Hired by ECTC in early 1949 Dole had previously coached at Fayetteville High School. There, he had a 28-3-1 record, with state championships in 1947 and 1948. Prior to Fayetteville, Dole successfully coached high school play in West Virginia. With an overall high school record of 97-33-5, he came to ECTC replacing head coach Jim Johnson who, during the fall of 1948, went 0-9.
Dole’s first game in 1949 resulted in a Pirate victory over the Cherry Point Marines, 24-0. Played on dedication day for the new College Stadium before a crowd of 4,000 fans, the Pirate victory prompted the Teco Echo to declare “Ole King Dole is a merry ole soul,” adding that the win marked the beginning of his reign as head coach. The “Dolemen” played “inspired ball to give East Carolina its first football victory in two years.” By season’s end, the Pirates were 4-5-1, with a 1-4-1 record in conference play. Nevertheless, the Tecoan noted “the fine spirit and determination of the 1949 Pirates will long be remembered and will serve as an inspiration to wearers of the purple and gold in the future.”
In 1950, Dole’s second season, the Bucs racked up an impressive 7-3 record, and went 5-2 in conference play. By all counts, the team was playing a higher caliber of football than in recent memory. According to the Tecoan, “a new athletic era” was dawning for the Buccaneers. Supposedly, the cry “’Here come the Pirates!’ was giving chills of fear to other North State conference clans, and to non-conference foes who meet the Buccos on fields of battle.”
By late 1951, ECTC had become ECC. Despite the elevation in academic status, the Pirates stalled, ending with a 4-6 season. In April 1952, Dole resigned his position to become head coach at Davidson College. Assistant coach Jack Boone was soon named head coach for the 1952 season. While Dole’s tenure at ECC was brief, he led the Pirates up from “hapless” play to increasing levels of competition in the North State conference. Following his departure, Boone, coaching a team Dole had built, led the Pirates to consecutive winning seasons, including the North State championship in 1953.
In a prepared statement, Dole remarked, “It is with regret that this opportunity for advancement came right at this time, for I feel that 1952 will be the Pirates’ year. I shall follow with interest the outcome of each game the Pirates play during the coming year.” Later Dole, somewhat ungraciously, reportedly quipped, “I wonder if anybody realizes that he (Boone) is reaping the harvest of the seeds I sowed. I brought in all those boys he has now, every one of them except Dick Cherry. Most of those boys will be back next year, and he’ll have another good season.” While immodest, Dole’s analyses were not mistaken: his legacy in recruiting talent and building a solid team helped to fuel the victories that added glory to Boone’s opening years as head coach and the ascent of Pirate football in the 1950s.
Sources
- “Bears Drop ECC Eleven 41-14.” Asheville Citizen-Times. October 28, 1951. P. 39.
- “Bears Score Win Over Buccaneers In Gridiron Clash.” Teco Echo. Vol. 27, no. 9. November 9, 1951. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38246
- “Bill Dole Lands Job As Coach At Davidson College.” Rocky Mount Telegram. April 1, 1952. P. 11.
- “Bill Doles Takes Over Duties As Head Football Coach Here.” Teco Echo. Vol. 24, no. 10. February 25, 1949. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38172
- “Boone New Buc Football Coach.” Teco Echo. Vol. 27, no. 25. May 2, 1952. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38262
- “Bucs Get Pep Talk At Half Of Game.” Teco Echo. Vol. 27, no. 9. November 9, 1951. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38246
- “Dole Leaves For Davidson Sunday.” Teco Echo. Vol. 27, no. 23. April 11, 1952. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38260
- “Dole Named ECTC Coach.” Asheville Times. February 8, 1949. P. 11. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9983592/dole_named_ectc_coach/
- “Football.” Tecoan. 1952. Pp. 139-150. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15357
- Hackney, Bill. “Hackney(ed) Phrases.” High Point Enterprise. January 10, 1951. P. 4.
- “Longtime Coach Bill Dole Dies.” St. Petersburg Times. February 8, 1966. P. 2C.
- “Pirates Defeat Marine Flyers In Dedication Game, 24-0.” Teco Echo. Vol. 25, no. 3. October 7, 1949. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38184
- “Pirate Football.” Tecoan. 1951. Pp. 124-129. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15356
- Hogg, Frank. “Football.” Tecoan. 1950. Pp. 78-81. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15355
- Williams, Bob. “Bobbin’ Along.” Rocky Mount Telegram. December 17, 1953. P. 18.
More from Digital Collections
This picture, first published in the Teco Echo, shows head coach Bill Dole talking with four of his players in the Pirate locker room during half-time of their home game with Lenoir-Rhyne, October 27, 1951. Dole is addressing Bob Bradley and Don MacKenzie (left), and Al Auerback and John Swart (right). At the half, the Pirates were down 13-7, but still in the game. The second half was disastrous as Clarence Stasavich’s Bears added four touchdowns while the Bucs scored once. Despite the loss 41-14, Dole’s coaching was pivotal in the ongoing Pirate recovery from the 1940s when football play had been suspended due to WWII, and then when resumed, resulted in a series of losses. Dole’s best year, 1950, was followed by another losing season, but one featuring competitive play and a spirited team of promising young players. In 1952, Dole left ECC to become head coach at Davidson College. Although brief, his three years as head coach contributed to the winning seasons that followed and the rise of Pirate football as the main athletic attraction at East Carolina.