ECTC vs. Oak Ridge

ECTC vs. Oak Ridge
Football Program for ECTC vs. Oak Ridge 1935

October 26, 1935

In the fall of 1935, Pirate football came into its own. Few men were on campus, but enough were passionate about the gridiron sport to field a team. With the able guidance of Graham Lunsford “Doc” Mathis (1909-1986) as head coach, the 1935 team performed far better than ever in its brief history, racking up an overall 3-3 record. Thus began Pirate football’s rise to prominence as East Carolina’s premier athletic competition. It must be admitted, however, that the first home game against Oak Ridge resulted in a disappointing show of school spirit. Indeed, a Teco Echo editorial bemoaned the “disgraceful percentage” of students attending, 21% out of a total enrollment of 1070, asking where the remainder of the student body was that afternoon. Mathis left for Catawba College in 1936 but fortunately for ECTC, he was replaced by Roland “Bo” Farley as head coach. In 1936, Farley led the Pirates to their first winning season, 3-2.

The year before, in 1934, Mathis and the Pirates had won only one game, against Presbyterian Junior College (6-0). The team tied with the Norfolk Division of William and Mary-V.P.I. (0-0), but also lost four, to Wingate (6-0), Appalachian State (27-6), Louisburg (7-6), and Lenior Rhyne (0-47). Although not a winning team, prior to Mathis’ arrival the football team had only scored one touchdown in its two years of intercollegiate competition. Notably, in 1934, the Pirates scored three touchdowns in six games, tripling in just one season the total number ever scored.

In 1935, the Pirates broke even, 3-3, in a six-contest season including games against Wingate (L 6-0), Oak Ridge (L 6-2), Chowan (W 46-0), William and Mary-V.P.I., Norfolk Division (W 10-6), Appalachian State (L 14-6), and Louisburg (W 13-0).

The Tecoan gave a fair appraisal of the 1935 team, finding room for praise despite the losses.  “Reviewed in light of past football achievement here, the 1935 season was highly successful and packed with thrilling moments. A team, proved capable by consistent greatness, played inspired football at times. There were stars who, although they could not win games alone, showed that talent was not lacking.” Regarding the first home game against Oak Ridge, the Tecoan observed that “When Oak Ridge came to Greenville, the Cadets did not expect to encounter the twisting, fighting team which barely missed winning in the final seconds of the game.”

In the final seconds of the final quarter, the Pirates had moved down field, into touchdown territory until a fumble on the Cadets’ three-yard line was recovered by Oak Ridge. The Cadets retained possession for one additional play before the game ended, 6-2, with a Pirate loss. Commenting on the contest, the Teco Echo related that despite the loss, the game was one of the best games ever witnessed by fans. “The people in town have been talking of this game continuously since. The Pirates were expected to be beaten by a large score but they showed the fighting spirit that one likes to see a team possess.”

It should be added that with better play came a more aggressive, even intimidating identity. The ECTC annual, the Tecoan, variously referred to football team as “the Teachers” and “the Pirates,” but the student paper, the Teco Echo, almost invariably referred to the ECTC team as the Pirates. This ambiguity in identity would continue for decades, but without question the Pirate nation had begun to crystalize as of the mid-1930s. The opening home game against Oak Ridge, although a loss, showed just how close the Pirates were to seizing glory and gold.

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