Terry Holland waited a long time in the west end zone of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the celebration raging around him on the field, in the stands, as he stood alone. Players and coaches and staffers filtered past him, but Holland was waiting for one man.
Finally, Ruffin McNeill made his way off the field and walked up to Holland. The two men had both come home to East Carolina, Holland out of retirement as athletic director, McNeill getting his first head-coaching job at his alma mater. The Pirates had just beaten Tulsa on a last-second touchdown pass in McNeill’s debut, and Holland stood patiently and waited until McNeill practically leapt into Holland’s arms. That hug contained multitudes.
“That game, the first game, the first last-second win,” McNeill said Monday. “Coming back home, a Clinton Dark Horse and a Lumberton Pirate. I do remember that embrace and coach waiting for me. I do.”
