At Wednesday’s post-practice press conference, East Carolina coach Mike Houston told a tale of two moments in recent Pirate football history. One was uplifting; one was anything but. One was captured on film but no one enjoys watching it; one wasn’t recorded but Houston wishes it had been. Let’s start with the highlight, which occurred at a team meeting on Monday. … [Read more...]

In place of their regular afternoon practice on Wednesday, the East Carolina volleyball team volunteered to help move freshmen into their dorm rooms. They carried boxes and shelves and televisions, and when they left they gave their new friends Pirate volleyball posters, complete with the 2019 schedule. This effort to inspire new fans — and get a decent upper body workout at … [Read more...]

New athletic facilities don’t just allow collegiate teams to pursue broader opportunities; they provide a visual representation of where a program plans to go. If the media tour of East Carolina’s new and renovated spaces Monday is any indication, the Pirates’ top athletic leadership has grand visions indeed. “It’s almost like a dream,” said J.J. McLamb, the senior … [Read more...]

An excellent test to distinguish between a true football player and a non-football player: Measure that individual’s reaction to the phrase “full pads day in mid-August.” The thoughts of the non-football player would go immediately to dread of the extreme heat mixed with the inevitable pain associated with repeated violent collisions. But consider the response of East … [Read more...]