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quarterback Shane Carden (top) and receiver
Justin Hardy (bottom) have stamped their
marks on the program. The record-setting duo
and 17 of their fellow seniors will perform
on the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium turf for the
last time when the Pirates host UCF on
Thursday night. (Bonesville file photos by
W.A. Myatt) |
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American Football
Schedule |
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THURSDAY |
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UCF at ECU,
7:30 pm (ESPN) |
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SATURDAY |
Houston at
Cincinnati, 12 pm (ESPN)
SMU at UConn, 12 pm (CBSSN)
Temple at Tulane, 7:30 pm (ESPN2) |
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FOOTBALL |
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Saying goodbye is never easy |
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 Nineteen
East Carolina seniors will dress for
the final time at Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium on Thursday night. It�s a
stellar group, one that trusted a
brand new coach enough to help start
his program at his alma mater. ...
More
from Brian Bailey... |
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Audio: The Brian
Bailey Show |
  The
Brian Bailey Show
airs on Pirate Radio
1250 on Mondays at
6:30 p.m. Brian's
topic this week was
the N.C. high school
football
playoffs:
Replay
show... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: Coach Ruff Weekly
Presser |
 ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill spoke
with the media at his weekly
press conference on Monday
as the Pirates prepare to
host Central Florida on
Thursday night (courtesy of
Pirate Radio 1250):
Select
clip... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Ziggy perfect in Pirates win |
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GREENVILLE � Michel-Ofik
"Ziggy" Nzege made all nine
of his field goal attempts
to score 18 points and lead
host East Carolina to a
74-59 win over Central
Connecticut State on Sunday
afternoon. ...
More... |
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Ruff post-game audio |
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 ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with the news
media after
the
Pirates defeated Tulsa
on Friday night
(recorded by Al Myatt):
Select audio clip... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Familiar Foes Tangle |
 Familiar
foes clash in the 12th
meeting between Tulsa and
East Carolina. The Pirates
lead the series 6-5-0. East
Carolina has won the last
four meetings, including a
58-24 home victory last
year. ...
More from Greg Vacek... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Ruffin and stuffin' |
 East
Carolina's football team
observed Thanksgiving on
Wednesday and will fly to
Tulsa today for an American
Athletic Conference game
with the Golden Hurricane at
8:30 p.m. Eastern time on
Friday. The contest may be
seen on ESPNU. ...
More from Al Myatt... |
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BASKETBALL |
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Hawaii edges East Carolina |
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ESTERO, FL � East Carolina
overcame an 11-point second
half deficit to lead Hawaii
with 8:18 left in the
fifth-place game in the Gulf
Coast Showcase on Wednesday
before the Rainbow Warriors
responded with a 14-3 run en
route to a 75-73 win over
the Pirates. ...
More... |
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By
Brett Friedlander
�2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View ECU's
2014 football schedule
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
Senior Nights are an emotional occasion regardless of
who�s involved or where they take place. The one that will be celebrated
at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Thursday will just be a little more special
than most because of the group being honored.
The 19 seniors playing their final home game for the
Pirates make up one of the most important classes in their school�s
82-year football history. Their legacy goes far beyond their four-year
record of 31-18 and the opportunity they still have of posting their
school�s first ever back-to-back 10-win seasons.
Arriving on the heels of two straight Conference USA
championships and a coaching change that forced ECU to start over from
scratch as one of the youngest teams in college football, they
successfully bridged the gap between the Skip Holtz and Ruffin McNeill
eras, and the transition to the American Athletic Conference.
In the process, their contributions have been
instrumental in helping transform the Pirates from a successful team
into a consistent, winning program that�s finally beginning to catch the
attention of those outside the confines of the Old North State.
�I love coaching with them and coaching for them,�
McNeill said of the seniors earlier this week. �These guys have done
everything I ask. They�re my sons and it�s not lip service. I love them
more as people than I do inside their uniforms. I love those kids
personally.�
While McNeill will likely shed a tear or two for all 19
upperclassmen as they�re honored before Thursday�s regular season finale
against Central Florida, there are two whose contributions have allowed
them to stand out above the rest.
Shane Carden and Justin Hardy have become the proverbial
�faces of the franchise� over the past three years.
The strong-armed kid from Texas and the former walkon
from Vanceboro have literally rewritten the ECU record books and have
become so linked by their friendship and accomplishments that they�re
now referred to as a single entity, identified by the hashtag "#Cardy."
Carden, a Davey O�Brien Award candidate, is the Pirates�
all-time leader in passing yards (11,167), completions (982), touchdown
passes (81) and total offense (11.085), and is just a couple of weeks
away from being named Player of the Year in his second different
conference.
Hardy, meanwhile, became the leading receiver in FBS
history recently with his 350th career catch. He has since added to that
mark and heads into his final home game with school record marks of 364
receptions, 4,241 yards and 33 scores.
As impressive as those numbers are, they only scratch the
surface of what Carden and Hardy have meant to ECU. Articulate, humble,
hard-working, they have been the embodiment of � in the words of their
coach � what it means to be a Pirate.
That�s why, for all they�ve done for ECU, it�s time for
ECU to give something back to them with a gesture that has been reserved
for only a select few before them.
Only four numbers have ever been retired by the Pirates
and none for anyone who has played more recently than 1967. It�s about
time two more are added to the No. 16 of kicker Robert Farris, the No.
18 of blocking back Norman Swindell, the No. 29 of running back James
Speight and the No. 36 of quarterback Roger Thrift.
It would only be fitting for Hardy�s No. 2 and Carden�s
No. 5 to be given their rightful places of honor either before, during
or after Thursday night�s game so that the gesture can be celebrated by
their teammates and 50,000 of their closest purple-clad friend in the
stands.
By happy coincidence, the retiring of their numbers would
also become cause for ECU to honor two other legends worthy of permanent
recognition, since Jeff Blake � he of the 11-1 Peach Bowl season � also
wore No. 2, and Marcus Crandall � another former Pirate who led his team
to back-to-back Liberty Bowls before going on to a CFL Grey Cup � is a
former No. 5.
Who knows?
Article continues after the following pictures...
Jeff
Blake (top) and Marcus Crandell (bottom)
in action during their star-studded ECU careers.
[Blake:
espn.com; Crandell:
ecupirates.com]
Perhaps McNeill and athletic director Jeff Compher are
already planning a surprise ceremony similar to the one they sprung on
Hardy after he surpassed Oklahoma�s Ryan Broyles as the nation�s
all-time receiving leader on Nov. 22 against Tulane. But even if the
honor has to wait until the team banquet or a game sometime next season,
it�s a move that at some point has to be made.
To allow anyone else to wear Hardy�s No. 2 or Carden�s
No. 5 would be a disservice to the two most important members of one of
the most important senior classes in ECU history.
