New East Carolina head football coach Mike Houston will unveil his first signing class on Wednesday. The Pirate coach has certainly hit the pavement hard. “I think this is the second night that I’ve spent the night in Greenville,” said Houston on Saturday. “We are getting set to sign a very good recruiting class, one that is especially strong from the local … [Read more...]

Dave Hart was contracted by Chancellor Cecil Staton in March to conduct an extensive review of East Carolina’s athletic department and formulate a plan to help revitalize the Pirates both financially and on the field of competition. He’s also doubled as an interim athletic director responsible for filling the three most important positions on ECU’s staff. After the events … [Read more...]

The East Carolina basketball team is in the midst of an extended break. The Pirates downed visiting Maryland Eastern Shore, 70-47, on Dec. 2 and won't return to action until taking on host Charlotte on Dec.18. "Obviously, we had exams mixed in this deal," ECU coach Joe Dooley said. "There's a million things we need to work on. We're sort of prioritizing the areas that we … [Read more...]

As I see it, the perfect antidote for the post-Christmas letdown during the last week of the calendar year is taking in all of the “Year In Review” articles and specials. I never tire of the retrospectives, lists and highlight reels reviewing the year that was. I like those features so much, in fact, that I’m going to jump the gun a bit on mine. Looking back is healthy, and … [Read more...]

Rock band Thin Lizzy had a hit song in the mid ‘70s with "The Boys are Back in Town." The band certainly wasn’t talking about coaches returning with the hit, but that’s what it feels like at East Carolina. New ECU coach Mike Houston has made Donnie Kirkpatrick, Steve Shankweiler and Dale Steele part of his new staff. All three have Pirate ties, making this a most unique … [Read more...]