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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
By Brian Bailey |
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Ultimate team player
gone but not forgotten
By
Brian Bailey
©2010 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Coach Rock Roggeman dies
after quiet struggle with cancer.
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Rock Roggeman
passes at 47. |
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(ECU SID image) |
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Yesterday afternoon word
came that East Carolina
assistant football coach
Rock Roggeman had lost
his battle with cancer.
Those of us that were
lucky enough to know
Rock realize what a true
football man he was.
Life was important, but
life was football to
Coach Rock.
Roggeman was hard on his
players, but his players
loved him for it.
In Memphis last season,
Rock surprised his
defensive lineman by
making the trip and
showing up at practice.
To a man each one of
those players gave Rock
a hug and the mutual
admiration was very
evident.
Roggeman was very
private about his battle
with cancer. It was a
battle that had its ups
and downs. Roggeman
stayed strong through
both good and bad
reports on his health.
During his battle he
wanted no attention
whatsoever. He asked the
players and coaches to
keep the focus on the
team. That focus led to
a second consecutive
Conference USA
championship.
As the team celebrated
the win over Houston in
the league title game, I
grabbed Pirate defensive
coordinator Greg Hudson
for a quick comment.
Hudson had tears
streaming down his face.
“This was for Rock,”
Hudson said as sobbed.
“This was for Rock.”
Roggeman made an impact
on many in his short
time in Greenville.
Again, he was a football
guy through and through.
Coach, we’ll miss you
because you were truly
one of a kind!
What’s next in
realignment?
Like most in the Pirate
Nation, I have watched
every conference move,
every rumor, and every
theory with great
interest.
ECU Director of
Athletics Terry Holland
knew that his job was to
put East Carolina in the
best position possible
when the dominos started
to fall. I truly believe
that with Holland and
Chancellor Steven
Ballard, the leadership
is in place to find ECU
a BCS home.
Those dominos started
falling to the west. So
far, the east has yet to
see a change. But those
changes could still be
coming.
The problem with all of
this is that there is
absolutely no known best
case scenario for East
Carolina to get an
invitation to BCS
automatic qualifier
conference.
That’s not to say there
aren’t theories out
there. One man’s SEC
expansion is another
man’s Big 12 implosion.
If the SEC raids the ACC
and the ACC then raids
the Big East, then
what’s left? But then a
report came out saying
the SEC wouldn’t go
after schools in the
ACC.
Either way, will there
be a slot open in an AQ
conference for East
Carolina? Will there be
a Big East left that’s
worthy of an automatic
qualifier status?
Talk about a fluid
situation. This thing
simply changes by the
hour.
On Friday, Texas and
several other schools
from the Big 12 were
basically signed, sealed
and delivered to the
Pac-10. But by Monday
afternoon, word was
circulating that the Big
12 had a plan to keep
Texas with the lure of a
huge television deal.
Monday night that deal
was done. The Big 12
would stay on, currently
with ten schools. Texas
apparently played the
role of lead dog, and
the others followed.
Only in college
athletics can the Big 12
include ten teams, while
the Big 10 has twelve
and the Pac 10 really is
eleven.
East Carolina has faced
long odds before and
flourished. That’s the
challenge as we sit here
today. Coach Holland has
preached the consistent
sermon that the Pirate
Nation has to do all it
can do to be ready.
Holland was right about
the Big 12. Maybe he
knows something that
none of us know.
The coach has the poker
face to play in this
conference carousel for
sure.
BB
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Brian Bailey.
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