Quote:May 18, 2012

To the Pirate Nation:

This has been a time of great uncertainty for the Pirate Nation but the final result has been worth the wait. For the first time in East Carolina's FBS athletic history, it will have an in-state conference rivalry as well as a "border war" rivalry with another conference member. These two "cornerstones of competition" have consistently driven fan and media interest and appeal to recruits for all highly-successful FBS programs that have stood the test of time.

While the new rivalries will not immediately draw the same level of interest as those in the so-called power conferences - Alabama/Auburn and Alabama/Tennessee in the SEC, Texas/Texas A&M and Texas/Oklahoma in the Big 12, Michigan/Michigan State and Michigan/Ohio State in the Big 10, North Carolina/NC State and North Carolina/Virginia Tech in the ACC, and Washington/Washington State and Washington/Oregon in the Pac 12 - it will be our task to build these new rivalries just as, when provided with the opportunity, ECU built a first-class medical complex and is now building a first-class dental complex where only cotton and tobacco fields stood just a few years ago.

Through no fault of ECU, there has never been an opportunity for cornerstone rivalries prior to this time. Ironically, the dynamics of expansion have provided this opportunity at a time when some of the above rivalries in the power conferences are becoming diluted (UNC and NC State will not play each other "home and home" in basketball every year) or even possibly being discontinued (Texas/Texas A&M may not even play and definitely won't battle as conference rivals in the future). Add in the loss of the West Virginia/Pitt border war with BOTH leaving the Big East and you almost have to believe that Dr. Jenkins was watching over the Pirates and somehow ensuring that ECU did not fall into the trap of joining a conference that could never provide us with the necessary cornerstone rivalries to succeed at the highest level.

That does not mean that the road ahead is paved with television dollars that guarantee instant success in any sport. Just as the medical complex did not appear overnight in those cotton and tobacco fields, Pirates standing together through the good times and the bad times will determine our ultimate level of success in athletics. However, for the first time, we have a conference that can provide the cornerstone rivalries that will give us a chance to compete for fan and media interest. The border war with ODU should become an instant classic with large and passionate fan bases already in place at both schools.

While we will continue our efforts to best position the program for long-term success, our current goal should be to grow and develop our C-USA Division to create competition that will be beneficial for us in the regular season and create possible matchups with ACC opponents in the postseason.

For example, can you imagine the interest if ECU, Charlotte, ODU or Marshall met an ACC team in the Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium or in the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro? "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve" (Napoleon Hill, Think And Grow Rich, 1937).

If ordinary "man" can accomplish the impossible, just think what a bunch of Pirates standing together can achieve!

GO PIRATES!

TH

I can only interpret this as CUSA plans to make a hard push for the Belk Bowl.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the Belk Bowl accepted with relative ease. 2 teams in your state and 2 more in easy driving range vs. a Big East who's nearest team is on the Mississippi River.

(05-18-2012 06:42 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  I can only interpret this as CUSA plans to make a hard push for the Belk Bowl.

Agreed.

Anyone doubt our schools are together for the
Long term?

(05-18-2012 06:49 PM)cyc46 Wrote:  Anyone doubt our schools are together for the Long term?

Some; can't fully trust what someone says anymore concerning realignment.

Great..........time to get it done on the field.

(05-18-2012 07:01 PM)TheEastisPurple Wrote:  TH also has a knack for spinning bad news into good news. Not saying ODU and Charlotte are bade news but there are those in the fan base who see it that way and TH likes to try to calm anyone who is negative.

Now we know where Charlie Cobb learned it from.

(05-18-2012 07:04 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 07:01 PM)TheEastisPurple Wrote:  TH also has a knack for spinning bad news into good news. Not saying ODU and Charlotte are bade news but there are those in the fan base who see it that way and TH likes to try to calm anyone who is negative.

Now we know where Charlie Cobb learned it from.

Well trust me whatever Cobb has been hearing from App fans Holland has probably been hearing in larger and more angry volumes. He's been in full spin mode for quite a while now. Not like he has a lot of choice, but he's selling this to us like it's going to be a good thing and the majority of ECU fans aren't buying it. Hopefully he'll be right.

(05-18-2012 07:09 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 07:04 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 07:01 PM)TheEastisPurple Wrote:  TH also has a knack for spinning bad news into good news. Not saying ODU and Charlotte are bade news but there are those in the fan base who see it that way and TH likes to try to calm anyone who is negative.

Now we know where Charlie Cobb learned it from.

Well trust me whatever Cobb has been hearing from App fans Holland has probably been hearing in larger and more angry volumes. He's been in full spin mode for quite a while now. Not like he has a lot of choice, but he's selling this to us like it's going to be a good thing and the majority of ECU fans aren't buying it. Hopefully he'll be right.

Oh trust me, Charlie Cobb is lucky to be alive today. Check out Mountaineer Message Board or AppFan.com, its been a bloodletting these last 3 weeks.

(05-18-2012 07:09 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  ...he's selling this to us like it's going to be a good thing and the majority of ECU fans aren't buying it. Hopefully he'll be right.

If many more articles like the one quoted below come out over the next few weeks or months, Holland very well may be right. Because just how much ground we have lost on the B1G, B12, PAC12 and SEC is being overshadowed by how much ground the ACC and Big East are losing on what could soon be known as the big four conferences:

Quote:What's the ACC going to do? Is its champion going to play the Big East champion in the postseason? That matchup has really worked out well for the Orange Bowl. Maybe they'll increase the stakes by giving the winner an at-large invitation to the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

And what about the depleted Big East? It's pretty clear the Big East is no longer sitting at the same table with the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC, after it lost Pittsburgh, Syracuse, TCU and West Virginia to other leagues. Now the Big East might not even be sitting in the same room as the other BCS conferences.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/stor...-knell-acc

If we can win some OOC games and make a little bank from networks, we might be in the same neighborhood as our in-state ACC teams after all.

I'm going to be honest I don't care about others coming back to us I want us to move forward. We certainly have not done that. In the short term we have taken a big step back. Have to hope that long term Holland's vision of this is right, because for better or worse his time here is going to be defined by the results of this new incarnation of C-USA. For the most part this was the idea he's been selling for years, so if it works he'll be thought of in the same breath as Leo, and if it fails he'll be thought of much differently.

(05-18-2012 07:12 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 07:09 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 07:04 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 07:01 PM)TheEastisPurple Wrote:  TH also has a knack for spinning bad news into good news. Not saying ODU and Charlotte are bade news but there are those in the fan base who see it that way and TH likes to try to calm anyone who is negative.

Now we know where Charlie Cobb learned it from.

Well trust me whatever Cobb has been hearing from App fans Holland has probably been hearing in larger and more angry volumes. He's been in full spin mode for quite a while now. Not like he has a lot of choice, but he's selling this to us like it's going to be a good thing and the majority of ECU fans aren't buying it. Hopefully he'll be right.

Oh trust me, Charlie Cobb is lucky to be alive today. Check out Mountaineer Message Board or AppFan.com, its been a bloodletting these last 3 weeks.

That's going to have to go on for at least 6 months to reach the levels we are at. First we got left behind and then we added teams that fundamentally disgust a bunch of our fan base. I'm not sure which of these things have caused a bigger meltdown.

Well, that's one way to put it....

I like TH, he always tells it like it is. He is gonna make the best out of any situation.

All Holland statements have to be taken with a grain of salt. They are all trying to paint everything in the most positive light. Taking everything he says literally is not wise. He's well aware of what happened and that it's not a good thing for us, but he's gotta sell that long term it will work out better than had we gotten the invite. Mentioning Leo is something only ECU fans can relate to. He's a folk hero here. You would have to understand all he did for ECU to understand why he was thrown in there.

Very cool. Terry Holland seem like a really smart, well spoken guy. Thanks for sharing.

(05-18-2012 06:55 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  It's clear that Terry Holland had a huge impact on shaping the new C-USA. He got what he wanted.

Almost. He wanted ODU and App State he got ODU and Charlotte. Thanks to what TV wanted and Charlottes prevous ties to C-USA. ECU only put their support behind Charlotte after App State was shot down by the league due to the TV folks and a couple other reasons.

(05-18-2012 07:50 PM)Bleeds_Purple Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 06:55 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  It's clear that Terry Holland had a huge impact on shaping the new C-USA. He got what he wanted.

Almost. He wanted ODU and App State he got ODU and Charlotte. Thanks to what TV wanted and Charlottes prevous ties to C-USA. ECU only put their support behind Charlotte after App State was shot down by the league due to the TV folks and a couple other reasons.

Take it for what its worth because I wasn't there but I was told that when Appy was mentioned on the list of possibilities that hardly anybody supported the idea but Charlotte was fully supported.

For the sake of the Appy fans though I do hope they get a shot somewhere. I still think the Sunbelt would be the ideal place for them to get started.

(05-18-2012 07:59 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 07:50 PM)Bleeds_Purple Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 06:55 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  It's clear that Terry Holland had a huge impact on shaping the new C-USA. He got what he wanted.

Almost. He wanted ODU and App State he got ODU and Charlotte. Thanks to what TV wanted and Charlottes prevous ties to C-USA. ECU only put their support behind Charlotte after App State was shot down by the league due to the TV folks and a couple other reasons.

Take it for what its worth because I wasn't there but I was told that when Appy was mentioned on the list of possibilities that nobody really supported the idea. And of course it doesnt make any sense really when we have ECU and now Charlotte back in the conference.

For the sake of the Appy fans though I do hope they get a shot somewhere. I still think the Sunbelt would be the ideal place for them to get started.

I was told by Holland only ECU supported App State to C-USA no one else in league even Marshall wanted them. Thats when it was clear it was gonna be Charlotte or no one else in NC. Thats when ECU put their support behind Charlotte.

(05-18-2012 07:50 PM)Bleeds_Purple Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 06:55 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  It's clear that Terry Holland had a huge impact on shaping the new C-USA. He got what he wanted.

Almost. He wanted ODU and App State he got ODU and Charlotte. Thanks to what TV wanted and Charlottes prevous ties to C-USA. ECU only put their support behind Charlotte after App State was shot down by the league due to the TV folks and a couple other reasons.

So he got what he wanted. Two close teams and were only proximate to one other program (Marshall).
And he/ECU deserved to get that.

(05-18-2012 06:55 PM)PureGold Wrote:  

(05-18-2012 06:49 PM)cyc46 Wrote:  Anyone doubt our schools are together for the Long term?

Some; can't fully trust what someone says anymore concerning realignment.

Truer words have never been spoken.