, the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
, since the North State/Carolinas Conference.
Despite going 4–5–1, Coach Stasavich guided the Pirates to their first conference championship in 13 years. Even though East Carolina won eight games in 1967, they were not invited to a bowl game. The last two seasons for Coach Stasavich were losing seasons. The teams went 4–6 and 2–7.
McGee and Randle era
Mike McGee coached at East Carolina for only the 1970 season. He compiled a 3–8 record. His team recorded wins over Furman, Marshall and Davidson. The victory over Marshall was sadly the final football game for the 75 Marshall players, coaches, and administrators that departed on Southern Airways Flight 932 for Huntington as their plane crashed, leaving no survivors. This tragedy is memorialized in the movie We Are MarshallWe Are Marshall
We Are Marshall is a 2006 American drama film directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 37 football players on the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team as well as five coaches, two athletic trainers, the athletic director, 25 boosters and...
. He left for the 1971 season to become head coach at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. The 1970 season would also mark the first game in the ECU-NC State series. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1990.
Sonny Randle
Sonny Randle
-References:...
, an assistant coach in 1970, was tapped to take over as head coach after McGee left. His first season only saw four victories. But one victory came over instate rival, North Carolina State. The 1972 season accumulated the most wins in a season for the Pirates, since the 1965 season. The team won the Southern Conference Championship, which was the first time since the 1966 season. The only two losses of the season came against North Carolina State and North Carolina. The 1973 season was much like the 1972 season. The team again won nine games, while only losing to North Carolina State and North Carolina. They also won the conference championship. After the 1973 season, Randle left to become the head coach at his alma mater, Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Dye era
East Carolina brought in AlabamaAlabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
assistant, Pat Dye
Pat Dye
Patrick Fain Dye is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at East Carolina University , the University of Wyoming , and Auburn University compiling a career college football record of 153–62–5...
, as their new coach in 1974. His first season, the Pirates won seven games, while losing four. The next year, Coach Dye won even more games. The team started the season with an opening losses to North Carolina State and Appalachian State. On October 24, 1974, long time coach and administrator, Clarence Stasavich died. This was one day before the Pirates beat the UNC Tar Heels for the first time ever, 38-17, with Coach Dye preemptively ending the game and taunting the Tar Heels by downing the ball just yards from goal line late in the game. Two games later, on November 8, East Carolina and Dye faced former ECU coach Sonny Randle, who commented on leaving to the ACC program, that the difference between the Virginia program and the ECU program "was like comparing Apples and Oranges." ECU pelted Virginia 61-10 as ECU fans, including then Chancellor Leo Warren Jenkins
Leo Warren Jenkins
Leo Warren Jenkins was the sixth president and chancellor of what is now East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, USA. He was born in Succasunna, New Jersey and attended Rutgers University, majoring in political science. He enlisted in World War II as a marine, serving during the...
, threw tons of apples and oranges onto the field late in the fourth quarter and chanted "We Can Handle, Sonny Randle". Coach Dye brought the team to the nine win plateau again in 1976. His team also became Southern Conference Champions for the first time under his tenure. It would also be the last time the Pirates ever could become Southern Conference Champions. East Carolina left the conference after the 1976 season. The team again became independent. The team had a winning season in 1977. The Pirates won its opener again NC State, 28–23. The next game it went to Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
to play Duke. Former Pirates coach Mike McGee was still the coach. East Carolina beat the Blue Devils 17–16. The team went on to win eight, while losing three for the season.
Dye, Emory and Baker era
East Carolina began the 1978 season under the new Division 1-A moniker. Coach Dye guided the Pirates to a 8–3 record after the season. The team only lost to instate rivals North Carolina and North Carolina State, and Southern MississippiSouthern Miss Golden Eagles football
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles football program represents the University of Southern Mississippi in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Eagles are members of Conference USA and player their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi...
. With the winning mark, ECU went to their first bowl game in 13 years. They beat Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football
The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football program represents Louisiana Tech University in Western Athletic Conference. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Since the Bulldogs first season in 1901, Louisiana Tech has compiled an all-time record of 554 wins, 422...
in the Independence Bowl
Independence Bowl
The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976....
, 35–13. The 1979 season would be the last for Coach Dye at East Carolina. He moved to coach with Wyoming for a season, before moving again to Auburn
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
. The team again had a winning season, 7–3–1, but was not invited to a bowl game.
Former player, Ed Emory
Ed Emory
Ed Emory is a former American football player and coach. He became East Carolina University fourteenth head football coach in 1980. He was at the helm of another Pirate first. In 1983, he guided the Pirate faithful to a 8-3 record and a #20 ranking in the Associated Press final national poll. His...
became the Pirates fourteenth head coach. His first two years were lackluster, going 4–7 and 5–6. Coach Emory lead East Carolina to a Pirate first in the 1983 season. That team went 8–3, losing only to Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, Florida and Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
. The Pirates lost by a combined 13 points in those three losses. The team was ranked number 20 in the final AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, the first time East Carolina finished ranked in the polls. The next season the team won two games while losing nine. Coach Emory was fired after the season.
Art Baker
Art Baker (coach)
Art Baker is a former head coach of the Furman , The Citadel and East Carolina college football programs. Baker is a 1953 Presbyterian College graduate and also was a former assistant football coach there. Baker played football for the Blue Hose from 1950 to 1952, starting at halfback his last...
became the head coach. He previously was the head coach at Furman and the Citadel. Coach Baker never had a winning record. His best season was 1987, when his team won five, while losing six. His teams went 12–32 over four years and he was fired after the 1988 season.
Bill Lewis era
East Carolina tapped Bill LewisBill Lewis (football)
-External links:*...
as their new coach. He previously was the coach at Wyoming but was replaced by Pat Dye in 1980. His first year, Coach Lewis won six games, including wins over Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats football
The Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in a college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the Big East Conference. The Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as...
and Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
. This was the first winning season for the Pirates since the 1983 season. The 1990 season was mediocre for the football team, going 5–6. The best winning season for East Carolina occurred in the 1991 season. After losing the opening game to Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
, 31–38, the Pirates won every other game. Notable wins were South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks football
The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. The Gamecocks have been a member of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach, and the team plays its home games at Williams-Brice...
, Syracuse, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
and Virginia Tech. For their accomplishment, the Peach Bowl invited them to play in their 1992 contest. The team played NC State and came from behind to win 37–34. The Pirates finished the season ranked number #9 in the AP and Coaches Poll
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
. After the season, Coach Lewis won the 1991 Coach-of-the-Year Award. Coach Lewis left East Carolina to become the new head coach for Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Logan and Thompson era
The Pirates chose their offensive coordinatorOffensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Steve Logan
Steve Logan (football)
Steve Logan is an American football coach currently serving as the running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was the head coach at East Carolina University from 1992–2002, where he is the all-time winning coach in program history.-Early years:Logan is a...
as their seventeenth head coach. He led East Carolina for eleven seasons, from 1992–2002. The 1992 and 1993 seasons were both losing efforts. In 1994 Coach Logan logged his first winning season as a head coach, with ECU winning seven games and losing four in the regular season. The team was rewarded by being invited to the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
to face Illinois. The Fighting Illini shut out the Pirates 30–0. This was their first bowl game shutout since the Elks Bowl against Morris Harvey in 1954. The Pirates took the momentum from the 1994 season and increased their win count to nine, while losing three in the 1995 season. The only losses were to Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
, Illinois and Cincinnati. For their victories, the Pirates were invited again to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, where they played Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
and won 19–13. After the bowl game victory, East Carolina was ranked number 23 in the final Coaches Poll of the year. The 1996 season was another winning year, where they went 8–3 with wins over South Carolina, Miami and NC State. Because they were still Independent, with no bowl tie-ins, the Pirates were left out of post-season play. For the 1997 season, the University was invited to Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
. This would be the football team's first year of conference play since they left the Southern Conference in 1976. The team struggled to shake mediocrity for their first two Conference USA seasons, going 5–6 and 6–5, respectively. The next three years were more fruitful for the Pirates with quarterback David Garrard
David Garrard
David Douglas Garrard is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent.Garrard played college football at East Carolina. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and served as the team's starting quarterback from 2007 to 2010...
. The team enjoyed three straight bowls, losing two while winning one. After going 4–8 in 2002, the administration fired Coach Logan for a substandard season.
The next coach for the Pirates would be then defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
from the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
John Thompson. Coach Thompson's tenure set the Pirates back several years, accumulating only three wins over two years. His teams beat only Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....
both years and Tulane
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...
his second year. Newly hired Athletic Director from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, Terry Holland
Terry Holland
Michael Terrence "Terry" Holland is the Athletics Director and Executive Assistant to Chancellor Steve Ballard at East Carolina University...
, immediately fired Coach Thompson after the 2004 season.
Holtz era
Skip Holtz
Louis Leo "Skip" Holtz, Jr. is the head coach of the University of South Florida football team. For the previous five years, he served as the head coach of the East Carolina University football team...
to become the Pirates nineteenth head coach. During his first year, Coach Holtz helped turn the team around by winning five games, winning two more games than the entire Thompson era. His first win came during the season opener against Duke. During his second year, he won seven games, making East Carolina bowl-eligible for the first time since the 2001 season. The 2006 team had notable wins over Virginia, Southern Mississippi, Central Florida and North Carolina State. A loss to Rice
Rice Owls
The Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest.Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic...
in the last conference game of the year kept the Pirates out of the Conference USA Championship Game. For the teams winning season, the newly created Papajohns.com Bowl invited the team to play in their contest, where East Carolina lost to former CUSA rival South Florida
South Florida Bulls football
The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus...
, 24–7. The 2007 team continued their winning ways. The team won eight regular season games; earning the team their second bowl game in two years. For the postseason game they played the Boise State
2007 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2007 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2007 college football season. The Broncos, led by second year head coach Chris Petersen, play their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the...
in the Hawai'i Bowl
2007 Hawai'i Bowl
The 2007 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Boise State University Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 23, 2007...
, where they beat the Broncos 41–38. This was the first bowl game win since the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl win against Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders football
Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University . The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
in 2000. On August 30, 2008 the Pirates pulled off a stunning upset against then 17th ranked Virginia Tech 27–22 on a late blocked punt returned for a touchdown by senior wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
T.J. Lee. The next week they pulled off an even more amazing upset of then 8th ranked West Virginia by the score of 24–3, not allowing a touchdown for the entire game. This was the Pirates third straight victory against a top-25 ranked opponent, counting Boise State from the year before. As a result East Carolina was awarded with the number 14 ranking in the Associated Press poll and 20th in the USA Today poll, the highest since January 1992 when the Pirates were ranked ninth. The Pirates finished the 2008 regular season at 9-5, winning the Eastern Division of Conference USA and defeating Tulsa in the Championship game. This was the first Conference Championship for ECU since 1976. ECU was then invited to the Auto Zone Liberty bowl to face the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, where the Pirates controlled the first half, but fell to UK 25-19. The next season, East Carolina produced a second Conference USA title with a 38-32 win over Houston, and finished the season at 9-5 after an overtime loss to the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in the Liberty Bowl. On January 14, 2010, it was announced that Holtz was quitting his position at East Carolina for the University of South Florida
South Florida Bulls football
The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus...
, taking the place of the recently fired Jim Leavitt.
McNeill era
On January 21, 2010, it was announced that former ECU Defensive BackDefensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator Ruffin McNeill
Ruffin McNeill
Ruffin McNeill is the head football coach for the East Carolina Pirates. Before being named head coach, McNeill served the Texas Tech Red Raiders as an interim head coach, assistant head coach, special teams coordinator, and linebackers coach...
would become the 20th head coach of the Pirates. McNeill was a defensive back for the Pirates for four years, three of which he was a starter and two he served as team captain. In his first year with the Pirates, McNeill helped East Carolina to the 1976 Southern Conference Championship and a berth to the Independence Bowl two years later. McNeill graduated from East Carolina University in 1980.
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Leo Warren Jenkins
Leo Warren Jenkins was the sixth president and chancellor of what is now East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, USA. He was born in Succasunna, New Jersey and attended Rutgers University, majoring in political science. He enlisted in World War II as a marine, serving during the...
, President of East Carolina, announced his plans to build a new stadium for the Pirates on October 7, 1961. It took a year for Dr. Jenkins to raise $283,387, even though only $200,000 was requested. The James Skinner Ficklen Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Sept. 21, 1963. The original stadium included stands on the south side, a press box and a lighting system.
Ficklen Stadium has gone through many enhancements over the years. The north side stands were built in 1968, increasing its capacity to 20,000. During 1977–
1978, seating was increased by 15,000. In 1994, the stadium was renamed Dowdy-Ficklen and roads were improved around the stadium. For the 1996–
1998 seasons, the upper deck on the north side was built and improvements were made to the press box on the south side. A new scoreboard was introduced in 1999 and a 12 feet (3.7 m), three ton sculpture of the Pirate was unveiled.
James Ficklen, a Greenville tobacconist, established the Ficklen Foundation, which is a financial aid foundation. Ronald and Mary Ellen Dowdy, a real estate developer in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, donated a million dollars to the school. For his donation, Ficklen Stadium changed names to the current Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 1994. Al and Debbie Bagwell of Lake Gaston
Lake Gaston
Lake Gaston is a hydroelectric reservoir in east United States of America. Part of the lake is in the North Carolina counties of Halifax, Northampton, and Warren. The part extending into Virginia lies in Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, donated a large gift to the school and the field was named Bagwell Field in their honor in 1995.
Cliff Moore Practice Facility
The Cliff Moore Practice Facility is located between Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and Clark-LeClair StadiumClark-LeClair Stadium
Clark-LeClair Stadium is the home of Pirate baseball at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. The stadium was named after Pirate alumnus and key contributor Bill Clark and former Pirate skipper Keith LeClair. The current ECU Head Coach is Billy Godwin.The stadium has 3,000...
on Charles Boulevard. The facility consist of three fields, two natural
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
and one FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
. The natural fields are based on Dowdy-Ficklen field. The fields are Bermuda Tift grass
Cynodon
Cynodon is a genus of nine species of grasses, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Old World. The genus as a whole as well as its species are commonly known as Bermuda Grass or Dog's Tooth Grass.-Species:...
with gravel and sand-based drainage. Both fields are parallel to one another and run north to south. The FieldTurf field is perpendicular to the natural grass fields. The field is 78120 square feet (7,257.6 m²).
Murphy Center
The Murphy Center is located in the west endzone at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. It is a 52475 square feet (4,875.1 m²) multi-purpose building. The building opened its doors to ECU student-athletes in June 2002 and officially dedicated on September 13, 2002. On the ground floor is the Walter and Marie Williams Strength and Conditioning Area where athletes train. Also on the ground floor is the Robert and Virginia Maynard Lobby. On the second story is the C. Felix and Margaret Blount Harvey Banquet Hall, the Dick and Susan Jones Academic Enhancement Center and the Bill and Emily Furr Lobby. Located between Harvey Hall and the Jones Academic Enhancement Center is the sport memorabilia area. The building is named for Pete and Lynn Murphy of Rose HillRose Hill, North Carolina
Rose Hill is a town in Duplin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,330 at the 2000 census.Rose Hill claims to be the home of the world's largest frying pan.-Geography:Rose Hill is located at ....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The Center was built for approximately $13 million.
Ward Sports Medicine Building
The Ward Sports Medicine Building is located adjacent to the Murphy Center at East Carolina. It is a three story building that was built in 1989. It is 80283 square feet (7,458.5 m²) and cost $8 million to build. On the first floor are football locker rooms, athletic training room, equipment room, and a women's locker room which hosts the ECU softball, women's soccer, and women's tennis teams. Also on the first floor are meeting rooms for the football team. The eight rooms consist of one 107-seat team meeting room, one 55-seat unit room, and six 12 to 15 team positional rooms.On the second floor, football and basketball offices are located here. Also, the ECU Hall of Fame is housed. In addition, classrooms for students are situated here. On the third floor, the Pirate Club has their offices. Also, the Director of Athletics Terry Holland
Terry Holland
Michael Terrence "Terry" Holland is the Athletics Director and Executive Assistant to Chancellor Steve Ballard at East Carolina University...
, has his office here. Other administrative and support officials have offices here. The building is named for two alumni, Robert Allen (Bob) and Margaret Ann Cude Ward.
NC State
ECU has played N.C. State over 17 times since 1978, making State East Carolina's second-most played opponent, along with West Virginia and Cincinnati. The schools are approximately 85 miles (136.8 km) away and are the largest (N.C. State) and third largest (East Carolina) universities in the state. The series started as a yearly occurrence, from 1970–1987, but was halted after an off-field incidence in 1987. The next time the two teams played was in the 1992 Peach Bowl, when the Pirates came from behind to win 37–34. The Wolfpack's first trip to Greenville occurred in 1999, when East Carolina beat State 23–6. Beginning in the 2006 season, the Wolfpack and Pirates agreed to a five-year home-and-home series to revive the rivalry. State leads the overall series 16–11, but East Carolina has won eight out of the last fourteen.Series Results
|}|}
North Carolina
East Carolina and North Carolina is the eleventh-most played series for ECU since 1978. Because both are large state schools, East Carolina being the second largest and North Carolina being the third largest, many fans and alumni live close to one another. The series began in 1972, but the two have only played four times since 1981. Two of the last five times occurred in Greenville, where the teams split the games at one a piece. In 2005, both teams agreed to a five-year four game home-and-home series. And with the current series ending in 2011, both schools agreed to a 2 year extention for the 2012 & 2013 seasons. UNC will host ECU in Chapel Hill in 2012 and ECU will host the final year, in 2013, in Greenville, NC. Overall, UNC officially leads the series 10-2-1, 11-2-1 including the vacated 2009 game.Series Results
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† - North Carolina vacated all wins from 2009.
Southern Miss
The Pirates have played the Golden Eagles 29 times since 1978, making them the most played opponent since then. Southern Miss joined Conference USA a year before East Carolina joined. The two have been division rivals since 2005. The two have played each other every year since 1978, excluding the 1979, 1981 and 1982 seasons. USM holds the win-loss record at 26–10.Series Results
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West Virginia
The Pirates have played West Virginia 21 times since 1970. From 2002 to 2009, the Pirates and the Mountaineers met annually. The first time the two teams met was in Greenville in 1970, where West Virginia won 28-14 and would continue to win the next few series until 1995, when East Carolina recorded its first win over the Mountaineers in Greenville, 23-20. East Carolina has never beaten West Virginia in Morgantown. The two teams agreed to extend the rivalry in 2013, after a three year break. West Virginia leads the series 18-3.|}
|}
Virginia Tech
East Carolina and the Hokies have played 16 times since 1956. Virginia Tech won the first meeting in 1956, 37-2, but East Carolina's first win came the next time the teams met in 1987, 32-23. The two schools met annually from 1987–1994. The Pirates and the Hokies met on the field in Blacksburg in the first football game after the Virginia Tech massacreVirginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
, where the Hokies won 17-7. In 2008, the Pirates beat the Hokies in Charlotte with a blocked punt 27-22. Virginia Tech leads the series 11-5.
Series Results
|}|}
Traditions
- Colors – The Pirates official colors are old goldOld GoldOld gold is a dark yellow, which varies from light olive or olive brown to deep or strong yellow. The widely-accepted color "Old gold" is on the darker rather than the lighter side of this range....
and royal purplePurplePurple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
. Currently helmets are metallic purple with gold writing. Uniforms are either all purple, purple and white, or all white. - Songs – The fight song, known as E.C. VictoryE.C. VictoryE.C. Victory is the official fight song at East Carolina University. At the beginning of football games, the National Anthem and Alma Mater is played. Right after the Alma Mater is finished, the Marching Band and crowd starts to sing the E.C. Victory song. The song is also played after touchdowns...
, is played after every touchdown or big play. The football players sing the alma materHail to Thy Name So FairHail to Thy Name So Fair is the alma mater at East Carolina University. It first appeared in the 1940-41 East Carolina Teachers College Student Handbook. It was written by Harold A. McDougle who became a part-time instructor in the Music Department from 1946-47.The Marching Pirates perform the...
with the students after every home game. Before the players enter the field, the poem The Ghost on The Wind plays. After the poem, the Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
song Purple HazePurple Haze"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
plays while the players run onto the field. Since 2007, the song Purple and Gold by Udon Cheek plays periodically throughout the game. - Nicknames – East Carolina football teams have had several nicknames over the years including the Teachers, Buccaneers, or EC. Originally, the sports teams were called the Teachers. In 1934, the Men's Athletic Association decided they wanted a new nickname to inspire "more spirit and enthusiasm." The Pirate was chosen, and is currently the official nickname.
- Mascots – The Pirate is the official mascot of the university. It was formally known as PeeDee the Pirate, from its inception in 1983 until December 1985, when Chancellor HowellJohn McDade HowellJohn McDade Howell was the seventh chancellor of East Carolina University. Dr. Howell was born in Five Points, Alabama. In 1942, he joined the US Army Air Corps and served for three years in the European Theater, which he received a Bronze Star...
dropped PeeDee from the name. The University once again adopted the name PeeDee the Pirate after the unveiling of an updated look for the Pirate in the 2008 homecoming football game against the Marshall Thundering HerdMarshall Thundering HerdThe Marshall Thundering Herd are the intercollegiate athletic teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in Conference USA, which are members of the NCAA Division I...
. The first official mascot was Buc, a Great DaneGreat DaneThe Great Dane , also known as German Mastiff or Danish Hound , is a breed of domestic dog known for its giant size...
. He was the mascot from 1958, until his death in 1961. Other mascots included Pete, a dog who was a mascot in the 1970s and a live wildcat from 1930–1931. - Game day traditions – Many game weekend traditions occur each home football game. Each Friday is Purple and Gold Day, or Paint it Purple Fridays. Supporters of the university are encouraged to wear colors and insignias of the university the day before the game. Before each game, the Pirate Walk occurs. The football players walk from Clark-LeClair StadiumClark-LeClair StadiumClark-LeClair Stadium is the home of Pirate baseball at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. The stadium was named after Pirate alumnus and key contributor Bill Clark and former Pirate skipper Keith LeClair. The current ECU Head Coach is Billy Godwin.The stadium has 3,000...
to the football stadium and fans come by to show support to the team. A cannonCannonA cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
is fired when the players run onto the field and after every score. During the intermission between the third and fourth quarter a new flag is raised. The normal jolly roger flag with a black background is lowered and replaced with a No Quarter flag. The No Quarter flag is a jolly roger flag with a burgundy background, to symbolize soaked blood. Below the jolly roger are the words No QuarterNo quarterA victor gives no quarter when the victor shows no clemency or mercy and refuses to spare the life in return for the surrender at discretion of a vanquished opponent....
.
Season-by-season results
- This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Pirates under Skip Holtz. For the full season-by-season results, see East Carolina Pirates football seasonsEast Carolina Pirates football seasonsThis is a list of seasons completed by the East Carolina Pirates football team since the team's creation in 1932 under Coach Kenneth Beatty. Since that first season, the Pirates have played over 700 regular-season games and 15 bowl games....
.
| Conference Champions | Bowl game berth |
| Season | Conference | Season results | Bowl result | Final ranking | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | AP Poll AP Poll The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation... |
Coaches Poll Coaches Poll The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams.... |
||||
| 2005 | Conference USA East | 4 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | Conference USA East | 2 | 7 | 6 | Lost Papajohns.com Bowl vs. South Florida South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus... 24–7 |
— | — | ||
| 2007 | Conference USA East | 2 | 8 | 5 | Won Hawai'i Bowl 2007 Hawai'i Bowl The 2007 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Boise State University Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 23, 2007... vs. Boise State 2007 Boise State Broncos football team The 2007 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2007 college football season. The Broncos, led by second year head coach Chris Petersen, play their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the... 41–38 |
— | — | ||
| 2008 | Conference USA East | 1 | 9 | 5 | Lost Liberty Bowl 2009 Liberty Bowl The 2009 AutoZone Liberty Bowl is the fiftieth annual college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee on January 2, 2009 as part of the 2008-09 bowl season. The East Carolina Pirates accepted their invitation after their victory over the Tulsa... vs. Kentucky 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team The 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head coach was Rich Brooks, who served his sixth year in the position... 19–25 |
— | — | ||
| 2009 | Conference USA East | 1 | 9 | 5 | Lost Liberty Bowl 2010 Liberty Bowl (January) The 2010 Liberty Bowl was the fifty-first edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game started at 5:30 PM US EST on Saturday, January 2, 2010... vs. Arkansas 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team The 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2009 football season. The Razorbacks played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and two home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Head coach... 17–20 OT |
— | — | ||
| 2010 | Conference USA East | 2 | 6 | 6 | Lost Military Bowl vs. Maryland 51–20 | — | — | ||
| Totals | 37 | 24 | 0 | (regular season only) | |||||
| 1 | 3 | 0 | (bowl games only) | ||||||
| 390 | 357 | 11 | (all games) | ||||||
Conference championships
East Carolina has been in a total of three conferences: North State, Southern and Conference USA. The team were the champions in the North State Conference in 1953. The Pirates won the Southern Conference three times outright, and shared the championship once. On December 5, 2008 East Carolina Defeated Tulsa 27-24 to capture the 2008 Conference USA championship, their first conference title in 32 years. On December 5, 2009, they defeated Houston 38-32 to win their 2nd stratght C-USA title.| Date | Conference |
|---|---|
| 1953 | North State Conference North State Conference The North State Conference was a collegiate athletic conference in the United States and is the predecessor of Conference Carolinas. Founded on December 6, 1930 at the Washington Duke Hotel in Durham, North Carolina, the conference was formed “for the greater advantage of the small colleges in... Champions |
| 1966 | Southern Conference Southern Conference The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North... Co-Champions |
| 1972 | Southern Conference Champions |
| 1973 | Southern Conference Champions |
| 1976 | Southern Conference Champions |
| 2008 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2... |
Conference USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... Champions |
| 2009 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the... |
Conference USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... Champions |
Bowl games
The Pirates have participated in 17 bowl games. Of the 17 games, they have won eight and lost nine. The first five bowl games occurred before the split of Division I football. The team went to one bowl game twice, the Tangerine Bowl and have been to the Liberty Bowl four times. East Carolina's most recent bowl game was the 2010 Northrup Grumman Military Bowl. East Carolina ranks 71 in the number of Division 1-A bowl games. The team ranks 70 in the number of Division 1-A bowl wins. The Pirates are 34th for current bowl streaks, with four.| Date | Bowl | Opponent | Location | Result/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 1952 | Lions Bowl | Clarion Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clarion University of Pennsylvania, located on a campus in Clarion, Pennsylvania, is one of fourteen universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education .... |
Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in Rowan County in North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. The population was 33,663 in the 2010 Census . It is the county seat of Rowan County... |
L, 6–13 |
| January 2, 1953 | Elks Bowl | Morris-Harvey University of Charleston The University of Charleston is a private university in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of over 1,300 students.-History:The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church... |
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh... |
L, 0–12 |
| December 14, 1963 | Eastern Bowl | Northeastern Northeastern Huskies The Northeastern University Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey ; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey and volleyball, swimming, and men's and women's soccer , and... |
Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently... |
W, 27–6 |
| December 12, 1964 | Tangerine Bowl Capital One Bowl The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl... |
UMass | Gainesville, Florida Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university's Florida Gators football team. It is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The stadium was originally built in 1930, and has been regularly... |
W, 14–13 |
| December 11, 1965 | Tangerine Bowl | Maine | Gainesville, Florida Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field is the football stadium for the University of Florida and the home field of the university's Florida Gators football team. It is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida campus. The stadium was originally built in 1930, and has been regularly... |
W, 31–0 |
| December 16, 1978 | Independence Bowl Independence Bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976.... |
Louisiana Tech Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football program represents Louisiana Tech University in Western Athletic Conference. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Since the Bulldogs first season in 1901, Louisiana Tech has compiled an all-time record of 554 wins, 422... |
Shreveport, Louisiana | W, 35–13 |
| January 2, 1992 | Peach Bowl | NC State NC State Wolfpack football The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.... |
Atlanta, Georgia Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the... |
W, 37–34 |
| December 31, 1994 | Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003... |
Illinois Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51... |
Memphis, Tennessee Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team... |
L, 0–30 |
| December 30, 1995 | Liberty Bowl | Stanford Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The... |
Memphis, Tennessee Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team... |
W, 19–13 |
| December 22, 1999 | Mobile Alabama Bowl | TCU TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football... |
Mobile, Alabama Ladd Peebles Stadium Ladd Peebles Stadium is a stadium in Mobile, Alabama. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field for the Senior Bowl, the GoDaddy.com Bowl, the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, and the University of South Alabama Jaguars... |
L, 14–28 |
| December 27, 2000 | Galleryfurniture.com Bowl 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl The 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Texas Tech University Red Raiders from the Big 12 and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas on December 27, 2000. It was the inaugural game in the... |
Texas Tech Texas Tech Red Raiders football Texas Tech Red Raiders football program is a college football team that represents Texas Tech University . The team competes, as a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association... |
Houston, Texas Reliant Astrodome Reliant Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, USA. The stadium is part of the Reliant Park complex... |
W, 40–27 |
| December 19, 2001 | GMAC Bowl 2001 GMAC Bowl The 2001 GMAC Bowl, a college football bowl game held on December 19 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, pitted the Marshall Thundering Herd, then of the Mid-American Conference, against the East Carolina Pirates from Conference USA... |
Marshall Marshall Thundering Herd football The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Conference USA Eastern division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision... |
Mobile, Alabama Ladd Peebles Stadium Ladd Peebles Stadium is a stadium in Mobile, Alabama. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field for the Senior Bowl, the GoDaddy.com Bowl, the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic, and the University of South Alabama Jaguars... |
L, 64–61/2OT |
| December 23, 2006 | Papajohns.com Bowl | South Florida South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus... |
Birmingham, Alabama Legion Field Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak... |
L, 7–24 |
| December 23, 2007 | Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl 2007 Hawai'i Bowl The 2007 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Boise State University Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 23, 2007... |
Boise State 2007 Boise State Broncos football team The 2007 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2007 college football season. The Broncos, led by second year head coach Chris Petersen, play their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the... |
Honolulu, Hawaii Aloha Stadium Aloha Stadium is a stadium located in the Halawa CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Currently Aloha Stadium is home to the University of Hawaii Warriors football team... |
W, 41–38 |
| January 2, 2009 | Autozone Liberty Bowl 2009 Liberty Bowl The 2009 AutoZone Liberty Bowl is the fiftieth annual college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee on January 2, 2009 as part of the 2008-09 bowl season. The East Carolina Pirates accepted their invitation after their victory over the Tulsa... |
Kentucky 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team The 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head coach was Rich Brooks, who served his sixth year in the position... |
Memphis, Tennessee Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team... |
L, 25–19 |
| January 2, 2010 | Autozone Liberty Bowl 2010 Liberty Bowl (January) The 2010 Liberty Bowl was the fifty-first edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game started at 5:30 PM US EST on Saturday, January 2, 2010... |
Arkansas 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team The 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2009 football season. The Razorbacks played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and two home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Head coach... |
Memphis, Tennessee Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team... |
L, 20–17 OT |
| December 29, 2010 | Military Bowl | Maryland 2010 Maryland Terrapins football team The 2010 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Terrapins' 58th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and its sixth within the framework of the ACC Atlantic Division... |
Washington, DC | L, 20-51 |
| Total Record: 8 -9 |
All-Americans
Every year, several publications release lists of the their ideal "team". The athletes on these lists are referred to as All-AmericansCollege Football All-America Team
The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
. The NCAA recognizes five All-American lists. They are the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
, Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
, The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation
Walter Camp Football Foundation
The Walter Camp Football Foundation is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA. The organization also presents various awards.-Awards:*Walter Camp Player of the Year*CT Player of the Year...
. Some of these also have levels such as a first team All-American, or second team, or third team. A consensus All-American is determined using a point system; three points if the player was selected for the first team, two points for the second team, and one point for the third team. East Carolina has had 21 All-Americans (three consensus) in its history.
| style="font-size:90%;"> | |
| 1955 | Lou Hallow - Lineman |
| 1964 | Bill Cline - QB |
| 1965 | Dave Alexander - FB |
| 1974 | Danny Kepley Danny Kepley Daniel "Danny" Kepley, is a former star linebacker with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.Kepley played his college football at East Carolina University... - LB |
| 1975 | Jim Bolding - DB |
| 1976 | Jim Bolding - DB |
| Cary Godelle - DE | |
| 1979 | Wayne Inman - OL |
| 1981 | Tootie Robbins Tootie Robbins James Elbert "Tootie" Robbins was a offensive tackle who played 12 seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers.... - OL |
| 1982 | Jody Schulz Jody Schulz Jody John Schulz is a former American football linebacker who played for five seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League from 1983–1987. He was drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 1983 NFL Draft... - DE |
| 1983 | Terry Long - OL |
Robert Jones (American football)
Robert Lee Jones is a former American football linebacker who played 10 seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the St...
- LB
Jeff Blake
Jeff Bertrand Coleman Blake is a retired American football quarterback who played in the National Football League. Although he finished his career with the Chicago Bears, he was formerly a quarterback for the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona...
- QB
Carlester Crumpler Jr.
Carlester T. Crumpler is a former American football tight end in the NFL. He played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings...
- TE
Leonard Henry
Leonard Henry is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
- FB
Chris Johnson (running back)
Christopher Duan Johnson is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League...
- RB-KR
NFL Draft
East Carolina has had 63 players picked in the draft. Their first ever selection was Roger Thrift, a blocker that was picked by the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, in the 1951 NFL Draft
1951 NFL Draft
The 1951 National Football League Draft was held on January 18–January 19, 1951. The Baltimore Colts folded after the 1950 season. The NFL placed their players in the 1951 NFL draft.-Player selections:-Round one:...
. In the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
, Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson (running back)
Christopher Duan Johnson is an American football running back for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League...
, was picked by the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in round one. The team's selection in the most recent draft, the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
, was wide receiver Dwayne Harris
Dwayne Harris
Dwayne Lenard Harris is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at East Carolina. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as the eleventh pick of the sixth round.-High School:...
that was selected by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.
Retired numbers
East Carolina have retired four jerseys for their football team. Two players died while on the team, Robert Farris and Norman Swindell, and the two other players, James Speight and Roger Thrift, set record while playing for the Pirates. Robert Farris wore jersey number 16. Norman Swindell wore jersey number 18. James Speight wore jersey number 29. Roger Thrift wore jersey number 36.Robert Farris
Robert Farris, number 16, was a player from Falls ChurchFalls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
who participated in football from 19xx–19xx. He was a kicker for the Pirates. Farris died in an automobile accident while driving back to Greenville to start the 1967 football season.
Norman Swindell
Norman Swindell, number 18, was a player from New BernNew Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
who participated in football from 1963–1965. He was a blocking back and was voted the most valuable player on the 1965 team. Swindell drowned during Christmas break near his house after the 1965 season.
James Speight
James Speight, number 29, was a player from Greenville, North Carolina who participated in football from 1955–1959. He was a running back and was voted the most valuable player on the 1957 and 1959 teams. Speight held the school record for most points in a game, 26, and rushedRush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
over 2700 yards (2,468.9 m) over his career.
Roger Thrift
Roger Thrift, number 36, was a player from New Bern, North Carolina who participated in football from 1949–1950. He was a quarterback and earned all-conference, all-state, andhonorable mention Little All-America for the 1949 and 1950 seasons
Head coaches
There have been 20 head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
es of the Pirates. Steve Logan is the all-time leader in games coached, years coached, and wins, while John Christenbury leads all coaches in winning percentage with 0.867. O. A. Hankner is statistically the worst coach the Pirates have had in terms of winning percentage, with .000.
Staff
| Position | Name | Years at ECU | Alma Mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head Coach Head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches... : |
Ruffin McNeill Ruffin McNeill Ruffin McNeill is the head football coach for the East Carolina Pirates. Before being named head coach, McNeill served the Texas Tech Red Raiders as an interim head coach, assistant head coach, special teams coordinator, and linebackers coach... |
1st (2nd Overall) | East Carolina '80 |
| Associate Head Coach/ Linebackers Coach: |
John Wiley | 1st | East Texas State '84 |
| Defensive Coordinator Defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... Secondary Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of... Coach: |
Brian Mitchell Brian Mitchell (American football coach) Brian Keith Mitchell is an American football coach and former professional cornerback who played three seasons for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League... |
1st | Brigham Young Brigham Young Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah... '90 |
| Offensive Coordinator Offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach... / Quarterbacks Coach: |
Lincoln Riley | 1st | Texas Tech Texas Tech University Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the... '06 |
| Offensive Linemen Coach: | Brandon Jones | 1st | Texas Tech '06 |
| Inside Receivers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator | Donnie Kirkpatrick | 6th | Lenoir-Rhyne Lenoir-Rhyne College Lenoir–Rhyne University is a co-educational, private liberal arts university founded in 1891 and located in Hickory, North Carolina, USA. The university is affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America .... '82 |
| Running Back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... s Coach: |
Clay McGuire | 1st | Texas Tech '04 |
| Outside Receivers Coach | Dennis Simmons | 1st | Brigham Young '96 |
| Defensive Tackle Coach | Marc Yellock | 1st (3rd Overall) | East Carolina '00 |
| Assistant Coach | Thomas Roggeman | 6th | Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish football Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an... '85 |
| Director of Strength & Conditioning | Jeff Connors | 1st | Salem College Salem College Salem College is a liberal arts women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina founded in 1772. Originally established as a primary school, it later became an academy and finally a college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college... '80 |
| Director of HS Football Relations | Harold Robinson | 7th | East Carolina '72 |
| Director of Football Administration | Cary Godette | 1st (6th overall) | East Carolina '76 |
| Director of Football Operations | Reed Case | 3rd | Ohio Ohio University Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus... '95 |
| Administrative Assistant to Ruffin McNeill | Ryan Mills | 7th | North Carolina University of North Carolina Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century... '02 |
| Administrative Assistant | Jamie Benna | 2nd | East Carolina '08 |
| Administrative Assistant | Ann Coyle | 4th | East Carolina '06 |