Sam Wornom Family Makes Transformational Gift To Pirates Unite Campaign
September 02, 2022 | General
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The family of longtime ECU Athletics and Pirate Club friend, the late Sam Wornom, made a transformational gift to the Pirates Unite Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence. The gift will support the proposed multipurpose indoor practice facility to be located off Charles Boulevard.
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Sam was one of the Pirate Club's most prominent donors and made financial investments and contributions to ECU Athletics for more than 40 years. Sam is survived by his wife, Sandra, two daughters, Lesley Wornom McKay and Laurie Wornom Phillips (Paul), as well as his six grandchildren - Bryan Phillips, Chase McKay, Parrish McKay, Taylor McKay, Parker Phillips, and Lily Grace Phillips. Members of the Wornom Family will participate in the coin toss at Saturday's football season-opener against NC State.
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"We are so grateful to the generosity of the Wornom Family for this investment in ECU Athletics," ECU Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert said. "Sandra, Lesley and Laurie along with the grandchildren are a large part of the Pirates Family. We all miss Sam daily as he truly was a visionary, a philanthropic leader, and a kind man that was always there to lend a hand. No one was more passionate about the Pirates than Sam and he was always there for guidance and counsel. If you worked in administration at ECU or in the Pirate Club over the past 30 years, you knew Sam and how much he cared for his alma mater."
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Sam spent his time serving the university and athletics department in numerous capacities including stints on both the Pirate Club Executive Committee and the ECU Board of Trustees. He was a participant financially in all campaigns to benefit ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club.
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The Wornom Family shared their thoughts on today's announcement.
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"We are fortunate as a family and thrilled to be able to make an investment in ECU Athletics that will benefit current and future student-athletes for years to come. East Carolina University and the Pirates were very important to Sam and that loyalty and passion remains in our family. Sam was a Pirate, purple and gold were his colors, and this is a project he was behind because of the number of student-athletes it would impact. If you knew Sam, he was a quiet leader, leading by example, and never wanting any attention. Hopefully this gift will attract other philanthropic leaders who want to invest in the long-term success of ECU Athletics."
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One of Sam's passions was tickets and he held season tickets for every Pirate sport. While he couldn't make every event, he made sure the Pirate Club placed individuals in his seats who were going to cheer for the purple and gold. The ticket office is proudly named the Sam and Sandy Wornom ECU Athletics Ticket Office.
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"On behalf of our entire football program, we thank Sandra and the Wornom Family for this monumental gift," ECU Football Head Coach Mike Houston said. "I have heard numerous stories about Sam and his unbridled passion for the Pirates, getting emotionally invested in every play, relishing in the Pirate wins and allowing every defeat to spoil his day. There is no doubt Sam had a desire to make ECU Athletics a better place and this investment will strengthen our athletics department and football program for years to come."
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The proposed 101,000 square-foot indoor facility will consist of a steel structure, a 120-yard synthetic turf football practice field, LED lighting, camera platform, scoreboards, clocks, sound system and graphics. The facility will reside on top of the current multipurpose turf field next to the existing football turf practice facility. All sport programs will have access to the climate-controlled facility to train.
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For more information about the Pirates Unite Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence, please visit ecupirateclub.com/piratesunite.
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Sam was one of the Pirate Club's most prominent donors and made financial investments and contributions to ECU Athletics for more than 40 years. Sam is survived by his wife, Sandra, two daughters, Lesley Wornom McKay and Laurie Wornom Phillips (Paul), as well as his six grandchildren - Bryan Phillips, Chase McKay, Parrish McKay, Taylor McKay, Parker Phillips, and Lily Grace Phillips. Members of the Wornom Family will participate in the coin toss at Saturday's football season-opener against NC State.
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"We are so grateful to the generosity of the Wornom Family for this investment in ECU Athletics," ECU Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert said. "Sandra, Lesley and Laurie along with the grandchildren are a large part of the Pirates Family. We all miss Sam daily as he truly was a visionary, a philanthropic leader, and a kind man that was always there to lend a hand. No one was more passionate about the Pirates than Sam and he was always there for guidance and counsel. If you worked in administration at ECU or in the Pirate Club over the past 30 years, you knew Sam and how much he cared for his alma mater."
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Sam spent his time serving the university and athletics department in numerous capacities including stints on both the Pirate Club Executive Committee and the ECU Board of Trustees. He was a participant financially in all campaigns to benefit ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club.
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The Wornom Family shared their thoughts on today's announcement.
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"We are fortunate as a family and thrilled to be able to make an investment in ECU Athletics that will benefit current and future student-athletes for years to come. East Carolina University and the Pirates were very important to Sam and that loyalty and passion remains in our family. Sam was a Pirate, purple and gold were his colors, and this is a project he was behind because of the number of student-athletes it would impact. If you knew Sam, he was a quiet leader, leading by example, and never wanting any attention. Hopefully this gift will attract other philanthropic leaders who want to invest in the long-term success of ECU Athletics."
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One of Sam's passions was tickets and he held season tickets for every Pirate sport. While he couldn't make every event, he made sure the Pirate Club placed individuals in his seats who were going to cheer for the purple and gold. The ticket office is proudly named the Sam and Sandy Wornom ECU Athletics Ticket Office.
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"On behalf of our entire football program, we thank Sandra and the Wornom Family for this monumental gift," ECU Football Head Coach Mike Houston said. "I have heard numerous stories about Sam and his unbridled passion for the Pirates, getting emotionally invested in every play, relishing in the Pirate wins and allowing every defeat to spoil his day. There is no doubt Sam had a desire to make ECU Athletics a better place and this investment will strengthen our athletics department and football program for years to come."
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The proposed 101,000 square-foot indoor facility will consist of a steel structure, a 120-yard synthetic turf football practice field, LED lighting, camera platform, scoreboards, clocks, sound system and graphics. The facility will reside on top of the current multipurpose turf field next to the existing football turf practice facility. All sport programs will have access to the climate-controlled facility to train.
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For more information about the Pirates Unite Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence, please visit ecupirateclub.com/piratesunite.
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