Dawg,
I do appreciate your open mindness in regards to East Carolina University. Let me respond to your worries. First of all, ECU has been a football school in the middle of ACC territory. Yes, we have had a couple of bad years but we have owned the ACC over the last decade in football. ECU has a strong following of loyal alumni and fans throughout the stae of NC. ECU, without question, is recognized throughout college sports for its fan base. The SEC is the push that could put East Carolina over the top. We have been at a hurdle for awhile and that push would be all we need. In a 1-11 season we had 55,000 fans in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium supporting our Pirates. The fan base is there and would be identical to many of the SEC fans and schools. North Carolina has alot of football talent. Chris Leak has been an awesome QB since his days in Charlotte but there our others like him in NC. East Carolina, before the BCS, was becoming the football powerhouse in the Carolinas, both North and South. We now have a recruiting disadvantage against even a small school like Wake Forest because they are in a BCS conference and we are not. Before we could get those recruits easily. We were the premier football program in the state of NC and could easily return to that point if the playing field wee level, which it is not currently. I think SEC fans would come to enjoy the spirit and atmosphere of ECU and our fans and I think you would find us to be a great addition to your conference. The ACC is a basketball conference historically and the SEC is a football conference historically, which fits our history. I also think you would find ECU's baseball program to be a great addition to your conference. We are currently ranked #5 in the nation and with the strong baseball atmosphere in the SEC, ECU would fit in nicely. On basketball, we are building our program from the bottom up. Since joining CUSA, Coach Bill Herrion has breathed new life into our basketball program. We have a ways to go there but we can compete on any given night. Just ask Rick Pitino or Bob Huggins. Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University has become a great atmosphere for college basketball. As far as facilities go, we have great facilities. We have Dowdy Fickeln stadium which can now seat 55,000 and can be easily renovated to add another 15,000. (Which plans are in the making). We are now building a state of the art baseball facility. Minges Coliseum is a great arena for college hoops. And two years ago we opened the Murphy strength and conditioning center for the training of our student athletes. This facility is one of the best in the nation. ECU has been doing the work we just need a break, like being invited to join the SEC. Granted there are some great programs in CUSA. But I have to be honest our fans would be more pumped up playing schools like Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss. USC, Auburn, etc. than UAB, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP, etc. Nothing against these fine institutions I am just stating my opinion. With schools coming to town in the fall on Saturdays, our campus would be one of the best atmospheres for college football in the nation. I have no doubt about that. I invite you to Greenville to see for yourself and once agin thank you for your open mindness.
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