Favorite TV show?
Except for Sports Center, games and the local newscasts, I live in the
past on re-runs of the Beverly Hillbillies, Andy Griffin, etc.
Favorite meal?
Any
meal shared with good Pirates!
Biggest moment in East
Carolina athletics since you became athletic director?
The
eight days when the Football Pirates beat nationally ranked Virginia
Tech one Saturday and nationally ranked West Virginia the next Saturday.
Biggest thrill at any
point in your career in athletics?
The
Virginia run through the 1976 ACC Tournament as the sixth seed beating
three nationally ranked ACC powers � N.C. State, Maryland and North
Carolina � in a little more than 48 hours.
What do you consider
your biggest accomplishment at East Carolina?
The
biggest accomplishment by the athletic department (not �my�
accomplishment) during my time at East Carolina has been the facilities
upgrades that will serve future generations of students, athletes and
coaches.
How did you meet your
wife, Ann? How did you propose?
I
used to stay and watch a little of band practice after our football
practices because there was a very cute majorette. I was too shy to try
to even talk to her, but a mutual friend put a group together for an
outing at the drive-in movies and we hit it off right away. Luckily, she
has never been as shy as I am.
My
mother passed away shortly after I graduated from Davidson in 1964.
Before she died, she gave me her engagement ring and told me that she
wanted Ann to have it. Ann was graduating from Mars Hill in the spring
of 1966, so for Christmas in 1965, I gave Ann my mother�s ring and
knowing that I was expected to say something really cool, I managed to
choke out, �My mother wanted you to have this.� (I told you I was shy �
but I did manage to add �and I wanted you to have it, too!�)
Favorite restaurant in
Greenville?
Anywhere there are a bunch of Pirates.
What's the biggest
change in college basketball since your playing days?
The
shot clock and the three-point basket.
What do you think
about ECU's chances as an all-sport member of the new Big East?
It
will happen sooner or later but sooner if the non-football schools leave
the conference as they have announced.
What's the next big
thing in terms of facilities now that the basketball practice facility
is going up?
A
new swimming pool and outdoor competition courts for the tennis teams.
How do you think the
Big East will do on it's new TV deal?
I
think the new Big East will have to prove itself worthy before landing a
really competitive television contract, but that is nothing new for us
as Pirates. We are used to earning whatever we get.
Do you think you will
live in Greenville after you retire?
That is the current plan.
Who had the greatest
influence on your athletic administration philosophy?
I
would like to think that I have learned (and/or �stolen�) from everyone
I have met in my 50+ years in intercollegiate athletics, but Gene
Corrigan (UVA AD, Notre Dame AD, and ACC Commissioner) has had a
particularly big influence on me.
Which player on the
current ECU team would you have liked to be on your roster during your
coaching tenure at Virginia?
Couldn�t pick just one � Coach Lebo has made them into a real TEAM and
they need to stay that way in everyone�s mind.
How did you become
aware of the invitation to the Big East?
The
Commissioner, Mike Aresco, called the office number. Scott Wells
answered the telephone and was so excited that she cut him off twice
trying to transfer him to my line. Finally, I just went to her desk and
got the good news while the whole office tried to read the expression on
my face as to whether it was good news or bad. I kept a very
businesslike look to keep them guessing but, after I hung up, my big
smile spilled the beans.
