Bronco fans, I come in peace! I just want to start by saying that I have a great deal of respect for your school, football team, fans, and your stadium. Waldo Stadium looks like it’d be a heck of a fun place to spend a Saturday afternoon in the Fall! This North Carolinian isn’t built for the cold, though. It got down to 31 this weekend and I felt like I was going to die!
As you all have probably heard, we fired our coach last week. ECU fans, alumni, and former players nation-wide were in disbelief when the announcement was made. We loved Ruff, mostly because he was a Pirate. East Carolina University is Ruff’s alma mater, and ECU, while a stepping stone job for P5-seeking coaches, was NOT a stepping stone job for Ruff. He called it a “destination job.” He’s probably the only coach in college football that would turn down Alabama if they came calling. But sadly, the results on the field didn’t match the love and adoration from the fans, and our AD (former NIU AD, Jeff Compher) made the tough decision to let Ruff go, and here we are… looking for a new captain of the Pirate ship.
Some potential candidates have been named. A couple guys have reached out to ECU expressing interest (Shane Beamer, Shawn Elliot, Doug Meachem), and ECU has also reached out to a few guys that are possibly a bit more intriguing.
It would appear, that in Pirate circles, PJ Fleck is consistently the guy that Pirate fans want at the helm. I also have heard (unofficially) that ECU has reached out to Fleck to gauge his interest. I understand WMU recently gave him a raise, and is willing to throw even more money his way. Rightfully so, as he’s done a tremendous job reviving your program. It’s my understanding that ECU is prepared to offer somewhere in the neighborhood of $2M to the next head coach. (Ruff was making around $1.4M) But since signing a $16.5M deal with Adidas, it has freed up a lot of cash in that department. I didn’t know this, but apparently PJ and Jeff Compher have a NIU connection from their time there.
ECU fans definitely know what it is like to have a coach that is constantly the subject of rumors… Skip Holtz interviewed/turned down interviews for 3 of his 5 years at ECU before bolting to USF for big-time money. It’s frustrating, and our fanbase became very defensive every time his name was brought up. At the end of the day, it means that he’s doing something right, at least.
The coaching carousel is a crazy thing… I personally think we made our move too late. You might see ECU fans from time to time dropping by here as time goes by.. just go easy on them. We’re all nervous/anxious to see if our AD is going to hit a home run, or set back our program 5-7 years. Only time will tell.
Best of luck in your bowl game! Row the boat! (Am I allowed to say that?)
Haha...welcome to the snake pit. Those who hate him, secretly would like to tell you he would set your program back 5-7 years, but will dishonestly sing his praises to cast him off shore...in your direction, matey!
Good luck on your search.
I think PJ will stay put at WMU.
Does ECU get snarky comments about being a directional school?
Would make sense that Compher might contact Fleck because of their NIU ties.
The feeling is when Fleck leaves WMU, assuming he takes our program to the "next level," it will be for a P5 job.
Most believe he'll be staying through 2016 which is supposed to be THE year - MAC championship, maybe Top 25 ranking, etc.
So Fleck to ECU seems unlikely from here.
(12-07-2015 09:37 AM)wmutkelaw Wrote: [ -> ]Haha...welcome to the snake pit. Those who hate him, secretly would like to tell you he would set your program back 5-7 years, but will dishonestly sing his praises to cast him off shore...in your direction, matey!
Good luck on your search.
I think PJ will stay put at WMU.
Does ECU get snarky comments about being a directional school?
Yes, we get snarky comments about being a directional school ALL the time.
Even from some that we wouldn't expect it from... I remember after the New Orleans Bowl back in 2012, we caught an unbelievable amount of crap from Louisiana-Lafayette fans, and I probably heard 100 times - "I know where NORTH Carolina is... and SOUTH Carolina... but where the heck is EAST Carolina??"
(12-07-2015 09:41 AM)MajorHoople Wrote: [ -> ]Would make sense that Compher might contact Fleck because of their NIU ties.
The feeling is when Fleck leaves WMU, assuming he takes our program to the "next level," it will be for a P5 job.
Most believe he'll be staying through 2016 which is supposed to be THE year - MAC championship, maybe Top 25 ranking, etc.
So Fleck to ECU seems unlikely from here.
Fair enough. It would say a lot about his character to want to stay and see the culmination of several years of hard work.
Can't blame us for trying, though!
It's tough out there for a G5, as you know.
How do you like the conference affiliation you have? The MAC continuously gets disrespected, probably merits some criticism b/c of the bottom-feeders...our directional foe to the East.
(12-07-2015 09:25 AM)ECUGrad07 Wrote: [ -> ]Bronco fans, I come in peace! I just want to start by saying that I have a great deal of respect for your school, football team, fans, and your stadium. Waldo Stadium looks like it’d be a heck of a fun place to spend a Saturday afternoon in the Fall! This North Carolinian isn’t built for the cold, though. It got down to 31 this weekend and I felt like I was going to die!
As you all have probably heard, we fired our coach last week. ECU fans, alumni, and former players nation-wide were in disbelief when the announcement was made. We loved Ruff, mostly because he was a Pirate. East Carolina University is Ruff’s alma mater, and ECU, while a stepping stone job for P5-seeking coaches, was NOT a stepping stone job for Ruff. He called it a “destination job.” He’s probably the only coach in college football that would turn down Alabama if they came calling. But sadly, the results on the field didn’t match the love and adoration from the fans, and our AD (former NIU AD, Jeff Compher) made the tough decision to let Ruff go, and here we are… looking for a new captain of the Pirate ship.
Some potential candidates have been named. A couple guys have reached out to ECU expressing interest (Shane Beamer, Shawn Elliot, Doug Meachem), and ECU has also reached out to a few guys that are possibly a bit more intriguing.
It would appear, that in Pirate circles, PJ Fleck is consistently the guy that Pirate fans want at the helm. I also have heard (unofficially) that ECU has reached out to Fleck to gauge his interest. I understand WMU recently gave him a raise, and is willing to throw even more money his way. Rightfully so, as he’s done a tremendous job reviving your program. It’s my understanding that ECU is prepared to offer somewhere in the neighborhood of $2M to the next head coach. (Ruff was making around $1.4M) But since signing a $16.5M deal with Adidas, it has freed up a lot of cash in that department. I didn’t know this, but apparently PJ and Jeff Compher have a NIU connection from their time there.
ECU fans definitely know what it is like to have a coach that is constantly the subject of rumors… Skip Holtz interviewed/turned down interviews for 3 of his 5 years at ECU before bolting to USF for big-time money. It’s frustrating, and our fanbase became very defensive every time his name was brought up. At the end of the day, it means that he’s doing something right, at least.
The coaching carousel is a crazy thing… I personally think we made our move too late. You might see ECU fans from time to time dropping by here as time goes by.. just go easy on them. We’re all nervous/anxious to see if our AD is going to hit a home run, or set back our program 5-7 years. Only time will tell.
Best of luck in your bowl game! Row the boat! (Am I allowed to say that?)
Welcome to our board and thanks for your post.
PJ is quirky, but is proving to be a good coach. I would hate to see what he would do with the Pirate theme....gads! Johnny Depp would have nuth'n on him.
Nothing against ECU, but I doubt PJ would leave at this time. While WMU has had two decent seasons, he really hasn't won anything, yet, besides consecutive victories over our rival (which is no longer the strong program Brian Kelly and Butch Jones built), and an upset last month at Toledo.
He appears to have WMU headed in the right direction, but needs to get over the proverbial "hump" and win something no coach at WMU has won since 2000, or, more importantly, 1988. A bowl victory in the Bahamas would be nice, too, considering WMU has never won a bowl game.
ECU is a nice school and a strong program. I wish you the best and hope you beat any P5 school you line-up against. LOVED what The Citadel did to South Carolina!
I could see Fleck leaving for ECU @ 2 mil a year. Row the boat would make a lot more sense down there as well - Pirate ship. How do you feel about that? If he was allowed (I believe RTB is copy written by WMU AND Fleck) to bring RTB to ECU, would your fans embrace it?
All I can tell you is if he comes to ECU hide your women, and don't let him test drive anything,
I don't see PJ leaving the Midwest. Once Illinois hires an AD he will send PJ a Christmas card and then they will start tweeting each, then next December PJ will be heading to Champaign.
(12-07-2015 10:10 AM)wmutkelaw Wrote: [ -> ]How do you like the conference affiliation you have? The MAC continuously gets disrespected, probably merits some criticism b/c of the bottom-feeders...our directional foe to the East.
I like being in the AAC.
The best thing about it is the fact that
every single ECU game is televised. Including basketball! Our contract with ESPN, while not a ton of money, is UNPRECEDENTED exposure for ECU. I can count on 2 hands the number of times ECU basketball has been on TV in the past decade.
I like playing teams like Cincinnati, USF, & UCONN because most of the country still remember them from the Big East. We have a bit of a rivalry with some of the old C-USA schools that came to the AAC, like Houston, UCF, Memphis, etc.
But we have our bottom-feeders too... SMU & Tulane really drag down and diminish the perception of the league. But having 4 ranked teams this year has helped a great deal.
I'm happy where we are, but obviously the main goal is to make it to the P5. Don't think it's in the cards for ECU, but if we "have to be" in the G5, I'm happy we're in the American.
(12-07-2015 10:34 AM)Chipdip2 Wrote: [ -> ]All I can tell you is if he comes to ECU hide your women, and don't let him test drive anything,
Don't argue with his paid trolls on the boards. Mostly DO NOT talk about his "transgressions", even mentioning you heard about them or defending him with sarcasm will get you in hot water.
Make sure your homeowners policies are up to date for that type of garbage. Google it if you like.
(12-07-2015 11:07 AM)rtletterman Wrote: [ -> ] (12-07-2015 10:34 AM)Chipdip2 Wrote: [ -> ]All I can tell you is if he comes to ECU hide your women, and don't let him test drive anything,
Don't argue with his paid trolls on the boards. Mostly DO NOT talk about his "transgressions", even mentioning you heard about them or defending him with sarcasm will get you in hot water.
Make sure your homeowners policies are up to date for that type of garbage. Google it if you like.
I am waiting for my PJ Bucks...is this sort of like how Obama was going to buy people houses and pay for their cell phones (oh wait)...
(12-07-2015 11:11 AM)wmutkelaw Wrote: [ -> ] (12-07-2015 11:07 AM)rtletterman Wrote: [ -> ] (12-07-2015 10:34 AM)Chipdip2 Wrote: [ -> ]All I can tell you is if he comes to ECU hide your women, and don't let him test drive anything,
Don't argue with his paid trolls on the boards. Mostly DO NOT talk about his "transgressions", even mentioning you heard about them or defending him with sarcasm will get you in hot water.
Make sure your homeowners policies are up to date for that type of garbage. Google it if you like.
I am waiting for my PJ Bucks...is this sort of like how Obama was going to buy people houses and pay for their cell phones (oh wait)...
PJ Bucks?! I thought you went after us pro bono?
(12-07-2015 11:14 AM)rtletterman Wrote: [ -> ] (12-07-2015 11:11 AM)wmutkelaw Wrote: [ -> ] (12-07-2015 11:07 AM)rtletterman Wrote: [ -> ] (12-07-2015 10:34 AM)Chipdip2 Wrote: [ -> ]All I can tell you is if he comes to ECU hide your women, and don't let him test drive anything,
Don't argue with his paid trolls on the boards. Mostly DO NOT talk about his "transgressions", even mentioning you heard about them or defending him with sarcasm will get you in hot water.
Make sure your homeowners policies are up to date for that type of garbage. Google it if you like.
I am waiting for my PJ Bucks...is this sort of like how Obama was going to buy people houses and pay for their cell phones (oh wait)...
PJ Bucks?! I thought you went after us pro bono?
LOL...pro bono...LOL
Best thing I will read today...LOL
Yeah, I think ECU would need to fork over more than $2m to get PJ, considering there'll be a raise that will probably be, at the end of the day, $1.x something. To take that to move 90% laterally, and only 10% vertically wouldn't be worth it when things are rolling well here.
ECU was quick to fire their coach -- as their players were ticked. This is NOT the year to fire a coach out of abrupt house-cleaning. Too many fires have already happened, so ECU isn't in a great position to get a better coach. Certainly not a prime pick.
(12-07-2015 11:34 AM)toddjnsn Wrote: [ -> ]Yeah, I think ECU would need to fork over more than $2m to get PJ, considering there'll be a raise that will probably be, at the end of the day, $1.x something. To take that to move 90% laterally, and only 10% vertically wouldn't be worth it when things are rolling well here.
ECU was quick to fire their coach -- as their players were ticked. This is NOT the year to fire a coach out of abrupt house-cleaning. Too many fires have already happened, so ECU isn't in a great position to get a better coach. Certainly not a prime pick.
Point taken. I agree to an extent, but I am not quite sure I’d call it a 90% lateral move.
-Yes, the American is a G5 conference. But it is widely considered the “premiere” G5 conference. (Tallest midget, I know.)
-The winner of the American will likely go to the P5 Access Bowl, year in and year out going forward.
-The American has a really good TV contract, so PJ’s exposure would go up exponentially.
-ECU has arguably the best G5 game day environment/stadium, besides BYU. I am aware that WMU is arguably tops in the MAC in that regard, so kudos for that. It’s something we take pride in, as should you.
-ECU just signed a 10 year, $16.5M contract with Adidas. We will be the only G5 team featured in Adidas’ “Elite 11 Campaign”.
-Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium will be expanded (50,000 currently) in the next few years.
-We have excellent home & home scheduling agreements with P5 teams. (South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, UNC, NC State) …and 1 really good G5. (BYU)
-ECU can offer at LEAST $2M with room to wiggle, and added incentivized raises.
-The Southeast is some of the best recruiting territory in the country.
So, it is technically a lateral move, but I’d say there are definitely a good number of benefits of going to ECU and the AAC. He’s done a great job at WMU and a great job making a name for himself. If he stays put at WMU, I’d love to see y’all make some serious noise next year and have a shot at the Access Bowl slot!
It's lateral in the fact that fleck wants to go to the NFL someday. Can't do that from ECU or wmu. Hence, he will stay at wmu until a big timer comes calling.
Yes, it's a better G5 place to coach -- no doubt. But again, a HC with aspirations isn't looking to go G5. If he's riding high on a mid-major making Great G5 pay, why go to ANOTHER mid-major to make a few bucks more having to rebuild, risking it going down?
Sure, if PJ was making $500k as standard "good MAC pay" -- I could see it easily. But given the raise and all that stuff right now + ECU having to ALSO buy him out -- all with a losing record? ECU is going to think twice. But again, ECU is STILL a stepping-stone, which is what I mean by lateral. A nicer one with leather seats and a great view -- yes, but still a stepping stone.
If things weren't jiving well with PJ & WMU, or WMU was not rising to it's peak right now -- OK. But again, with a renewed contract and ECU having to not just pay the youngest coach with 3 years experience being any kind of coordinator or HC the highest they've paid + a Big Buyout since it'd be a renewed contract -- don't see it.
IMO, PJ would have to want to leave, in and of itself for ECU to be able to pick him up.
Apparently Gene Chizik is interviewing today. We'll see what happens!
Regardless, I think you guys have a great coach and a bright future!