An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

Whether you were in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium or watching from home, I hope you enjoyed the season finale win over SMU last Saturday.

I'm proud of every member of our football program. This was a difficult season to navigate with COVID-19. Patience was tested daily, and flexibility was always required. This group made a commitment from day one to protect each other on and off the field and follow all our safety protocols due to COVID-19 and they never veered off course.

One of the words we continue to use in the athletic department is inconveniences. We understand we are going to have disruptions at times, but it's up to us how we are going to respond. I commend all members of our football program for their perseverance and positive mindset throughout the season.

Please continue to support these young men on their journey to return ECU Football to prominence. Our hope is we get fans back in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in 2021 and hear Purple & Gold chants, the cannon firing and celebrate wins together in person.

Coach Houston and his staff are continuing to build a program that all Pirates can be proud of. As we have said from the beginning, this will take time and we will have bumps along the way, but it's going to be special when we put it all together. I think you saw on Saturday what that could look like.

This has been a unique year in so many ways. The pandemic continues to challenge us personally and professionally, but it's days like last Saturday that can lift you up. Pirate Nation has stood with us through these difficult times and we will never forget that.

As I have written before, the passion for the Pirates is unrivaled. We will never take your support for granted.

Congrats to Chancellor Mitchelson
It was only fitting the Pirates football team pulled out a big win on Saturday, the same day we honored Chancellor Ron Mitchelson on his upcoming retirement. You will be hard-pressed to find a more devoted Pirate than the Chancellor and I'm sure no one enjoyed the win more than him.

Ron is truly a servant leader at heart who has shown the athletics department a tremendous amount of support and guidance. These are difficult times and we are fortunate to have a person like Ron steering the ship.

Best wishes to the Chancellor and his family.

Special thanks to medical staff
It's no secret that COVID-19 has caused our entire operation to be turned upside down and no one has felt it more than our athletic training unit. They remain steadfast in keeping all our student-athletes, coaches and staff safe during this pandemic. They truly have been invaluable in our journey through the pandemic.

So many different individuals have played an important role since March ensuring our safety protocols are updated and followed by every member of our department. ECU Student Health Services has been a great partner and all the nurses and laboratory staff have been flexible and accommodating for our daily tests. Senior Associate Athletic Director Mike Hanley oversees our COVID-19 processes and has spent countless hours ensuring we are being compliant with all university and conference regulations.

Our full-time athletic training staff led by head athletic trainer Zac Womack, includes Dillon Barron, Nate Clark, Krista Carano, Lannie Hales, Hannah Herman, Allie Minori, Jake Moore, Kassy Mosley, Kelsey Reilly, Zach Wright, and Casey Zimmerman. ECU professor and director of athletic training Dr. Katie Flanagan also plays a key role on the staff.

We are fortunate to have an experienced group of team physicians who have guided us through COVID-19 led by Dr. Joseph Armen. I'm convinced I have spoken with Dr. Armen more than any other individual outside of my family since March. Dr. Christina Kim (Sports Med. Fellow), Dr. Phil Perdue, Dr. Chris Hasty and Dr. Michael McGraw all provide outstanding services to our student-athletes.

I have deep appreciation for our many athletic training students who give so much time and energy to the athletics department. Our students include: Grethe Boosen, Joshua Byrd, Julia DiaGiacmo, Kristina Flores, Sarah Ford, Patrick Fox, Robert Konnick, Kate Matava, Dasia Mitchell, Anthony Pereira, TJ Sigmon, Lauren Traflet, Michael Trgovac, and Jessica Wright.

"We Believe" update
The "We Believe" fundraising campaign surpassed $415,000 last week with another month to go. These funds are appreciated and vital for student-athlete scholarships.

More information can be found here: https://ecupirates.com/feature/WeBelieve.

We had recent leadership gifts from Leigh and Paul Fanning, Henry and Nancy Williamson and Carl and Connie Rogers.

I want to acknowledge the following individuals who have invested in the "We Believe" fund over the past week: Charles and Tracey Allen, Cary Ashworth, C.B. Cranford, Matthew S. Crovitz, Steven DeBerry, Wilbur Dees, Chris and Eva Marie Dyba, Sue Francis, Alec and Sandra French, Mark and Gail Garner, Thomas Gillen, Jim Gudger, Perry Hudson, Wesley R. Johnson, Tab Joyce, Stephen E. Kearney, Jr., David and Mandy Moye, Christopher Murray, Wade and Kathy Perry, James Sandlin III, Reid and Marion Tyler, Ronald and Tiffany Vincent.

If you are interested in making a donation to the "We Believe" fund, please check out this article regarding the CARES Act: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-the-cares-act-changes-deducting-charitable-contributions.

Previously, charitable contributions could only be deducted if taxpayers itemized their deductions. However, taxpayers who don't itemize deductions may take a charitable deduction of up to $300 for cash contributions made in 2020 to qualifying organizations. The law changed in this area due to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Basketball season is here
With football concluding last week, we move right into a highly anticipated 2020-21 basketball season for the Pirates men's and women's teams. The men opened the season last Friday with a win at Charlotte and host North Carolina Wesleyan tonight at 5 p.m. in Minges Coliseum. The game will be streamed on ecupirates.com.

The women are off to a 1-1 start, which includes a road win at Virginia on Sunday. Guard Justice Gee nailed a three-pointer in the waning seconds to give the Pirates their first win of the season. The women will host Georgia on Thursday at 4 p.m. in a game broadcast on ESPN+.

Let's make sure we stay aligned as ONE PIRATE NATION because great things can happen when we work together. Continue to show us unwavering support and we will fight to continue moving ECU Athletics forward.

Go Pirates!

Jon

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