Pirates Officially Begin 2005 Season, Skip Holtz Era
August 05, 2005 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. ? First-year East Carolina Head Football Coach Skip Holtz, who was appointed to lead the Pirates' program last December, officially welcomed his 105-man preseason camp roster for a morning walk-through before guiding ECU through its first workout of the season, a three-hour afternoon session in helmets and shorts at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
East Carolina will follow Friday's initial practice with single workouts at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium through Tuesday before conducting its only two-a-day schedule of the preseason Wednesday, Aug. 10.
The Pirates are scheduled to put on shoulder pads for the first time Sunday before following with full gear Tuesday per NCAA rules. ECU's preseason practice schedule will culminate Sept. 3 when the Pirates host Duke at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium beginning at 1:00 p.m.
"We've waited a long time to have an opportunity to get back on the field," said Holtz. "It was exciting to see everyone together for the first time, particularly the freshmen and the guys who missed spring drills. I'd label the practice as upbeat, positive and fast-paced. We resembled a football team out there today and I think that serves as a testament to everyone's commitment and hard work during the spring and summer. Yet, let's not forget we're still in a position of playing catch-up and we will be for awhile."
The Pirates return 10 offensive starters and eight off the defensive side of the ball while welcoming back a total of 48 lettermen, including junior quarterback James Pinkney and a pair of senior linebackers in Chris Moore and Richard Koonce. Pinkney, who did not participate spring drills, will look to earn a place in Holtz' offensive scheme after completing 190-of-339 passes for 2,195 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2004. The Pirates also return leading rusher Chris Johnson, who as a sophomore ran for 561 yards on 134 carries, and top receiver Bobby Good after a 33-catch, 427-yard performance a year ago. In addition to the return of several key skill performers, East Carolina also welcomed back three of five starters on the offensive line - tackle Eric Graham, guard Gary Freeman and center Hunter Wood.
Holtz looked forward to having a full compliment of offensive upperclassmen available after enduring a spring practice period without eight junior or senior members of the program's season-ending depth chart.
Defensively, senior three-time All-Conference USA selection Moore and Koonce, along with a deep secondary are expected to key a Pirate unit which finished among the top 50 nationally in turnovers created last season. In addition to Moore and Koonce, East Carolina also returns tackle Dontre Brown, end Shauntae Hunt, safeties Kyle Chase, Zach Baker and Jamar Flournoy, along with cornerback Erode Jean. In addition, ECU also returns sophomore middle linebacker Durwin Lamb, who experienced significant playing time a year ago to earn C-USA All-Freshman Team honors.
The ECU defense arrived for fall camp in good health with the exception of safety Mickey McCoy, who is out indefinitely with an ankle injury.
Prior to the afternoon workout Saturday, the Pirates will conduct their annual media day activities at the Murphy Center.
