1975 was a shaky year for the Pirates, with the pivotal game being the team’s sixth of the season, against the University of Richmond Spiders. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the game – which began with ECU in the lead, 14-0, ended up a Spider victory with Richmond coming back in the second half with 17 unanswered points. The Pirates had time and opportunities before the game was over but failed to take advantage of them. The defeat, which ended an 18-game winning streak at home, virtually doomed the Pirates’ chances for the Southern Conference championship and helped to bolster Richmond which indeed went on to win it.
From the start, the season went badly for the Pirates with losses to N.C. State, 26-3, in the season opener, and then to Appalachian, 41-25, in game two. ECU bounced back, however, with wins against William and Mary, 20-0, and Southern Illinois, 41-7. The fifth game, against Richmond, turned into a Spider victory in the fourth quarter when a Richmond score pushed the Pirates into defeat, leaving them the loser with a 2-3 mid-season record.
Following the game, head coach Pat Dye chastised his team, stating, “We’re in a situation now where the season can turn two ways. The players can buckle down and try and improve or we can just keep on going in the direction we are and let ourselves fall apart. Right now, I would say that this team has no character. We haven’t played like we can or beat anyone we shouldn’t have. The coaching staff and myself can only do so much. If our players are not hungry to win or to excel then we can’t help them. The winning attitude has got to come from the players.”
Dye, who admittedly “lost his cool late in the game” costing the Pirates 15 yards at a crucial juncture, also confessed his own failings: “I had a penalty called on me, too. I showed my class, which was absolutely none. From now on, I’ll handle the officiating through the proper channels.”
Dye’s harsh words seem to have made a difference: the Pirates went on to win the next six games in what amounted to an incredible gridiron about face. The next game, versus the Citadel Bulldogs in Charleston, resulted in a Pirate upset win over the ninth best defensive team in the country. Applauding the Pirates, Dye said they “showed real class.” The following week, the Pirates won their homecoming game against Western Carolina, 42-14, before going on to another upset, this time against the UNC Tar Heels. Following that game, Dye commented, “everything that has happened since the Richmond game has to be credited to the players … what happened in Chapel Hill was a great win for East Carolina.”
ECU went on to win three more games, ending the season with a 5-2 conference record (8-3 overall), taking second place behind Richmond, the 1975 conference champions. While not the greatest of seasons, it was, mercifully enough, a far cry from the way in which it began.
Sources
- East Carolina vs. Richmond. October 4, 1975. University Archives UA40.01.02.16.02. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/27648
- Evans, John. “Dye lashes out at team play.” Fountainhead. Vol. 7, no. 8. October 7, 1975. P. 20. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/39993
- “Pirates Upset Two ACC Teams.” Buccaneer. 1976. Pp. 155-159. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15327
- “Spiders, Keydets Get League Wins.” Statesville Record and Landmark. October 6, 1975. P. 15.