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FOOTBALL |
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Ruff does some 'head' coaching |
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 Being
a Football Bowl Subdivision head
coach can involve supervising game
plans, maximizing recruiting,
directing staff, responding to
media, making appearances and in
Ruffin McNeill's approach, being a
father figure to over 100 young men.
This week the East Carolina head
coach also has been just that, a
head coach, shaping the mental side
for the Pirates
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More from
Al Myatt... |
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FOOTBALL |
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ECU's finances get a boost |
East Carolina
is changing its stripes. Or
more accurately, it’s
trading in its swoosh for
three stripes. Athletic
director Jeff Compher broke
the news Wednesday when he
announced that the school
has agreed to a 10-year
exclusive partnership with
adidas, effective next July
when its current contract
with Nike comes to an end. ...
More from
Brett Friedlander... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Coach addressing 'Ruff' times |
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Even though they had very little
experience, both James Summers and
Blake Kemp seemed to be having fun
after being thrust into the
experience of playing the
quarterback position at East
Carolina. Lately that has not been
the case ...
More from
Brian Bailey... |
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MULTIMEDIA |
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Audio: Ruff Weekly
Presser |
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  ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
met with reporters on Monday
at his weekly press
conference
(audio courtesy of
Pirate Radio 1250; file photo):
Select audio clip... |
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The good, the bad, and the Huskies |
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13 |
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31 |
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 MONDAY
INFOGRAPHIC: When losses happen,
fingers start pointing. Don't blame
East Carolina's Friday night road
loss to Connecticut on the white
crossbones helmets – the Pirates are
0-3 wearing the alternate helmet.
Don't blame it on the day of the
week – ECU is 18-23 overall in
non-Saturday matchups. The Pirates'
31-13 defeat by the Huskies is hard
to figure. ...
Details and data from Greg Vacek... |
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FOOTBALL |
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Kevin's Keys to the Game |
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 The
East Carolina Pirates come into
today's American Athletic Conference
game at 4-4 while the Connecticut
Huskies are 3-4. Both teams are well
into their conference schedules and
are in desperate need of an AAC win
after coming off league losses.
...
More from Kevin Monroe... |
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FOOTBALL |
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'Play the next play' |
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It
was not a happy group of East
Carolina football players that left
Bagwell Field after a 24-14 loss to
No. 21 Temple Thursday night. The
Pirate supporters among a crowd of
39,417 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium were
frustrated, too.
...
More from
Al Myatt... |
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BASKETBALL |
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AAC hoops has its
day |
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 ORLANDO, FL —
The
three-year-old American
Athletic Conference
continues to make a name for
itself. The league currently
has three of the Football
Bowl Subdivision's unbeaten
football teams.
Houston, Memphis and Temple are all 7-0. The Tigers are
ranked No. 16 by the Associated Press, the Cougars are No. 18 and the
Owls are No. 21 going into a high profile matchup on Saturday in
Philadelphia with Notre Dame.
As good as its going on the gridiron, the AAC has been
even better in basketball. ...
Story, pictures & audio
from Al Myatt...
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Pictured: The
American Athletic
Conference
basketball
championship trophy
was on display at
the league's media
day on Tuesday at
the Amway Center in
Orlando, FL. (Photo by
Al
Myatt; more pictures
on this page...) |
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By
Brett Friedlander
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
VIEW MOBILE VERSION OF THIS PAGE
East Carolina is
changing its stripes. Or more accurately, it’s trading in its swoosh for
three stripes.
Athletic director
Jeff Compher broke the news Wednesday when he announced that the school
has agreed to a 10-year exclusive partnership with adidas, effective
next July when its current contract with Nike comes to an end.
The deal will provide
each of the Pirates’ 17 teams with athletic footwear, apparel and other
accessories through the 2025-26 athletic season and is reported to be
worth $16.5 million. It will make ECU one of only 11 schools nationwide
with a top-tier, all-sport, multi-year agreement with the Portland,
Oregon-based company.
N.C. State, Arizona
State, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska,
Texas A&M, and UCLA are the others.
Although there will
almost certainly be a segment of the fan base that criticizes the new
affiliation and considers it a step down given the higher profile Nike
has in the athletic apparel marketplace – especially in basketball –
Wednesday’s announcement is yet another example of the foresight Compher
has brought to ECU since his arrival in Greenville three years ago.
Those planned
upgrades to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium over the next few years aren’t going
to pay for themselves, after all. And it’s going to take money, a lot of
money, to finance the “full cost of attendance” promise that will help
keep the Pirates on an even playing field with their so-called Power
Five rivals.
Story
continues after the following ad...
By all accounts, the
amount offered by adidas blew Nike’s bid to keep the ECU contract – as
well as those from other, unspecified companies – completely out of the
water. An added benefit to the increased revenue is the money the
Pirates will save on the increased equipment and uniforms included as
part of the adidas deal.
“The enhanced value
for me is that adidas is equally excited about East Carolina and this
agreement is very reflective of that,” football coach Ruffin McNeill
said in a statement. “It also represents putting the needs of all ECU
student-athletes and programs first, which is always our top priority.
I'm also excited to see and be a part of an innovative design for our
game and team apparel that will surely impact our recruiting process.”
The lucrative new
deal is yet another positive byproduct of ECU’s recent upgrade to the
American Athletic Conference, a league that offers increased national
exposure through its television contract with ESPN.
It’s doubtful the
Pirates’ brand would have been strong enough to generate the same kind
of attention had they still been a member of Conference USA.
“We're excited about
the direction of athletics at East Carolina University," said Jim
Murphy, the director of adidas America’s NCAA sports marketing
department. “Our mission is to help athletes perform better and we’re
looking forward to bringing this winning attitude to all men’s and
women’s athletics at ECU.”
The Pirates will
continue to wear Nike apparel until July 2016.
In the meantime,
representatives from adidas plan to come to Greenville in the coming
months to consult with each team to gauge their individual needs and
preferences.
“I’m fired up and
really excited that our university is one of 11 schools to have a
national brand with adidas,” baseball coach Cliff Godwin said. “Nike did
a great job with us, but being a top-tier school that gets the most gear
and equipment from adidas is very exciting for ECU and the future of our
program.”
It’s a future the
Pirates will be much better equipped to face now, as they take their
next steps toward national recognition with three stripes on their shoes.
ECU
coach Ruffin McNeill
spoke with reporters
after the Pirates' loss
at UConn (recorded by
Al Myatt;
file photo):
