Pirate
Notebook No. 94
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
By Denny O'Brien Staff Writer and Columnist
Kerr: Fast track no substitute
for football
Part Two of a Two-Part Pirate
Notebook Special
[Editor's note:
PART ONE of Denny O'Brien's
Pirate Notebook Special on former East Carolina linebacker Jeff Kerr
was published on Thursday, November 14.]
Catch Bonesville's exclusive
weekly Internet radio program, BONESVILLE HUDDLE, featuring insightful
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week for streaming on demand.)
As Jeff Kerr sat in his Columbia, SC, hotel room 275 miles away, he could
only watch as the remnants of Hurricane Floyd continued a ravaging assault
on Eastern North Carolina.
What should have been a week of celebration following a trouncing of Lou
Holtz' South Carolina Gamecocks and a surprising 3-0 start, along with the
anticipation of the biggest game in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium history against
ninth-ranked Miami, was replaced by fear of the unknown.
Haunting images of a rising river and flooded apartments filled the
Pirates' television screens and covered their newspapers. The last thing on
their minds was football.
Yet, the Pirates were forced to spend a week in their new
home-away-from-home, while preparing for Hurricanes of a different sort in a
game that was moved, because of safety concerns, 85 miles to the west of
ECU's own stadium to Carter-Finley Stadium, home of the rival N.C. State
Wolfpack.
It was a test which no man on the team was prepared for, but it was one
that each would pass with flying colors.
"It was like prison," Kerr said. "The clothes you had were the clothes
you had on your backs.
"There was so much testosterone flowing that week, you either went this
way, or you went the other way. Luckily, we went the right way. That brought
us together. It's a miracle it turned out the way it did."
To suggest that it was akin to an episode of Survivor would be a stretch,
but it was probably as close as it gets in a sport where plush facilities
and apparel deals separate the elite from the mid-majors.
The Pirates drilled in Carolina Panthers gear, while beginning
preparations at USC's practice facilities. When the rains hit the Palmetto
State, the Bucs were forced to move to a local high school, where they
practiced on a field more suitable for cows to graze.
Boredom was conquered by card games, movies, and bowling night. Trips to
the mall, even though these Floyd refugees had no money to speak of, were a
special treat.
Still, nothing could replace the obvious. The Pirates yearned for their
ship to sail home.
Kerr admits the Pirates had no interest in playing Miami, though it all
seemed worth it when the Pirates eventually took the field. Instead of the
half-empty stadium that was expected, East Carolina was greeted by a vocal
purple throng of more than 46,000.
"I get cold chills now thinking about it," Kerr said. "We never thought
anybody was going to show up for that game.
"When we finally walked into the stadium and found that there was a ton
of fans out there, we found out what we were playing for and what we were
out to get in that game. Football is an emotional game and that game was one
of the most emotional of all of our lives. It was just something that was
simply a miracle."
What may have ended in a miracle seemed, in the beginning, more like a
tragedy. The 'Canes took the opening possession and marched down the field
for an early 7-0 lead, eventually building a 20-point third-quarter cushion.
Bit by bit, the Pirates fought back, using a gutsy second half outing by
a Kerr-lead defense and a breakthrough performance by a young, burly
quarterback. David Garrard's touchdown toss to Keith Stokes provided the
go-ahead score. A symbolic final defensive stand sealed the victory.
What followed was a celebration fitting for such a marquee victory, as
students paraded away with both goalposts, which is the appropriate souvenir
when a David defeats a Goliath.
For the Pirates, the thrill of victory would be short-lived and put in
proper perspective just two hours later when they finally returned to a
storm-ravaged Greenville after almost two weeks in exile.
"The smell when you stepped off the buses — it was bad," Kerr said. "You
just don't realize what all went on and what all happened down there unless
you saw it for yourself.
"You can see videos of it and everything else, but until you've seen it
firsthand and experience what happened, it's an unbelievable spectacle."
It was a devastation from which the region is still recovering. But on
that fall Saturday, the Pirates gave their community something it
desperately needed:
Hope.
Bitter ending
As inspiring as that '99 season was, it lacked a storybook ending. A
happy one, at least.
Instead of a Cinderella march to an undefeated campaign, the Pirates
never wore the glass slipper, losing to Southern Miss and UAB en route to a
9-2 finish.
It was good enough, nonetheless, to garner a Top 20 regular season finish
and land East Carolina in the inaugural Mobile Alabama Bowl, a game that
Kerr would just as soon forget. Favored to beat Texas Christian, the Pirates
fell 28-14 to the Horned Frogs, ending an otherwise magnificent season in
utter disappointment.
Some have suggested the Pirates were not happy in Mobile because they
felt their impressive record and national ranking was deserving of a more
traditional bowl destination against a high-profile opponent.
That wasn't the case with Kerr, though he did admit the team seemed to
hoist big egos during bowl week.
"I didn't really care what bowl game we were in," Kerr said. "It was just
the fact that we wanted to play a bowl game just to show the country what we
were about and what we were there to do.
"The whole experience down there was almost like a dream. Some things
that went on weren't good... Some players didn't do what they were supposed
to do at times. I think we kind of got the big head just a little bit and
didn't quite perform up to what we should have."
Kerr says the punctuation of that 9-3 season still stings, just as any
loss should. Even so, one dark cloud can't dampen what this team
accomplished on the field.
Or the number of hearts it captured along the way.
Life in the fast lane
Life after East Carolina has been a whirlwind for Kerr.
When neither the NFL nor XFL worked out, he decided to give coaching a
try, which is when he accepted a position on Jeff Connors' strength and
conditioning staff at North Carolina. It was the equivalent of an intern
position, which forced him to juggle additional jobs.
Kerr spent some nights tending bar at Michael Jordan's restaurant on
Franklin Street, which often meant little sleep. Never did he let that get
in the way of his passion, as football always came first.
Then there was an opportunity with NASCAR, where as a jackman for Michael
Waltrip's No. 15 Chevrolet, the former Pirates standout once again found
himself as the lead dog in the trenches.
"As a jackman, you've got to be the first one off the wall," Kerr said.
"You've got to be the man that sets the tone.
"If you mess anything up just a half a second, it throws the entire pit
stop off. You're really (the) man on the pit crew. Everything starts and
stops with you."
It was a perfect fit for Kerr, who not only possessed the physical tools
to compete at NASCAR's highest level — Winston Cup — but also the mentality
to stay focused during intense pit practices and those long, grueling 500
mile races.
Just like football, racing was a total team effort, which is exactly what
it took to propel Waltrip to victory lane in the Pepsi 400 on July 6, a
sweet moment in time Kerr has framed on his office wall in Chapel Hill.
When a full-time position became available on Connors' staff, it was
decision time. If Kerr accepted the appointment, it would mean giving up
NASCAR, which he loved.
So, Kerr and his newlywed wife — former Lady Pirates hardwood standout
Misty Horne — huddled together and pondered the alternatives.
"It was a tough decision," he said. "I sat down with my wife and we made
a decision together.
"I was away a whole lot and I was working a whole lot of hours. This was
good money and it was what I wanted to do long-term. We just finally decided
that I had to quit playing and start working."
Kerr's not playing anymore, but he's still very much involved in the game
he loves. He still tackles each day with the same intensity he used to
flatten quarterbacks on the gridiron, and, yes, he still carries that
gigantic chip on his shoulder.
Even though he now works in Tar Heel Town and his heart is 100 percent
into what he's doing, Jeff Kerr is still purple to the core.
"(ECU) will always be my alma mater," he said. "That will always be the
place where I played football. It's a great place to play football and I'll
never change it for the world. Give me a purple helmet one more time."
Now that sounds like a swell idea.
[Editor's note:
PART ONE of Denny O'Brien's
Pirate Notebook Special on former East Carolina linebacker Jeff Kerr
was published on Thursday, November 14.]
