Last week’s column chronicled an East Carolina building project that is in its final stages of completion. This one deals with a building project that is just now getting off the ground. Like the gleaming new TowneBank Tower that will make its debut at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium this fall, coach Joe Dooley is hoping his renovation of the Pirates’ long-neglected basketball … [Read more...]
Insights from BrettNew crown jewel hovers over ECU’s home turf
If athletics are the front porch of a university, as we’re often told, and football is the most visible sport in most schools’ athletic department, then East Carolina's curb appeal has been sorely lacking in recent years because of the image portrayed by Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. It’s not that the facility wasn’t functional. It certainly served a purpose when the Pirates were … [Read more...]
Special Photo FeatureTowneBank Tower Gallery
Bonesville’s Brett Friedlander captured this collection of photographs during a recent ECU-conducted media tour of the under-construction TowneBank Tower and other upgrades on the south side of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. (Click any image for expanded view, caption & slide show.) … [Read more...]
Insights from BrettBattle-scarred Pirates still on track to big goals
Those that subscribe to the Vince Lombardi philosophy that 'winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing,' aren’t going to want to hear this. But there’s just as much truth to the contrary view taken by another legendary coach, basketball hall of famer Morgan Wootten, who said that if you learn something from defeat, you haven’t really lost. The latter approach is the one … [Read more...]
Insights from BrettHouston on the hunt for new talent before fall
Football coaches have a different way of evaluating the performance of their team than those of us watching from the stands and the press box. While fans and the media are creatures of instant analysis and real-time reactions, those whose jobs depend on the outcome tend to take a much more calculated approach. Their standard answer to most postgame questions: “I won’t … [Read more...]