Going into the October 4, 1986 game with the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) Cajuns, the Pirates were in the midst of one of the worst losing streaks in the school’s history. In the fall of 1986, ECU lost four games in a row – to N.C. State, 0-38; West Virginia, 21-24; Auburn, 0-45; and Penn State 17-42 – scoring a mere 38 points while giving up a whopping 149, on average yielding 37 points per game. By season’s end, ECU had, for the second year in a row, a cheerless 2-9 record. The ECU-USL series was in its seventh year, with the Cajuns leading 4-3, including wins in the previous two meetings. ECU’s last win over USL had been in 1983, at Ficklen Stadium, 21-18.
The Pirates needed a win badly, but ended with a 21-10 loss, thus continuing what had become the longest losing streak ever in NCAA Division I play. The year before, in the 1985, the Pirates won their first two games, but proceeded to lose the next nine in a row. By the 1986 game with the Cajuns, the losing streak had extended to 13, and following that contest, to 14. Commenting on the loss, head coach Art Baker remarked, “Obviously, our disappointments continue… This was a game we sure didn’t need to lose. I thought we gave a lackluster performance….”
Baker came to ECU following impressive stints with Furman, 1973-77, and the Citadel, 1978-82, during which he compiled a 57-48-5 record. At ECU, however, things did not go well: as Pirate head coach, he concluded with a record of 12-32, including four losing seasons in a row: 1985, 2-9; 1986 2-9; 1987, 5-6, and 1988, 3-8. In his defense, Baker had replaced Ed Emory who, in his final season at ECU, had a disastrous 2-9 record.
A well-respected coach, Baker can hardly be blamed solely for the Pirates’ dismal season, but his tenure at ECU was undoubtedly one of the darkest stretches in his own career as a coach as well as in Pirate football history. In the end, Baker resigned under pressure at the end of the 1988 season, but was promptly hired by the University of South Carolina to take charge of the Gamecock Club, the school’s athletic fund-raising organization. As a head coach, he ended up with a 69-80-5 record, his years at ECU having egregiously impaired his lifetime record. However, at ECU, Bill Lewis followed Baker and in no short order succeeded in reversing course, achieving a succession of winning seasons between 1989 and 1991, racking up a 21-12 record during his time with the Pirates. In Lewis’ final year, the Pirates went 11-1, with a Peach Bowl victory over N.C. State.
Sources
- “Art Baker.” East Carolina vs. Southwestern Louisiana.” October 4, 1986. University Archives UA40.01.02.22.02. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/27668
- Chandler, Tim and Rick McCormack. “Ragin’ Cajuns Down Pirates.” East Carolinian. Vol. 61, no. 11. October 7, 1986. P. 12. Vol. 61, No. 11
- https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/57853
- Cleveland, Rick. “Here’s a coach who never had a fighting chance.” Clarion-Ledger. November 3, 1988. P. 21.
- “Coach Art Baker.” 1988. University Archives 55.01.00.2157. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/23217
- “East Carolina vs. Southwestern Louisiana.” October 4, 1986. University Archives UA40.01.02.22.02. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/27668
- “Football.” Buccaneer. 1986. P. 246. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/50208
- “Sports.” Buccaneer. 1987. P. 208. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/50209