By
W.A.
Myatt
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Punter Trent Tignor helps make East Carolina special
teams special. The 6-foot-5 senior from Mill Creek High School in
Hoschton, GA, can bounce a football on the ground and catch it while
riding a stationary bicycle. Of more substantive value to the Pirates,
however, is his 41.3-yard punt average this season. He averaged 42.8
yards last season.
Tignor also been the holder for ECU placekicks
since his freshman year in 2010. He had a tackle on a punt return in
a 55-31 win at North Carolina earlier this season.
A business finance major, Tignor has made the
Dean's List and Chancellor's List for his academic performance at ECU.
He is Vice President of the campus Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
He responded to questions after practice Tuesday.
Q: Favorite restaurant in Greenville?
A: I really like Winslow's. The feel of
Winslow's, how it's in an old barn — I really like the country feel that
you have in that place.
Q: Favorite TV show?
A: I'm a big fan of "Psych" on the USA network.
I also enjoy a lawyer show called "Franklin & Bash" on TNT.
Q: What's your favorite class you've taken at East
Carolina?
A: Last spring, I took investments with Aaron
Gubin, who was at University of Florida, and he actually knew my cousin
who played baseball there. It was really cool how we had that personal
connection, and on top of that, the coursework is what I want to do in
my career.
Q: Who's the funniest guy in the locker room?
A: Breon Allen has definitely grown to the top
of that list, in my opinion. He's always cracking jokes, always has
something funny to say.
Q: What are your plans for after you graduate from
ECU?
A: When I graduate, I already have a job lined
up with Morgan Stanley financial investment group. It's in Cornelius,
North Carolina just north of Charlotte. That's my immediate plan, but
I'm always open to any other opportunities that come my way.
Q: What's your favorite thing about being a
punter?
A: I think my favorite thing about the punt
team itself is that it takes perfect execution by every single
individual. If the snap goes wrong, or I punt it in the wrong spot,
somebody doesn't block their guy off the line, then absolute chaos can
happen. It takes absolute perfection from all eleven guys on the field,
which is probably my favorite aspect.
Q: What's your least favorite thing about being a
punter?
A: Obviously, nobody really likes to see me on
the field. If I'm on the field, it means our offense got stopped. It's
not really a glorified position, but I like to go out there and provide
my team with the best opportunity that we can to win.
Q: How does special teams preparation differ
week-to-week from the rest of the team?
A: Each team has it's own way of doing things.
Special teams is the perfect combination of offense and defense. There's
the blocking side of things, but you also have tackling by the coverage
unit. It's really cool how it's a combination of both sides of the ball.
As Coach Ruff puts it, we're the "glue" of the football team.
Q: If you weren't a punter, what position would
you play?
A: I'd like to think I have a pretty good arm,
but Coach (Lincoln) Riley might beg to differ. I have pretty good
catching ability, too.
Q: What are your goals for the team for the rest
of the season?
A: We're looking to finish strong. This is our
last year in Conference USA and we're looking to be the champions of
C-USA in 2013, and that's been our goal since the beginning. That's been
first in our minds, and that's what we're striving for everyday.
Q: What's your favorite uniform combination?
A: I like the all black, but I'm partial to the
white pants, purple jersey and the purple helmet.
Q: Who has impacted you most in your life?
A: My brother had a big role in my growing up.
He played college baseball, he's five years older, so I spent a lot of
time watching him. Seeing him strive for his goals really had an impact
on me. My parents laid a great foundation for me, raising me in a great
household environment. I'm just thankful for everyone along the way.
Once I got to Greenville, Joe Cox, who is the college pastor at Covenant
United Methodist Church in Winterville, has kind of latched on to me and
become a role model away from home. It's good that I've found
communities back home and here in Greenville.
Q: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
A: I play guitar. I've been picking up on that
a little bit lately — learning the different chords and trying to figure
out how to sing while I'm playing the chords. I've been getting better
at that over time. Aside from that, I started a bible study last fall,
geared towards athletes. It's called Athlete Bible Study, and if you
look at the first letter of those three words, you get "Abs." Our
catchline is "strengthen your core." It's really cool to have athletes
from all the different sports teams at ECU coming into my living room
every Thursday night, sharing our faith and growing stronger in our
faith — it's been a great experience. That's my favorite part of the
week; I really look forward to it.
Q: What's been your favorite memory, so far, as a
Pirate?
A: The first game I played in was the hail mary
pass to beat Tulsa. Sophomore year, we beat Navy when they missed a last
second field goal in Annapolis — that was a fun memory. We've
accumulated so many memories, I'm thankful to be a part of Pirate
Nation. I didn't know anything about East Carolina when I came out of
high school. This place has really grown on me and it holds a special
place in my heart.
Q: What's your favorite thing about East Carolina?
A: I like the mentality that we're underdogs.
People say that UNC and N.C. state get all the funding, and we get
what's leftover. I like the fact that we're able to put together strong,
productive individuals, not only in athletics, but academics as well. We
have guys in the NFL, people like Seth Maness who is in the Major League
baseball playoffs right now. We have people who are people in the
business world making great decisions, and running companies the right
way. I really like that about this school, that those people who have
gone out and done great things, learned what they know from East
Carolina.
Coach
Ruffin McNeill discussed the Pirates' loss
to
Tulane
and
previewed
the
Southern
Miss
game:
The
Steve Logan Show airs on FM 103.7 and FM
94.1 each Monday from 6-8 p.m. Replay last
night's show:
