The Bradsher Beat
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
By Bethany Bradsher |
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Logan,
Garrard win another one together
Former
coach and his QB, authors of key chapters in Pirate gridiron lore,
capture ECU athletics' ultimate honor
By
Bethany Bradsher
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
For years, I have deferred
to those in the Pirate Nation with far more seniority than me, mindful
of the fact that there are legions of East Carolina fans with decades of
purple and gold history under their belts.
But this weekend at the
Homecoming Game something is happening that makes me feel qualified to
climb into my rocking chair and wax a little nostalgic — David Garrard
and Steve Logan are being inducted into the ECU Athletic Hall of Fame.
In my estimation, these
two are certainly as worthy as any who have passed through Pirate
country, but I have always considered Hall of Fame selection as
something that comes decades after one’s glory years. It seems like only
a year or two ago when I was hanging out at the Ward Center, enjoying
the free spread that ECU used to offer to attract sportswriters,
listening to Logan and Garrard break down some of the gridiron program's
greatest triumphs.
I moved to Greenville in
August of 1999 with a miniscule slice of East Carolina knowledge. But
even before we had unpacked all of our boxes, I had two news outlets
hire me to provide Pirate football coverage — so I started cramming.
The Pirates hit the ground
running that fall, forcing me to do the same. Less than three weeks
after I arrived, they knocked off West Virginia, followed by Duke. A
month after my move, my initiation to Eastern North Carolina intensified
considerably when Hurricane Floyd hit and led to the most catastrophic
flooding in the region’s history.
From a football
standpoint, Floyd’s destruction meant that the Pirates had to stay in
Columbia — where they had just dispatched the Gamecocks for their third
straight victory — to train for their next game, which was scheduled as
a home contest against Miami. Suddenly I was writing stories about ECU
for news outlets in South Carolina, all before I had even learned Thing
One about the 1991 Peach Bowl.
Through that exciting
autumn — peaking with ECU’s improbable win over Miami at Carter-Finley
Stadium and a national ranking — I would have been hopelessly lost
without the knowledge and nuance provided by Steve Logan. I had covered
the NFL for two seasons and had experience interviewing several other
collegiate coaches, but I had never encountered a coach with the rapier
wit and the depth of football knowledge I discovered at Logan’s Monday
press conferences.
True confession: It can be
hard for women to learn enough about football to cover the game with
excellence. Other than a memorable evening as a middle linebacker for my
high school Powder Puff team in 1986, I had never set foot on a football
field prior to becoming a sportswriter, so my understanding of the sport
had to come from outside sources.
I am grateful to Logan for
accelerating that process and for refusing to settle for the same old
coachspeak. I would frequently come home and play my recording of his
remarks for my husband, wanting to relieve either his dry humor or his
astute football observations. Every time Logan has found his way to a
radio show I rejoice, because we need more of his brand of candid
perspective in this business.
At those same press
conferences, after we were treated to a series of Loganisms, the media
would gather around David Garrard at a round table to hear his insights
about the upcoming game. Later I interviewed key players who were
visibly nervous about talking to reporters; in a few cases the athletes
making the greatest contribution on the field were so uncomfortable that
they struggled to put together a lucid response to our questions.
Garrard was the complete
opposite. Always humble and never seeking the spotlight, he nonetheless
showed maturity and generosity during interviews, whether his previous
outing had been triumphant or troubling. He was only a sophomore that
season, but his potential for leadership seemed boundless even then.
With clutch performances
like the comeback from a 20-3 deficit against Miami that day in Raleigh,
it came as no surprise to me when Garrard went on to turn heads in the
NFL as a quarterback, and I was even less shocked at his generous
service to the communities where he played. Of course, the end of
Garrard’s story is still unwritten, but I have no concerns whatsoever
about his potential to keep inspiring in football or any other realm of
life.
East Carolina is a school
that cherishes its heritage, and even though Logan and Garrard still
seem like yesterday’s headlines, I am grateful that they will take their
proper place in the Pirate legacy this weekend. I am grateful to both of
them for pursuing excellence during their ECU careers and teaching me
such valuable lessons along the way.
E-mail Bethany Bradsher
PAGE UPDATED
10/10/12 03:30 AM.
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