Fifteen Questions for Trent Tignor

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.

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ECU senior punter Trent Tignor
(ECU Media Relations photo)

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.

E-mail W.A. Myatt.

PAGE UPDATED 10/15/13 11:00 PM