Pirates searching for new captain after head-scratching dismissal of McNeill

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 9, 2015 1:48 PM

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Every single sports writer -- statewide and nationally -- has weighed in on Ruffin McNeill's shocking dismissal from East Carolina.

Now it's my turn.

I'm an ECU alum.

I bleed purple and gold.

And I'm scratching my head a little bit, too.

Like most of the Pirate Nation who have expressed their discontent through social media, I -- like them -- don't agree with how ECU athletics director Jeff Compher handled the matter. He could have shown a little more class.

I do know, through several reliable sources, that Compher and McNeill met about the coaching staff. Compher suggested some changes that McNeill disagreed with for various reasons. That might have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Compher handed McNeill his pink slip.

Not long after, Compher informed the remainder of the coaching staff they were fired. The players did not know of Compher's decision until they heard the news either through social media or text messages.

They never got the opportunity to say good-bye to a man who gave his blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul -- just like the players -- to his beloved alma mater every day in practice and on game day. He scoured eastern North Carolina, the southeast and the nation for some of the best players he could sign. In fact, he was searching for bigger, stronger and more aggressive offensive linemen when Compher summoned him back to Greenville.

In six seasons, McNeill posted 42 wins, including a 10-win campaign in 2013 -- the program's first in nearly two decades. Four teams made bowl appearances. He won five games against Atlantic Coast Conference schools.

McNeill had a winning percentage comparable to Steve Logan and Skip Holtz. (We won't even mention the clown John Thompson who nearly ran the program into the ground).

Moreso than his predecessors, McNeill was a "people" person who always appreciated the fans, took time for pictures and even wrote a children's book. This man helped the Pirate Nation, through Terry Holland's watchful eyes when he was AD, climb on board the ship and ride the smooth ocean -- that sometimes became a choppy sea -- every Saturday afternoon.

How can 42 wins, an average of seven year, not be satisfactory? Mediocre seasons in conference play seemed more urgent to Compher, especially a 1-4 finish in the final five games of this season with the only victory against winless UCF.

Maybe it was a wise decision by McNeill, who took a close friend's advice and opted not to sign a contract extension.

"In my opinion, the trajectory of the program was not going in the right direction," Compher said in an email released through the ECU Media Relations office. "I know many people were shocked by this. I felt like we needed to make this decision now and not wait a year and potentially be faced with the same situation."

Was ECU in that bad of a situation?

McNeill had to deal with losing Lincoln Riley to Oklahoma, two record-setting offensive players who are now in the pros, and starting quarterback Kurt Benkert a week before the season opener against Towson. He two-platooned with James Summers and Blake Kemp at quarterback, which at times, led to ridicule from fans either on radio shows or Facebook pages devoted to Pirate football.

That wasn't his only problem.

Those close to the program understood McNeill's take on discipline. You step out of line, you pay the price. He did everything within in his power to keep several "tightrope" players on the right path. Admittedly, there was probably a disconnection of some sort on the coachng staff as well.

But don't tell me that McNeill didn't care about the integrity of his program.

Not surprisingly there are those of you out there who are saying "it's about time."

ECU should have finished 8-4 -- at worst 7-5 -- this season. Fourth-quarter meltdowns, especially against Temple and Cincinnati, certainly didn't assure McNeill of a seventh season in Greenville. The late-game collapses didn't sit well with Compher, either.

Compher wants a coach who can put the Pirates in position to compete for a conference championship and a major bowl bid each season. But at what cost? Any coach who steps into his office is going to request a higher salary and a multi-year contract. There's no guarantee that coach will stay if he has one great season.

So, where does that leave ECU?