Catch Bonesville's exclusive
weekly Internet radio program, BONESVILLE HUDDLE, featuring insightful
give-and-take between columnists Al Myatt, Brian Bailey
and Denny O'Brien. (New audio file posted each
Wednesday)
GREENVILLE — Kevin Miller knew Friday would be his final game at East
Carolina. However, the senior kicker was shocked Saturday to learn the
Pirates' 42-26 loss to Cincinnati was the final outing for then-Pirates
coach Steve Logan, too.
Miller learned of Logan's dismissal from teammates who witnessed Logan
cleaning out his office Saturday. Needless to say, the Virginia Beach native
was both upset and confused by the abrupt move.
"I was really disappointed," Miller said. "Obviously it was a disappointing
year, but he earned the right to get another year or two to get things back
to where he's had it before. Being here 11 years, he certainly put the
program on the map."
Miller, who departs as East Carolina's all-time leading scorer, played a
major role in the most successful era in Pirate Land. In each of his first
three seasons, the Pirates earned trips to postseason bowls, an
unprecedented accomplishment for the ECU program.
During that stretch, the Pirates knocked off a Who's Who list of college
football powerhouses, including Miami, West Virginia, South Carolina and
Texas Tech.
Yet, a tailspin finish which saw the Pirates win four out of their last 15
games may have prompted Chancellor William V. Muse to dismiss East
Carolina's all-time winningest coach. Despite that uncharacteristic drop in
production, Miller says other indicators should have salvaged his coach's
job.
"A lot of teams could have quit," Miller said. "We've seen a lot of other
teams around the country quit when their records went south, but we didn't
do that.
"You look at the last game where we were playing in front of a small crowd
with virtually nothing really to play for other than pride or senior day.
The team came out fighting hard and played one of our better games of the
year and we were in the game until three or four minutes were left. That
speaks a lot to coach Logan's character."
Senior defensive lineman Ja'Waren Blair also offered a vote of confidence
for Logan, noting that youth, not coaching, was the primary reason for the
Pirates' disappointing season.
"Those guys did a heck of a job this year with what they were given," Blair
said. "We had a lot of young guys on both sides of the ball. We had a
quarterback change and it takes a while to learn a system like Coach Logan's
and Coach (Doug) Martin's. Those guys did a hell of a job."
PRESENTS
AN AUDIO EXCLUSIVE
Denny O'Brien conducted a telephone interview with
senior Kevin Miller, in which East Carolina's
record-breaking kicking specialist talked about
Pirate football and ECU coach Steve Logan's sudden
dismissal.
Play the interview...
Offense obviously wasn't the problem under the Logan regime. During a
rebuilding year in which Logan had to replace starting quarterback David
Garrard and running back Leonard Henry, both of whom now play on Sundays,
the Pirates still averaged 28 points per game.
Senior receiver Richard Alston played a major role in Logan's quick-strike
offense, first as a backup quarterback, then as a receiver. His 702 yards
receiving this year marked the seventh-best single season effort by a
Pirates receiver.
There was a time, though, when Alston didn't envision himself flashing his
moves at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, due to an off-the-field incident in 2000.
But Logan remained loyal to his player, a caring move that Alston says he
will never forget.
"That's something that I keep in my heart," Alston said. "At any point in
time, it can all be taken from you. That's why, in my room, I have the
article to remind me that, 'Hey Richard, this is where you were — this is
not where you want to go back.'
"Basically, (Coach Logan) told me 'I'm there for you,' and that's all I
needed. He knew my track record — I never got into any trouble before."
Alston's story is just one example among many in which Logan demonstrated
the caring side of a coach who loved his players and took a sincere interest
in their daily lives.
It's that part of his legacy that, perhaps, separates him from any other who
has walked the East Carolina sidelines.
"The bottom line is, he graduates players," Miller said. "He makes guys
better men before they leave the program. Integrity is important. A lot of
people in college athletics lose sight of that."
Ain't that the truth?
This Bud's for you?
High on some wish lists to replace Logan is Virginia Tech defensive
coordinator Bud Foster.
But according to a Virginia Tech functionary who attended Monday night's
basketball game between the Pirates and Hokies, reeling in the Tech
defensive boss won't be easy — or cheap.
Foster isn't strapped for cash, earning somewhere in the neighborhood of
$250 thousand annually. The longtime Frank Beamer assistant also has
something rare in the world of assistant coaches — a multi-year deal.
In order to tempt Foster, said the source, East Carolina
would have to more than double his current salary, while offering a contract
that guarantees five years.
That might be complicated for ECU.
Unless Muse has secured a wealthy
donor to pay off the remainder of Logan's contract, it's hard to imagine
Muse having the spare Benjamins sitting around in some moldy cash drawer to
reel in someone of Foster's stature.
Even then, the Tech source noted that other factors could prevent Foster
from pursuing the vacant post. The turbulent atmosphere within the East
Carolina athletics department and the strained relationship that existed
between Logan and A.D. Mike Hamrick hasn't gone unnoticed in in Blacksburg.
