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Kirkpatrick brings bulging
offensive portfolio
From staff and ECU
reports
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Donnie Kirkpatrick
(Photo: ECU SID) |
The founding father of
modern-day Pirate football, legendary coach Clarence Stasavich, might be
nodding in approval from on high at the undergraduate pedigree of Donnie
Kirkpatrick, the newest addition to East Carolina's football staff.
Kirkpatrick is an alum of
Lenoir-Rhyne, where he played in 1978-81, about two decades after the
late 'Stas'
coached the Bears to an NAIA national title before heading across state to
then-East Carolina College to jump-start a Pirate program with
previously modest aspirations.
Skip Holtz, who took over the
reigns of the ECU football program on Dec. 3 from
John Thompson, announced
Monday that Kirkpatrick has been hired to coach the Pirates' wide
receivers.
While Kirkpatrick's choice
of a matriculation setting likely would please Stasavich, the bigger
factor in his hiring to the Holtz staff was most certainly his extensive
portfolio of coaching experiences, particularly of the offensive variety.
Kirkpatrick comes to ECU
from Western Carolina, where he coached the Catamounts wideouts in 2003
and 2004. Before joining the WCU staff, Kirkpatrick served from
2000-2002 as head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga.
At both of those Southern
Conference schools, Kirkpatrick was instrumental in producing some
notable offensive numbers.
With Kirkpatrick tutoring
Catamount receivers Lamont Seward and Michael Reeder, WCU topped the
Southern Conference in passing offense
(239.8 ypg) in 2003, as both Seward and Reeder ranked among the league's
top four receivers with a combined 132 catches.
Kirkpatrick orchestrated
one of the top aerial attacks in Southern Conference history while
guiding the UTC program, which ranked first in passing offense (339.1
ypg) and total offense (453.5 ypg) during his initial year with the
Moccasins. UTC completed 289 passes in that 2000 season, the
second-highest total in league history, utilizing receivers Richmond
Flowers (86-1,035) and Cos DeMatteo (75-971), who finished first and
second, respectively, in the league's pass reception rankings.
His offensive units
finished third in the conference in passing in 2001 (192.7 ypg) and second in 2002
(220.4).
Kirkpatrick was the Mocs'
offensive coordinator in 1999, overseeing an offense which topped the
conference in passing (326.5 ypg) and finished third in total offense
(454.4 ypg). DeMatteo led the league in receiving (76-977) that season
and record-setting quarterback Chris Sanders captured conference passing
and total offense titles. UTC set conference single-season records that
year for most pass attempts (496) and completions (300).
In all, Kirkpatrick was
responsible for two of the top three passing (3,730 yards in 2000, 3,591
yards in 1999) seasons in Southern Conference history.
"We are fortunate to have
someone of Donnie's caliber on our staff," said Holtz in a statement.
"His coaching career has been synonymous with outstanding offenses,
specifically those involving an exceptional passing game. His
familiarity with the state of North Carolina will also give us another
boost in our recruiting efforts."
Prior to his move to
Chattanooga, Kirkpatrick spent three years on Ron Cooper's staff as
quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Louisville (1995-97)
where he initiated the development of quarterback Chris Redman, who
finished his career as one of the top passers in school and Conference
USA history. Redman, who ended his collegiate career with a
league-record 12,541 yards and 84 TDs on 1,031-of-1,679 passing, threw
for 1,773 yards as a freshman and 3,079 yards as a sophomore under
Kirkpatrick's direction in 1996 and 1997.
Kirkpatrick, 45, also
served on Cooper's staff at Eastern Michigan for two seasons, handling
wide receivers in 1993 before being promoted to assistant head coach,
quarterbacks and running backs coach in 1994. At EMU, he worked directly
with former Detroit Lions starting quarterback Charlie Batch.
He also spent four seasons
at South Carolina (1989-1992) as the Gamecocks' quarterback coach and
recruiting coordinator after obtaining his first full-time coaching
position at Appalachian State in 1984, which lasted five seasons.
Kirkpatrick is the eighth staff member
announced by Holtz and the first without direct previous
connections to ECU or to Holtz's own periods of college football
experience as a player or coach.
Holtz's previous
hires have included three aides with ties to the Pirates — assistant head coach and
defensive line coach
Donnie Thompson, offensive line
coach
Steve Shankweiler and running
backs coach
Junior Smith.
Thompson and Shankweiler
list stints as assistants at ECU on their resumes, while Smith, a former star player for
the Pirates, logged his coaching experiences elsewhere.
Including Shankweiler, who was South Carolina's offensive line coach
last season, five of ECU's assistants have crossed paths with Holtz at Notre Dame, South Carolina and/or Connecticut.
"Rock" Roggeman, a player and graduate assistant at Notre
Dame in the mid-'eighties, was named last Friday as linebackers coach,
while Holtz announced last Thursday that
Greg Hudson, previously Minnesota's defensive coordinator, will
assume that same position on the Pirates' staff. Hudson played at Notre
Dame in 1986-87.
Phil Petty, a former quarterback
and graduate assistant at South Carolina, has joined the Pirates as an
offensive coach, and
Clifford Snow, who served with
Holtz at South Carolina and UConn, has been named
director of football operations.
Kirkpatrick earned his
bachelor's degree in education from Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1982 and
added a master's in secondary education from Appalachian State in 1984.
02/23/07 11:30 AM
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Bonesville.net. All
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Bonesville.net contributed to this report. An
ECU Athletics press release was used in
compiling this report.
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