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by William M. Ritenour (Author)
Where it's a first down Pirates! Few moments capture the passion of East Carolinians more than when these words are pronounced on football Saturdays at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The thrill of watching the Pirates play amidst a sea of purple is an experience near to heaven in a place called Pirate Country. The chill of autumn air, the taste of Down East BBQ, the sound of Purple Haze, the smell of cannon smoke and the sight of the Jolly Roger hoisted high after an ECU victory-all flood the senses and show life is grand, when one is fortunate to be a Pirate fan. Still, there was a time when purple passion and Pirate football were not synonymous terms. Not so long ago, college lads called the ECTC Teachers played football on a baseball field laden with sandspurs. Coached by an unpaid sergeant in the National Guard, the team failed to score a single point during that inaugural season of 1932. But from such austerity came the East Carolina University Pirates-hailed by many the best team in the Carolinas by the end of the century. Between these covers tells the tale of how it was done.
