Head football coach at ECU fired; Wilmington’s Trevon Brown disappointed
East Carolina football coach Ruffin McNeill has been “relieved of his duties, effective immediately.”
The announcement came from ECU Athletic Director Jeff Compher on Friday.
ECU finished this season with a 5-7 record after a 19-16 loss to Cincinnati last weekend. McNeill’s overall record is 42-34 with one bowl victory at ECU.
“After deliberate evaluation, the decision has been made to move our football program in a different direction with new leadership.” Compher said. “We are appreciative of the hard work, dedication and contributions Coach McNeill and his staff have made to both East Carolina University and our community.”
ECU named McNeill as head coach on Jan. 21, 2010. The ECU graduate was the 20th head coach at the school. He came from Texas Tech, where he served as interim coach during the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Former New Hanover wide receiver Trevon Brown just finished his second season on the field for ECU. He’s not pleased with Friday’s decision. “It only gets worse you can’t take nothing from is to hurt us cause we came from nothing.” Brown noted on Twitter. “All we have is each other you can’t break that. We will not let you break that.”
Ruffin McNeill on Twitter released the following statement: “If they take everything from me I’ll be good because I never had anything, I’ll be back at square 1” – Ruffin McNeill
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GREENVILLE, NC (ECU) – East Carolina University Director of Athletics Jeff Compher addressed members of the media Friday afternoon regarding a leadership change with the Pirate football program that was formally announced earlier in the day. Please find a transcript of the session below:
Opening Statement:
“As you all know, earlier today I met with Ruffin McNeill and informed him we were relieving him of his duties as head coach. These types of decisions are never easy. However, after observing and evaluating the program after three seasons, I came to the conclusion that our football team was not meeting competitive expectations. In my opinion, the trajectory of the program was not going in the right direction.
“This decision is as difficult as it is because of who Ruffin McNeill is as a man. We have all come to know him as an outstanding person who is a great family man and a caring coach who has nurtured his team throughout his six seasons here at ECU. I am thankful for his dedication to Pirate Nation and to his coaches and staff who have worked hard for this program over the last few seasons.
“We will now begin a national search to find the next leader of the Pirate football program. I will look for our next head coach knowing how critical this decision is to the current and former members of this football team, this university and our passionate fanbase, as well as this entire region. I have no doubt there will be great interest in this job.”
On the Timing of the Decision:
“I made the decision earlier this week.”
On Relaying the Decision to McNeill:
“We met in my office today and had a conversation. It was brief and very professional.”
On Potential Staff Changes under McNeill:
“From our earlier conversations, the staff would have remained the same moving forward. There was no request from me or any member of my staff regarding changes to the football staff.”
On Expectations for the Program:
“Our expectation is to win conference championships. Everything we do should be geared toward moving in that direction. Based on my assessment, I did not believe that was the case.”
On Factors Considered when Reviewing the Program:
“There are a lot of factors you look at when reviewing a program whether it be attendance numbers or ticket sales. This was not just a monetary decision. This is about the direction of our program and the prospect for future success.”
On Whether Bowl Eligibility would have Mattered in the Decision:
“That would depend on the outcome of the bowl, among other factors. It certainly would have given us more to talk about and for me to evaluate.”
More on the Timing of the Decision:
“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.”
On Potential Candidates for the Position:
“There is no one individual on the hook right now. I have a list of candidates that I am interested in. I would not be a very effective athletics director if I did not have that list. We are in the process of assessing interest in the position and will move on this as soon as we can.”
On Player Reaction:
“Any time you have a beloved coach like Coach McNeill, you will have an emotional response from the current team. I understand that and will meet with the team later today. I will talk with them about the decision and know it will not be an easy meeting. At the same time, I am going to speak with them regarding our future. If they want to be part of something that leads to championships, I want them to help us accomplish that goal. This is a main goal of mine today. I want our players to stay committed to the classroom and finish the semester strong academically.”
On Qualities in the New Head Coach:
“I want someone here who will embrace Pirate Nation in regards to our culture and values. I would like that person to be a fierce competitor at all times, whether on the field or in recruiting, and lead us to an American Athletic Conference championship. I also want someone who understands the value of education and will demand academic success from our team.”
On Potential Issues Regarding Coaches With Fans Social Media:
“It is not uncommon for coaches to respond directly to fans on social media. I was not aware of any conversations between our coaches and fans and that had no impact whatsoever on this decision.”
On Pressure Felt by Making the Decision:
“I fully understand the gravity of my choice. That is something I gave a lot of thought to and did not take it lightly.”
On the Notion of the Job as a Stepping Stone Position:
“If someone comes in and creates a winning program then looks elsewhere, it makes it easy for the next coach to continue that legacy. It means that your program is strong. We are looking to build a program that will last regardless of who the leader may be.”
On the Level of Experience Desired for the Next Head Coach:
“I am looking for someone who makes great decisions. Head coaches have obviously done that. Coordinators have done that. We also need someone who can make great recruiting decisions. That certainly does not have to be a head coach. They have been in the trenches and that is appealing, but I have hired people without head coaching experience and that has worked out well.”
On the Status of Jeff Connors:
“All coaches are part of our athletics department no matter what sport to which they are assigned. Coach Connors directly oversees our strength and conditioning staff and I do not expect that to change.”
On Monetary Factors in Hiring a Head Coach:
“The marketplace has certainly changed and we plan to offer a competitive package.”
On the Buyout of McNeill’s Contract:
“Base on [McNeill’s] contract, he will soon revert to his base salary which is $400,000 annually. That will happen the rest of this year and then continue for the next two so that amounts to roughly $1,000,000.”
On Outside Pressure to Make this Decision:
“There was no outside pressure on me. In reality, you get a lot of opinions – solicited and unsolicited. I felt, regardless of any feedback I was offered, that it was completely my decision.”
On the Difficulty of Replacing McNeill’s Passion for and Connection to the University:
“[McNeill] will always be a Pirate. That connection will be difficult to replace. I do think, however, that when anyone who gets here – including myself – understands what this university and region is about, they can begin to build that coalition with the staff and community.”
On McNeill’s Awareness of the Decision:
“I believe you should support your coach throughout the season. I never told [McNeill] that he needed to win the next game or he would be terminated. That is not what we do. What you need to do is support your coach and team the entire season then take some time after the dust settles and evaluate the situation.”
On External Factors Influencing the Decision:
“In Division I football, injuries and setbacks of that nature will always occur. There needs to be that next man up mentality. We are not about excuses but production. As we move forward, it needs to be understood that this is about winning championships. Regardless of any obstacles in your way, there has to be progress to that effect.”
On the Timing and Availability of Potential Candidates:
“A lot of the coaching vacancies have been filled but there are still a lot of great candidates out there. To quote [Coach John] Wooden – I want to be quick but not in a hurry. I do not want to be hasty, but I do understand the urgency required in this kind of search.”
On Supporting the Head Coach at East Carolina:
“Our coaches have expectations and know what they are. People know what football means to our university as well as our fanbase.”
On McNeill’s Reaction to the Decision:
“[Coach McNeill] was very professional. He thanked myself and Nick [Floyd], asked a few questions then left the room.”
On the Recruiting Impact of such a Decision:
“You hope that our recruits with which we are involved would wait to see who comes in next and give that person the opportunity to speak with them.”
On the Overall Message to the Fanbase:
“I expected there to be an emotional response to this decision. I did not expect it to be a popular one but it was made in the best interests of the future of our football program. I hope people understand that the direction we want to go is winning championships and working toward playing on New Year’s Day. We will work tirelessly to find a head coach that will lead us in that direction.”
On Conversations with the Current Football Staff:
“I have asked Donnie Kirkpatrick to stay on as our current recruiting coordinator to assist with calls from prospects. Dale Steele and Brian Overton will also stay on to help out administratively through the transition. All three will have the opportunity to meet with the next head coach if they so desire.”
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