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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 38
Monday, December 31, 2001
By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist |
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Looking Back on 2001: The Year's Best
©2001 Bonesville.net
Athlete
of the Year: Henry Steps Front and Center
When Leonard Henry paced off the field following East Carolina's 64-61
double-over time loss to Marshall in the GMAC Bowl, it was the slowest his
six-foot-one, 200-pound frame had traveled all day... perhaps all season.
Carrying his offensive player-of-the-game trophy in one hand, and a
sweat-drenched towel in the other, the Clinton senior took that lonely
stroll toward the Pirates' locker room, marking the final time he would make
such a journey.
His 29-carry, 195-yard, three-touchdown performance should have been
enough to propel the Pirates past the Thundering Herd. But instead of
celebrating a fitting end to a fantastic career, Henry's feelings were
dominated by frustration, something which he and his teammates became overly
familiar with during what had been projected as a promising season.
"It's tough — beyond tough," Henry said about the loss to Marshall.
"Those guys in the locker room right now — the senior class is just shocked.
"We know the hard work that we put into not just this season, but the
four years that we've been here, and to come up on the short end as we have
this past season... it hurts."
The hard work certainly showed in Henry's case. Termed a "banger" by head
coach Steve Logan, Henry added a new dimension to his game this year,
evidenced by his break-away speed that netted a number of explosion plays
through the season.
For that, Henry credits new strength and conditioning coach Jim Whitten,
whose workout regimens helped dip the star rusher's 40-yard dash time under
4.5 seconds. In doing so, Henry sacrificed not one iota of the muscular
frame that had a propensity for punishing would-be tacklers.
The end result was a more complete running back, one who would topple the
Conference USA single-season rushing mark this season, gaining 1,432 yards
on 184 carries. Henry crossed the goal line 18 times during the regular
season, 16 of which were on the ground.
Henry also showed his ability as a receiver, hauling in 26 passes for 210
yards, proving his worth as an every-down back.
For his efforts, Henry was named a semi-finalist for the Doak Walker
award, while earning first-team All-C-USA honors and third-team All-America
accolades from both The Sporting News and Football News.
But don't expect all those post-season accolades to go to his head. Never
the chest-thumping, me-first type, Henry is ever mindful to mention those
who opened the truck-sized holes through which he often weaved.
"From day one, the offensive line set out to just go hard and work hard
on every play," said Henry, who became the second leading rusher in ECU
history this season. "When I look in that hole and see those guys out there
diving on the ground, busting their buts for me, then I know I've got to hit
the hole even harder to make those guys look good.
"Those guys get all the credit. They went out and laid it on the line for
me, so I had to lay it on the line for them."
Boy, did he.
Counting the GMAC Bowl, Henry eclipsed the century mark eight times
during the season. Twice, he bested the 200-yard mark.
Henry's 130-plus yards per game ranked sixth-best nationally. His
7.78-yards per carry was second only to BYU's Luke Staley.
The only thing missing was a higher number in the win column.
Regardless, Henry has no regrets about his college career. Recruited by
several big-name schools, Henry wouldn't change a thing about his college
choice, had he to do it over again.
"My career has been great here at ECU," Henry said. "I couldn't ask for
anything more.
"The coaching staff has given me the opportunity to go out and make a
play. That's what coach Logan always talks about."
Henry will get plenty of chances to make plays next year, too. That's
what has the NFL scouts talking.
Ten Most Memorable Stories
The past 12 months have been a mixture of triumph and disappointment for
East Carolina. The Pirates sparkled on the diamond, yet frustrated on the
gridiron. It was one of the most interesting years in ECU's athletics
history. Here are the ten most memorable stories of 2001:
10. Deacs Spoil Pirates' Opener: The Pirates, thought by many a
top-25 team, were brought down to earth by first-year head coach Jim Grobe's
Wake Forest club. Led by a 162-yard rushing performance by Tarence Williams,
the Deacs out-gained the Pirates 451-294 in a 21-19 shocker.
9. CAA Rookie of the Year Mikulas Begins '01 on Suspension:
Gabriel Mikulas had the best freshman season since Lester Lyons singed the
Minges Coliseum nets in the early 90s, but the NCAA would levy two different
suspensions to start the Argentine's sophomore campaign. The first was an
eight-game punishment for playing in games in which other players were paid.
That would be followed by a five-game suspension for playing in
non-sanctioned games.
8. ECU Begins Inaugural C-USA Season for All Sports: The Fall of
2001 could mark the most important in ECU's athletic history, as it became a
C-USA member for all sports. It would be a more memorable time had the
Pirates not already been members in football, which has long been the
school's bread and butter sport.
7. Louisville Downs ECU to Claim C-USA Title: The Pirates and
Cardinals took center stage in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to duke it out on
national TV for the C-USA title. The Cardinals fell behind by two touchdowns
early, but would settle in behind the left arm of C-USA offensive
player-of-the-year Dave Ragone, to win the game and the C-USA crown, 39-34.
6. The L-Train's Wild Ride: Henry had one of the more memorable
seasons of any Pirate in recent history. His 1,432 rushing yards during the
regular season is the second best single-season effort in ECU history,
trailing only Scott Harley's 1,745-yard performance in '96. Harley had a
decided advantage in number of carries, though, toting the ball 307 times,
compared to Henry's 184.
5. Pirates Fall to Heels in Chapel Hill
Following a 20-year cease fire to the ECU-UNC football rivalry, the
Pirates and Heels met on a gray, damp October day in Chapel Hill. Carolina
entered the game on a semi-roll, having defeated Florida State and N.C.
State in succession, while East Carolina limped into the contest off a 44-30
defeat at Syracuse.
Turnovers, missed opportunities, and untimely penalties would prove the
Achilles' heel for the Pirates, who bowed 24-21 in a down-to-the-wire
finish. The Pirates held an early, double-digit lead, as they so often did
throughout the 2001season, but couldn't hold off an emerging Carolina
passing attack.
The tide began to turn with the Pirates primed to add to their 10-0 lead.
But instead of upping the advantage to three scores, quarterback David
Garrard's pass to a wide-open Arnie Powell skipped off the helmet of an ECU
lineman, and into the hands of Tar Heel safety Dexter Reid.
It would be all down hill from there for the Pirates, who had two
touchdowns called back by penalties.
"We had some unfortunate stuff happen to us," Logan said following the
game. "If we have any more touchdowns called back this year, I don't know
what I'm going to do. I think that was number five on the year. I've never
seen anything like it, but that was the call."
After falling behind 21-13, the Pirates were poised to close the gap when
sophomore Art Brown fielded a kickoff and sprinted 81 yards toward the goal
line. But instead of pulling the Pirates closer, Brown was stripped from
behind, and the ball rolled through the end zone for a touchback.
"He was in my blind spot," Brown said following the game. "I really
couldn't see him — he just made a great play. They were kicking away from
Marvin Townes the whole night, because he's a great returner. I just stepped
up and caught the ball and did what my coaches taught me to do.
"That (the fumble) was unfortunate. The guy made a great play on it and
knocked the ball out. Touchback."
Touchback would soon follow with another ill-fated word for the Pirates.
Ballgame.
4. Marshall Rallies Past ECU in GMAC Bowl
East Carolina's second trip to Mobile in three years ended much like the
first one — with a loss. The Pirates held a seemingly comfortable 38-8
advantage, but couldn't dodge a furious second-half stampede by the Herd,
falling 64-61 in double overtime.
The four-and-a-half-hour tilt was deemed an "Instant Classic" by ESPN,
which will air the highest-scoring bowl game in history periodically on the
network's classic channel.
Fueled by a 576-yard, four-touchdown performance by the flame-throwing
Byron Leftwich and two touchdowns off Garrard interceptions, Marshall
chipped away at ECU's lead, finally knotting the score at 51 with just
seconds remaining.
After holding the Pirates to a Kevin Miller field goal in the second
overtime, Leftwich connected with Josh Davis from eight yards out to apply
the finishing touches to the Pirates' disappointing season.
"It's the strangest football team I have ever, ever been around in my
life," Logan said about his team's inability to hold sizable leads. "We
tried everything in the world to try to correct that characteristic, but
couldn't do it."
Despite a 195-yard rushing performance by Henry, East Carolina was unable
control the clock down the stretch, thus giving the Herd ample time to mount
the comeback.
"It's tough — beyond tough," Henry said following the game. "Those guys
in the locker room right now — the senior class is just shocked."
They weren't the only ones.
3. North Carolina Swipes ECU Football Assistants
When John Bunting accepted the head coaching job at North Carolina, it
came as no surprise that ECU defensive assistant James Webster followed his
old college buddy to Chapel Hill. Webster had always longed to coach at his
alma mater, and what better way to do so than to use that good 'ole boy
system.
Oklahoma State assistant Dave Huxtable was one year removed from his
second stint in Greenville when Bunting came calling. Following the advice
of Webster, Carolina's new head coach lured Huxtable back to the Tar Heel
state to coach the linebackers and special teams for the Heels.
The shot heard 'round the East came when strength and conditioning coach
Jeff Connors announced he would follow suit and move to Chapel Hill. After
spending ten years in Greenville, few expected Connors to shun the purple
and gold for baby blue.
Connors departure was not exactly applauded by the Pirate faithful, many
of whom used Internet message boards and radio call-in shows to lash out
against ECU's former strength and conditioning visionary. That campaign
seemed to cause a knee-jerk reaction from Connors, who used the media as his
venue to counter-attack.
Connors' vacant position was eventually filled by Jim Whitten, who held
the same position at Charlotte. Whitten brought with him a Virginia Tech
pedigree. He once served as a team captain for Hokies' head coach Frank
Beamer and later served as a key member of Tech's S&C staff.
Henry, whose remarkable 2001 season toppled records and tweaked the
interest of NFL scouts, credited much of his success to the efforts of
Whitten in the off-season.
Though this story, perhaps, will be one with a happy ending, it will be
forever remembered as a dirty divorce of what seemed to be a match made in
heaven.
2. ECU Baseball Team Aims for Omaha
East Carolina ran through its CAA schedule almost unscathed, finishing
the regular season at 19-2 in the conference, 44-11 overall, which was good
enough to garner the number seven seed in the NCAA tournament. It marked the
third-consecutive year that the Pirates were named a number one seed for a
regional.
Instead of packing up and heading to Louisiana like it did the past two
seasons, East Carolina was rewarded by hosting the regional in Wilson, at
historic Fleming Stadium. Pirate fans responded by scooping up more than
3,000 tickets for the event.
Paced by the pitching of bookend aces Jason Mandryk and Sam Narron, along
with the powerful bats of Chad Tracy and Joseph Hastings, the Pirates swept
through the Wilson regional, defeating Maryland-Baltimore County, South
Florida, and Winthrop in succession.
East Carolina was rewarded again when it was named host of the
Super-Regional, this time at Kinston's Grainger Stadium. The opponent was a
resilient Tennessee Volunteer club, which boasted one of the nation's top
players in short stop Chris Burke.
The Vols posted two-consecutive come-from-behind victories to earn a spot
in Omaha, ending an otherwise banner year for the Pirates, who finished the
season at 47-13.
East Carolina finished the season ranked 11th, which is the highest
ranking in school history. Head coach Keith LeClair was rewarded for his
efforts with a five-year contract extension.
1. Keith LeClair Undergoes Medical Tests
On Wednesday, August 15, Keith LeClair ended all speculation when he
announced that he was undergoing medical tests for what doctors believed
could be Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gherig's
Disease. LeClair underwent medical tests due to neuromuscular difficulties
he had been experiencing in his left arm since March.
Although doctors have yet to diagnose the illness as ALS, tests, along
with LeClair's family history with the disease, lead them to believe that it
is what has afflicted the Pirates' fifth-year head baseball coach.
LeClair's announcement came on the heels of the Pirates' best season as
an NCAA Divison-I program, one that saw the Pirates fall just two outs shy
of advancing to the College Word Series in Omaha. The Pirates led Tennessee
twice heading into the ninth inning but couldn't hold off a resilient
Volunteer club in the two-game sweep.
LeClair also earned ABCA East Region coach of the year honors, as the
Pirates finished the year a school-best fourth in the RPI ratings.
Since arriving in Greenville, LeClair has directed the ECU baseball
program to new heights, including three consecutive NCAA tournament
number-one seeds. Over those three seasons, the Pirates averaged 46 wins per
season, a statistic that has fueled a campaign to build a new baseball
facility for East Carolina.
Despite the illness, LeClair hasn't been sidetracked from the objectives
he set when he took over the ECU program — winning a national championship
and erecting a new stadium.
"It is my hope that this will not distract from our program's goals of
getting to Omaha and winning a College World Series, and the continued
efforts to build a new baseball facility," LeClair said in August.
There will be plenty of space to hang signage of ECU's future CWS
appearances at that new stadium, a facility that will undoubtedly be known
as "The House that Keith Built."
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02/23/2007 01:41:44 AM
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