In 1950, the Teco Echo praised Pirate quarterback Roger Thrift as “probably the most outstanding athlete” ever to have played intercollegiate football at East Carolina. His senior year, Thrift set new school records, completing 124 of 257 passes for 1,907 yards and 20 touchdowns. Largely due to Thrift’s stunning accuracy as quarterback, the Pirates ended the 1950 season with a winning record, 7-3, their best in a decade. The same year, Thrift was voted the Most Outstanding Player in the North State Conference, having received 91 out of a possible 115 votes from sports writers and participating conference coaches. Thrift was also named to the All-Conference Team, the All-State Team, and received honorable mention in the selection of the Little All-America team. Thrift’s senior number, 36, is one of four in Pirate football history to have been retired, a testament to his extraordinary contributions to gridiron play at East Carolina.
A native of Carrboro, Thrift first played football for Chapel Hill High School. In the final years of WWII, he served in the U.S. Navy and then, upon his return to the states, enrolled at UNC where he played baseball his freshman year. Thrift transferred to ECTC as a sophomore but, as a transfer, was ineligible for athletic competition that year. He made his quarterback debut as a Pirate in the fall of 1949, as a mature 23-year-old junior. On September 15, 1949, Thrift amazed a crowd of 4,000 at the season opener in the newly dedicated College Stadium by completing eight of 13 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Pirates to a 24-0 shutout over the Cherry Point Marines. Thrift’s sensational passing game also set up two additional touchdowns against the Marines. Following the game, the Teco Echo sports page featured Thrift, declaring him “Athlete of the Issue.”
A physical education major with a minor in social studies, Thrift became ECC’s first-ever NFL draftee when he was picked by the Cleveland Browns in the 1951. However, instead of playing pro-ball, Thrift followed his passion, beginning his coaching career at Murfreesboro High School, before moving to Williamston, Sanford, and then later to an assistant coach position at Davidson College. In 1965 he relocated to New Bern where he worked as head football coach until 1976. Thrift continued as athletic director at New Bern High until his retirement in 1985.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to Pirate football as well as coaching at the high school and collegiate levels, Thrift was inducted into the J. T. Barber/New Bern High School Hall of Fame, the East Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame. Along with his coach Bill Dole, Thrift helped to lead the Pirate football program to the cusp of greatness as it emerged from a two-year hiatus during the WWII years and then a succession of mediocre performances in the years following. Without exaggeration, Thrift helped to transform East Carolina into a football school, showing the student body, administration, and larger community what a difference athletic excellence could make at all levels.
Sources
- “Athlete Of The Issue.” Teco Echo. Vol. 25, no. 3. October 7, 1949. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38184
- “Athlete Of The Week. Teco Echo. Vol. 26, No. 5. October 13, 1950. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38216
- “ECTC’s Roger Thrift Named Most Outstanding NS Player.” Asheville Citizen-Times. November 26, 1950. P. 33.
- Gay, Francis. “Thrift Is Rated As Outstanding Grid Star of EC.” Teco Echo. Vol. 26, No. 12. December 15, 1950. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38223
- Hogg, Frank. “Who Is Justice And Lambeth? Thrift’s Pass Record Better!” Teco Echo. Vol. 25, no. 8. November 11, 1949. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38189
- “Roger Grange Thrift.” Legacy.com. Wilmington Star-News. January 9, 2007. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/starnewsonline/obituary.aspx?n=roger-grange-thrift&pid=85913557
- “Roger Thrift.” ECU Athletics Hall of Fame. https://ecupirates.com/hof.aspx?hof=134
- “Roger Thrift Lands Position On NS All-Conference Squad.” Teco Echo. Vol. 25, no. 11. December 16, 1949. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38192
- “Roger Thrift To Be Honored At Banquet.” Daily Times-News (Burlington, N.C.). November 27, 1950. P. 3.
- “Thrift Gets Outstanding Player Award.” Daily Tar Heel. November 29, 1950. P. 3.
- “Thrift Hits On 21 Out Of 48 Aerials For ECTC.” Daily Times-News (Burlington, N.C.). October 7, 1950. P. 13.
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Citation Information
Title: Roger Grange Thrift
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 7/19/2019