Jim Post was back on the field level of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday where he once helped East Carolina to a 6-0 Southern Conference record and the league championship under Coach Sonny Randle in 1972.

It was just Ficklen Stadium back then. The Murphy Center didn’t loom beyond the west endzone and there wasn’t a $1 million scoreboard at east end.

But some things never change — like the effort necessary to be successful.

Post, a River Vale, N.J. product, now resides north of Raleigh, and his business, Post Nurseries, has been a sponsor of ECU football on the Pirate Sports Network. The former linebacker was an honorary coach for the Purple team which won the revival of the spring football game 16-0 over the Gold before 8,914 paying customers.

The Pirates hadn’t had a public spring scrimmage since 1998 and there was naturally a lot of curiosity about how the program is taking shape under new head coach John Thompson.

“The kids, the enthusiasm and what they’re doing and where they’ve come from in the last four months — I just take my hat off to the coaching staff,” Post said. “They’ve just done a phenomenal job.”

Post’s comments are especially significant considering he was a teammate of Kirk Doll’s at ECU and supported Doll’s candidacy during the coaching search that produced Thompson. Doll has been an assistant head coach at Notre Dame and LSU.

Thompson got the job based on his performance as a defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, Arkansas and Florida as well as his organization and enthusiasm.

Post knows something about enthusiasm. Randle’s teams had a gung-ho quality that accented their talents.

Senior receiver Terrance Copper was drafted by the Purple seniors and was credited with being the difference in the outcome. That means the Gold players will have to serve their teammates who played for the Purple on Saturday at a team meal on Wednesday.

Copper had both touchdowns on plays covering 48 and 10 yards. His run-after-catch ability resulted in the first score that covered 48 yards with 7:49 left in the first half. It came after Desmond Robinson checked off at the line of scrimmage with a tap of his foot to indicate a route change.

“Des gave me a tap,” Copper said. “It was a hook play at first but Des signaled it off and threw a deep ball. I made the catch and tried to hold on and stay up. I broke a couple of tackles and got in there.” Robinson saw the Gold was in man coverage.

“The corner was up, tight, so I just tapped for a fade,” Robinson said. “He (Copper) just got off the line and made a great move. I just laid it up and he made a play.”

Robinson completed 12 of 17 passes for 182 yards without and interception. Returning starter Paul Troth, listed as No. 1 on the spring depth chart, completed just four of 13 attempts for 44 yards but he didn’t have Copper among his targets.

“I didn’t think I didn’t move the team,” Troth said. “We moved the ball well. We lost our tailback (Dominique Hatcher). It wasn’t because I didn’t move the team. We just didn’t execute on certain things.

Fullback Vonta Leach did his best to compensate in the Gold’s running game with 14 carries for 108 yards as he tried to back up his comments that he wanted to see Purple defensive tackle Damane Duckett “in an apron” — in reference to the stakes of the game established by Thompson.

“I knew I could run the ball all along,” Leach said. “I’m thankful for the coaching staff giving me the opportunity to run the ball as well as block for our guys. ... What you saw out here today was two good teams going against each other and we were just competing, giving the fans a look at what we’re going to be in the fall.

“They threw a lot at us in the spring on offense and defense. We had a lot of new things. I believe you’ll see we’re going to be good on both sides of the ball and not just one side of the ball. I think we’re going to be real good in the fall.”

Duckett had a sack among his four tackles.

“We want to be physical,” Duckett said. “The D-line and the linebackers. We just want to switch it up and give them a whole lot to look at.” Duckett pressured Troth. “That was just on technique that my coach showed me,” Duckett said. “Just swimming over the top, turning sideways, moving your feet and just go after the ball.”

The spring game may have divided the roster but there is no question that the Pirates will be together in the fall.

Troth said a major developmental process took place in the spring. “I think everybody grew,” said the 2002 starter. “Us as a whole and the coaching staff came together. We learned each other’s characteristics. We’ll just come out here in the fall and build on what we did in the spring.”

Robinson said the new coaching staff did a lot of teaching.

“They threw a lot at us,” said Troth’s 2002 back-up. “But I think as a whole, as a team, we grasped it and caught on and we’re moving forward, progressing. The running game is still kind of similar, the terminology. The passing game is a lot more shotgun, play action. It’s coming along, progressing. Just hoping to get better in the summer.”

The Conference USA officials limited contact on quarterbacks and return personnel, according to Thompson’s instructions.

“If these officials would pay attention to me on Saturday in the fall like they did today,” Thompson said. “They actually did some things that I asked. I learned that they’ll do that in spring games. They don’t do it in the fall, though.”

Post called the second score to offensive graduate assistant Larry Shannon, a receiver of considerable note when he performed at ECU from 1994-97. The Purple’s closing touchdown came with 4:25 left on third-and-goal at the Gold 10-yard line with Sakeen Wright at quarterback. Marvin Townes had 38 yards rushing on three carries to set it up after Reicko Jones’ interception of James Pinkney at the Gold 43 gave Purple possession.

“Larry Shannon and I were talking. The first one he threw to the tight end,” Post said. “We said, ‘We’ve got to throw to the tight end. We haven’t hit one in four years.’ Then I said, ‘Just throw it up there in the corner the way they did when you (Shannon) were playing and we got another touchdown.”

Copper won a jump ball on the left side of the end zone for the final score. After several days of rainy weather, the sunshine for the spring game helped make the occasion special. “It was a good time,” Post said.

The spring game also had its place in the developmental progression for the Pirates.

“We’re going to be a good football team,” Thompson said. “These guys want to work and want to get better. So we’re looking forward to fall camp now.”