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PIRATE FOOTBALL COUNTDOWN: DAY 1/ Top 10 Pirate Season Openers…
You can’t win ‘em all unless you win the first one…
10) 1964 - ECU 25, Catawba 0
Legendary Pirate Coach Clarence Stasavich opened his third season with the shutout in Greenville en route to a 9-1 season and a Tangerine Bowl win over UMASS.
9) 1965 - ECU 27, West Chester 6
‘Stas’ followed up the strong showing in ‘64 with another 9-1 season, including another Tangerine Bowl victory, this time over Maine.
8) 1941 - ECU 31, Tusculum 0
Talk about Pirate legends. Head Coach John Christenbury’s team smokes Tusculum on the way to the Pirates’ only perfect season. They outscored their opposition by a cumulative score of 159-20, blanking four of the seven opponents.
7) 1976 - ECU 48, Southern Miss 0
Former Coach Pat Dye was no slouch either, tanking the Golden Eagles and finished 9-2.
6) 1985 - ECU 33, NCSU 14
(Excerpt from The Backyard Brawl: East Carolina University vs. NC State)
(Former ECU Head Coach) Ed Emory had brought his own unique personality to the ECU-NCSU match-up, and his ranting and raving gave the series an edge of animosity. The Bucs canned Emory in 1984 and gave the job to his assistant, Art Baker. Earlier that summer, (State coach) Tom Reed called and invited Baker to have dinner in Wilson to clear the air. Baker described, “We just tried to clean up some of the animosity that had been there before.”
Bob Gennarelli, ECU sports information director couldn’t help but chuckle at the improbable peace summit. “I have to laugh every time I think about it. Coach Baker and Coach Reed sat down and ate together. Ed Emory and Tom Reed would probably have to tried to kill each other. There would have been blood everywhere.
5) 2005 - ECU 24, Duke 21
Coach Skip Holtz, in his ECU debut was able to cleanse a lot of demons with his opening triumph. It was a classic, controlled affair, and it took nearly a perfect game from QB James Pinkney, but the game was critical in pointing the program in the right direction after the Great Depression that was the John Thompson era.
4) 2000 - ECU 38, Duke 0
Even in the best of times, playing Duke in Durham has never been a ‘gimmee’ (the series is tied at five games apiece). This one game provided a nice respite from the typical Duke drama, and Steve Logan’s team went on to a 8-4 record and a victory over Texas Tech in the GalleryFurniture.com bowl.
3) 1999 - ECU 30, West Virginia 23
Coach Logan’s 1999 team opened the season under sunny skies in Charlotte, while Hurricane Dennis churned off the coast. Logan’s game plan had been to attack the Mountaineers with an aerial assault, until his offensive linemen pleaded with him to change. “We can block these guys,” they told coach, and the staff changed their approach on the fly. The Pirates went on to finish 9-3.
2) 1987 - ECU 32, NSCU 14
The most infamous game in Pirate football history was also one of their best to date…
(from The Backyard Brawl)
Overzealous Pirates took to this familiar field with ten seconds still showing on the clock, but were shouted back by the angry Pirate boss, Art Baker. When time expired, the scoreboard read ECU 32- State 14. Pirate fans crammed on the steep grassy bank again poured onto the playing surface. East Carolina University was in hot water for this post-game celebration, but State was boiling in it during the game. The Wolfpack issued five turnovers, leading to several Pirate scores and a lopsided loss to their to their new arch-rival. Sadly, he celebration marred on of Art Baker’s finest moments as the Pirates head coach.
1) 2008 - ECU 27, Virginia Tech 22
Senior T.J. Lee’s block of a Brent Bowden punt and subsequent 27-yard return for a touchdown with just 1:52 remaining lifted East Carolina to a thrilling 27-22 non-conference victory over No. 17 Virginia Tech in the season opener for both schools at Bank of America Stadium … The victory marked the Pirates’ second-straight over a nationally-ranked opponent and came in front of 72,169 fans - the largest regular season college football attendance total in North Carolina history … Trailing 22-13 with 3:36 to play, ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney capped a nine-play, 73-yard drive with a three- yard scoring plunge to trim the deficit to two … The Pirate defense held the Hokies on their next possession, setting up a fourth-and-13 punting situation at the VT 37-yard line … Lee broke through a block, knocked down the punt and scooped up the ball before rambling into the endzone … In addition to the last Virginia Tech drive, the East Carolina defense buckled down for the entire fourth quarter, holding the Hokies to just 31 yards on 14 plays … After Virginia Tech benefitted from a pair of Pirate fumbles to jump out to a 14-0 lead, ECU used Nick Johnson’s interception return to set up a Jonathan Williams one-yard TD run with 1:16 left in the half to get on the scoreboard … ECU followed by cashing in its first second half possession with a 12-yard Pinkney-to-Jamar Bry- ant scoring strike to cut the lead to 14-13 … Pinkney established a new school record for completion percentage, hitting 19-of-23 passes for 211 yards while adding another 24 on the ground. - ECU 2009 Media Guide
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