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ECU's leap of faith tests backers

By Brett Friedlander
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

There’s a price to winning in college sports. And it’s a lot more expensive than just hard work, dedication and all those other noble traits we love to talk about.

It takes money. Lots of money.

The cost of success has risen so high, especially now that the so-called Power Five conferences have been granted their autonomy, that some schools have decided to cash out and stop trying.

UAB, which directly cited excessive financial obligation as the reason for dropping its football program recently, is the most glaring example of that.

But not everyone has resorted to such drastic measures. At East Carolina, they’ve taken the opposite approach.

For years, the Pirates and their large, loyal following of fans have considered themselves to be on par with the big boys — especially their higher-profile ACC neighbors. Thanks to a pair of important decisions over the past two weeks, they’ve proved that desire is more than just idle talk.

By becoming the first of the so-called Group of Five schools to approve full cost-of-attendance funding and taking the first steps toward improving its most visible athletic facility, ECU has ensured its ability to compete on a level playing field with those big boys.

Even if, as a member of the American Athletic Conference, it isn’t officially one of them.

“To compete on a national level and win championships requires a significant investment in the well-being of our student-athletes, more now than ever,” athletic director Jeff Compher said in announcing the full cost-of-attendance move. “The recruiting process, similar to the entire model of collegiate athletics, has evolved to the point where it is imperative to provide this support. The landscape in which we live continues to change, but our resolve to remain at the forefront and in a leadership position should not.”

The new scholarship guidelines will go into effect on Aug. 1 and include academic-related supplies, transportation to and from school and other personal incidentals beyond the traditional tuition, books, room and board.

ECU has set the cost of those extra provisions at $4,025 with football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball players getting a full payment the first year of the play and Olympic sports athletes getting half. All scholarship athletes will get a full share starting in Year Two.

“Now we have some weapons when we go recruit,” football coach Ruffin McNeill said recently during the Pirates Armada stop in Wilmington aboard the USS North Carolina. “There’s separation in the Power Five and in the Group of Five. With Coach Compher and the administration getting that cost-of-attendance in, we’re the first team in the American Conference to do that. That’s a weapon (Power Five rivals) can’t use against us.”

In an effort to further disarm the opposition, the Pirates have begun an initiative that could eventually bring about further improvements to the recently expanded and renovated Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

To that end surveys have been sent out to approximately 92,000 alumni, Pirates Club members, season-ticket holders and, as Compher said, “any email we can get that’s affiliated with the university” to solicit ideas.

“We wanted to make a big impact,” Compher said. “We felt it was better to lead from the front. … I didn’t want it to look like we were reacting to someone else. I wanted us to be doing this on our own, so we went ahead with things.”

While things such as club seating, a new press box and expanded tailgating areas might seem superficial, every little bit helps when it comes to competing with the likes of future Power Five opponents North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina and Florida.

“You’d be surprised, kids are really into the facilities,” McNeill said. “They love our fans and our passion, but they ask about the stadium.”

Those questions may soon be easier to answer. Others, however, not as much. Specifically, how is ECU going to pay for all of this?

That’s something school administrators have yet to figure out, though Compher acknowledges “some belt-tightening” will be involved.

Playing on even terms with the big boys isn’t cheap. But if you’re going to commit to doing it, as ECU seems to have done, it’s best to jump off that plank like any good Pirate would — with guns a’blazing.

Because while talk might be cheap, the cost of winning at the highest level of college sports is anything but.

Contact Brett Friedlander

PAGE UPDATED 05/08/15 02:03 AM.

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