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Turnover at ECU
©2004 The Associated Press
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Pirate Radio
1250:
Listen to WGHB-AM's archive of John Thompson's press conference
announcing that he is stepping down:
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East Carolina football coach
John Thompson resigned Wednesday but will finish the season, ending his
first stint as a head coach after only two seasons.
Since Thompson replaced Steve
Logan in December 2002, ECU has plummeted to a 3-18 record. The Pirates
(2-7, 2-5 Conference USA) host Memphis on Saturday, then finish their season
Nov. 27 against North Carolina State in Charlotte.
The school held an afternoon
news conference, where Thompson — though expressing disappointment — amiably
discussed his resignation, which came less than three months after Terry
Holland was hired as athletic director at East Carolina.
``The last three-plus years
have been ones of turmoil for ECU athletics,'' Holland said in a statement.
``Coach Thompson and his staff literally inherited a 'house divided.'
"Although they have done
everything humanly possible to heal those wounds, the lack of success on the
field has made an overwhelmingly difficult healing process virtually
impossible.''
Holland's search for a new
coach will begin after the season, according to the statement.
On Tuesday, Thompson discussed
the disappointment of the season and how much he was affected.
``I realize how frustrated and
how hurtful this is for the Pirate family and the Pirate nation,'' he said
at his weekly news conference. ``I would like nothing more than to be
successful for the loyalty and the tradition and the people that have
supported this program for so long.
``I wish nothing more for
these people to get their wish and for us to be successful. Our team hasn't
accepted losing and they haven't accepted failure. They will not, we will
not and I will not.''
Thompson was the defensive
coordinator at Florida when he was hired to take over for Logan. He has
spent 20 years as an assistant at eight schools.
East Carolina lost its first
six games under Thompson and finished 1-11 in 2003, then dropped its first
four this season. Since then, the Pirates have won two of their past five
games, over Army and Tulane.
The Pirates have struggled on
both sides of the ball. They're allowing 466 yards a game — about 55 yards
worse than last year — and they're last in the conference in total offense.
Copyright 2004
The Associated Press. Bonesville.net contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:53:17 AM
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