By
Al Myatt
©2013 Bonesville.net
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News of
the apparent murder of former East Carolina
defensive back Derek Blacknall, 24, at the hands of an older brother
this week was stunning.
I remember Blacknall in particular after one fall
Saturday afternoon at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium because he gave me what
every sports writer is looking for —
a good angle for a story.
It was after
a 37-10 win over Marshall during Ruffin
McNeill's first year as Pirates head coach in 2010.
Blacknall came back from a one-game
suspension against the Thundering Herd. He was disciplined by Conference
USA for a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth quarter of
a 44-43 win at
Southern Miss. The play made a statement against the physical Golden
Eagles but it was the type of blow the NFL and NCAA are trying to
legislate out of the game because of the dangers involved.
Blacknall had to sit out when N.C.
State and quarterback Russell Wilson visited the following week. He
watched
a 33-27 overtime win over the Wolfpack from a restaurant in
Greenville.
His back-up, Damon Magazu, then a freshman, put the final
punctuation on the rival matchup with an interception at the goal line.
"It felt like watching your little brother in a
heavyweight fight and you couldn't do nothing about it," Blacknall said.
"All I could do was cheer my team on and that's exactly what I did. ...
I had confidence in Magazu because he showed us he could do it all
during preseason camp."
Had State gotten into the end zone, all the Wolfpack
would have had to do was kick an extra point for the win. The Pirates
had scored first after regulation but had missed the conversion.
But Blacknall had confidence.
"I wasn't worried," he said. "I felt like I was out
there."
Blacknall said he had a premonition
on the last play, a moment etched in the memories of Pirate Nation.
"I knew the coverage we were in because I could tell by
the alignment of the linebacker and the safety," he said. "When Russell
Wilson threw it, I just had confidence that Magazu was either going to
get a pass break-up or a pick and he came out with a pick."
Blacknall had recognized the
potential that the coaches also saw in Magazu.
"The players know and they tell us," McNeill said. "Just
like they've said about Cam Worthy and DaQuan Barnes on the scout team
this year. We can see it, too. But Derek told us about Mags. He said,
'This guy is good.' "
Blacknall had an interception of
his own against the Herd when he returned.
He was sitting in a back corner of the defensive meeting
room when I spoke with him after that Marshall game.
He also talked about avoiding a letdown the week after
the big win. He said he really appreciated being back after missing the
State game.
I also remember an individual weight training session
that Blacknall had on the first floor of the Murphy Center with strength
and conditioning coach Jeff Connors.
I was there to do a feature for The Pirates' Chest
magazine on Connors. Blacknall was there to work out. He kept pace
during a demanding series with a kettle dumbbell as Connors counted the
cadence and counseled him on his technique.
I was impressed with Blacknall's commitment and
dedication. It was a snapshot of the individual sacrifice that enables a
program to compete at its best.
Blacknall moved from safety to
corner for his senior season. He finished his career with 75 solo
tackles and 53 assists. He also had three interceptions for the Pirates
and forced a pair of fumbles in four seasons.
McNeill runs the program like a family and he was
blindsided by the glum news out of Greensboro.
"I love the kids for who they are, not what they are,"
said the ECU coach. "They become sons."
Current defensive coordinator Rick Smith
recruited Blacknall from Dudley High School when Smith was on Skip Holtz's staff.
"I think one of the best things we did, football-wise,
was put him at corner so he could just relax and play," McNeill said.
"He really played well there and I enjoyed being around him. He was
really a great person to be around.
"When I heard the news, it was like losing a family
member. I love the young men here, whether they play a second or not.
... If they get in a little bit of trouble, I still love 'em."
McNeill got to know Blacknall's mother, Diana, when her
son was in the Pirates program.
"It's tragic, tough," said McNeill, a former Pirate
safety himself. "She really lost two sons because the other one is going
to be gone."
The players, especially those whose careers overlapped
with Blacknall's, were impacted emotionally.
"We've got a mature group, but it was a shock for them,"
McNeill said.
McNeill had seen Blacknall while the coach was on one of
his daily walks some time after Blacknall had completed his eligibility.
"He passed me in his car and he was with some old
teammates," McNeill said. "But I hadn't seen him lately and that
bothered me just a little bit because I hadn't seen him as much as when
he first left.
"Boy, it was tough for us."
The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 and 930 on
Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
This week's guests
were Beef 'O'
Brady's Bowl
executive director
Brett Dulaney and
ECU director of
football
administration Dale
Steele:
