Football
- Title:
- Tight Ends
Phil Petty will begin his fifth season on the East Carolina staff in 2009 and handle tight end play for the third straight year after serving two productive campaigns guiding the Pirates' quarterbacks.
Petty officially joined the ECU staff Dec. 9, 2004 and coordinated the continued development of quarterback James Pinkney, who put up 2,773 and 2,783 passing yards in back-to-back campaigns - the third and second-highest single season performances in ECU history.
In fact, under Petty's leadership, Pinkney closed his career as the Pirates' all-time leader in completions (687), attempts (1,189) and 200-yard passing games (23) eclipsing marks turned in by ECU notables and NFL signal-callers such as David Garrard and Jeff Blake.
He accepted the assignment to lead the Pirates' tight ends corps in February, 2007 and began working with the young unit during the spring practice period, establishing the same leadership and rapport that resulted in success during the fall.
Petty's corps netted a total of 27 catches for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns and were significant cogs in East Carolina's blocking scheme that generated the program's highest rushing total since 1988. In addition, junior starter Davon Drew completed the '07 season by earning All-Conference USA honors after leading the unit with 19 receptions for 196 and a pair of scores.
Petty guided Drew to an award-winning encore performance in 2008 as the senior established a new East Carolina single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end with 695. Drew, who picked up All-Conference USA accolades for the third consecutive campaign, led all Pirate receivers in total yardage, average per catch (16.2 ypr) and touchdown receptions (3) while making a total of 43 grabs.
Prior to his appointment at ECU, Petty served as a graduate assistant coach who worked primarily with the quarterbacks at South Carolina in 2004, helping the Gamecocks to a top 50 national rank in rushing offense (168.7 yards per game) while averaging 368.9 total yards per contest.
After completing a notable four-year playing career at South Carolina which ended in January, 2002, Petty was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Hammond High School in Columbia, S.C. during the 2003 season.
Petty was a three-year starter at quarterback under Holtz's tutelage at South Carolina where he developed into one of the winningest quarterbacks in recent Southeastern Conference history, leading the Gamecocks to 17 victories in his last 23 starts, including back-to-back Outback Bowl wins over Ohio State in 2001 (24-7) and 2002 (31-28). He garnered Outback Bowl MVP honors after a 227-yard, two touchdown passing performance against the Buckeyes during the 2002 matchup.
He was a finalist for the prestigious Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as a senior while his leadership skills earned him a selection by his peers as South Carolina's team captain in 2001.
During his last two successful seasons, Petty completed 306-of-547 passes for 4,079 yards and 17 touchdowns while leading South Carolina to a combined 17-7 record in 2000 and 2001. He threw for 2,110 yards in 2000, helping the Gamecocks to an 8-4 mark which officially completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NCAA Division I-A history after an 0-11 campaign in 1999.
Upon the completion of his collegiate career, Petty signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.
Petty, 30, earned his bachelor's degree in retail management from South Carolina in December, 2001.
