Home > BLARRGH! > Archives > 2009 > September > 02 > Entry
PIRATE FOOTBALL COUNTDOWN: DAY 2/ Top 10 Pirate Gameday Traditions…
Any reader who’s familiar with my cozy little corner on the blogosphere knows that I’m not a paid professional writer. I’m just a hack with a “outstanding vocabulary” (as one friend put it) who is mercifully allowed free reign to post my thoughts on Pirate Athletics.
The point was (at least early on) was to have a ‘fan blog’, a Pirate who would presumably write things like “Only two days ‘til Pirate Football, and I AM STOKED!”. In the year I’ve been here, I’ve tried to take this space a bit further than that, but I still break down from time to time.
This entry is one of those where the unabashed fan comes out. With two days ‘til kickoff for a very highly anticipated season, I am stoked, and I can hardly contain myself. And so with undefeated preseason euphoria in mind, I give you my Top 10 Pirate Gameday traditions…. knowing full well that I’ll still add my snarky little remarks.
10) THE PIRATE WALK - OK, so I open with a little joke. The Pirate Walk, a holdover from the Thompson era, is now defunct and has been more or less replaced with the new “Call to Port”. It has to do with the Marching Pirates leading the sober and the eager to the gates early. Someone let me know how that one goes…
9) THE ‘JOHNNY DEPP’ PIRATE’ - Word on the street has it the old ‘Johnny Depp Pirate’- the one who leads the football team onto the field (see #4 Purple Haze)- is out, and a new JDP will lead our valiant warriors into battle. I do have to admit that the ‘old’ JDP was awesome. The best part was that he managed to disappear when his work was done, and is never seen again- Pure Pirate Magic, and I’m not kidding about that one.
8) THE ALMA MATER - Lots of us can’t sing, but I usually give it my all none the less. It’s a beautiful number, written circa 1940 by Harold A. McDougle (ECU -‘44)…
Praise to your name so fair, Dear old East Car’lina, your joys we’ll share, and your friends we’ll ever be. We pledge our loyalty, and our heart’s devotion, To thee, our Alma Mater, love and praise.
He wrote that either as a senior in high school or as a freshman at ECTC. We were so cool back then… Gets me every time.
These people can sing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2DAabUvEk8
7) THE GHOST ON THE WIND - This poem by Alfred H. Lockamy (ECU-2005) is no Alma Mater, but does sound pretty serious when backed up by the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ soundtrack… Try to pick out which verses are edited for the Gameday rendition…
Like a ghost on the wind He comes from the sea, And trembles the foe Like a storm on the lee.
With swashbuckling swagger And a Jolly Roger laugh, He flies the black flag On a whalebone staff.
He has a black-patched eye And a ring in his ear, And on his wind-burned face, A crusty-grizzled beard.
With a bone-cold glare And a sneer on his lip, He has a cannon by his side And a cutlass in his grip.
With a thunderous blast From his cannon’s might, He shivers the strong And cripples their fight.
He takes what he’s lost And turns it to gold, For He’s crafty and shrewd And He’s fearless and bold.
He’s dashing and daring, A fierce buccaneer, For the sight of his plunder Pales many with fear.
From East Carolina Victories are told Of the Spirit of the Pirate And his purple and gold!
6) THE CANNON - There’s tons of information on the history of the ECU Pirate Cannon here:
http://www.ecupirates.com/trads/ecu-trads-cannon.html
I think we need to have a bigger cannon, and fire it off of the Privateer’s Deck, but I am thankful for the fact that our Army ROTC is in control… One of the funnier moments in Pirate football lore resides here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzSH4hY2Gy4
5) THE PURPLE GOLD CHEER - Pretty self explanatory. We can get pretty loud with this thing… although sometimes a bit overused. It’s best used when we’re on defense, but a lot of fans don’t seem to care…
4) PURPLE HAZE PIRATE INTRO - As a freshman back in 1981, I remember talking with my friends at Aycock Hall about how cool it would be to have ‘Purple Haze’ by Jimi Hendrix as our intro theme. We all agreed that it would never happen. The coolest fan reaction to our intro was when we played Army for the first time at the ‘Fick. We were seated next to their band, and they were totally getting into it…Sweet! I was so proud to be an American.
3) FIRST DOWN, PIRATES! - People laugh when I tell them that I started the whole ‘First Down, Pirates!’ thing. They laugh out loud. But there was a game, sometime long ago, where the crowd was sparse, the game was decided and the rain was coming down. Our old announcer John Moore hesitated after he said first down, and I yelled “Pirates!!!” and pointed towards our objective. Needless to say, it caught on quickly.
It may have been a dream, but I don’t think so….
2) PIRATE TAILGATING - I’ve been fortunate to hang with a hearty group of PIrates for a good many years now. And while our tailgate spot has shifted over that time, we always represent our old ‘Skull and bones crew’ and Lord willing, all of us will be there Saturday at Eppes, with a new batch of tales and lots of good eats.
1) WINNING - Whether Pirate fans take the field or the Pirates make it over to the student section to sing the fight song and celebrate the victory, it’s all good. After all, winning is well….unbeatable.
Comments
By brad
September 3, 2009 12:39 AM | Link to this
Cool column Dave !
You had the vision with ‘Purple Haze.’
Good call !
By Lori
September 4, 2009 7:22 PM | Link to this
Great column, but my husband and I both think the Marching Pirates beautiful rendition of the National Anthem should have somewhere made the top 10. Can’t wait to hear it Saturday along with all the other Pirate traditions that make Dowdy-Ficklen such a special place. GO PIRATES!!
By David Singleton
September 6, 2009 10:01 AM | Link to this
Thanks, Lori… That was careless of me not to include that, because it should def. be in there…
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September 14, 2009 4:56 PM | Link to this
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