The past few months there have been some major changes to Pirate Football.  First was the news that former head coach Skip Holtz was leaving, and that new head coach Ruffin McNeill was coming in to take his place.  The most current change is the addition to the east end zone of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.  The stadium addition costs over $15 million, and will add about 7,000 seats.  Jimmy Bass, senior associate director of ECU Athletics says, “We think 7,000 new seats will make it a very, very difficult place for opponents to play, while improving the college football experience for all fans entering the stadium.”

So what else does the addition include?  It includes a new scoreboard, with a video screen with dimensions of 84 feet wide and 24 feet tall, as well as an audio system on top.  There will also be a few more video boards on both sides of the stadium that are ultimately for “fan enjoyment.”  Along with Dowdy-Ficklen stadium, other projects (costing approximately $30 million) are currently underway to improve other ECU sports facilities, as well as fund-raising for a basketball and volleyball practice facility.

What exactly is the point of ongoing additions to sports facilities?  It is all for the best as Bass says, “When everything is finished, we’ll have one of the finest athletic complexes, not only in Conference USA, but on the East Coast.”