East Carolina University has some of the best themes and gimmicks in college football, if not all football (I am a little biased, on account of I'm not only a fan, but a student there as well). The truth is that we are approaching the end of summer and college football is back in swing. Last weekend marked the first home game of the season for the Pirates, and the excitement in Greenville was electric. If you have the opportunity to visit the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium these are the sights and sounds of Pirate Football.
Purple and gold, and “PURPLE!” and “GOLD”
As you take the stands, you are welcomed by a roar of color and noise. Across the stadium, fans dressed in their purple and gold shirts, jerseys, headbands, hats, and more shout back and forth across the stadium. "PURPLE!" one side yells, "GOLD!" the other responds. This chant is more than just the announcement of the team colors, it is a staircase to excitement. Each chant, another step up on the way to the start of the game.
Clips from Pirates of the Carribean
The jumbotron changes from local ad to local ad before the sound system quiets. On the screen, images of pirate-paraphernalia appear: tattered clothes, a sword, gold coins, all leading to a climactic shot of Kiera Knightely's character from the movies. She hangs from a rope attached to the mast of a great ship as she turns to the crowd, smiling, and calmly pronounces, "gentlemen, hoist the colours."
“Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix
Smoke pours out of a large inflatable skull, adorned with a tricorn hat and eyepatch, as the first few grungy notes of Hendrix's timeless rock anthem rings out. A man steps out of the smoke out onto the field - a coach? No. A player? No. It is a man dressed as a pirate. He throws his replica sword into the ground, tosses his hat into the crowd, and bellows "LET'S GO PIRATES" before running onto the field. Behind him, a rush of bodies dressed in a rich purple sparkle in the sunset.
The thunderous boom of a tiny cannon
On the sidelines resides a small cannon that packs a big punch. The lighting of the cannon, with safety personnel close by, signifies the start of the contest. If you are there on the site, you better be prepared to hear that cannon several more times, as it goes off every time the Pirates score.
The "Crossbones"
If your team comes to our house, be prepared to fight through the riotous cheers and jeers of the Pirate fan army. Any time the opposition attempts a third down, the final try before turning over the ball, the crowd jumps to their feet and fills the stadium with noise in an attempt to frustrate the visiting offense. In the stands, the fans throw up the "crossbones" sign to signify that the attempt is futile.
The massive "No Quarter" flag
https://stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/dowdy-ficklen-stadium-s406
As the game clock ticks down to the final period of the game, the jumbotron graces the fans with images of storms and waves. At the bottom of the stands unfurls an enormous red flag, complete with the ECU Pirates jolly roger and the words "No Quarter" emblazoned in gold. On the other end of the field, the mast-like flagpole raises a smaller, replica flag.
A school marching band dressed in, you guessed it, pirate gear
Throughout the game your eye will catch the sequins delicately stitched into the vibrant purple pirate hats atop each band member, as they sway in the dying sunlight to the tunes of ECU fight song.
"Arrrrrrrgh"
As the Pirates succeed in securing a first down with their possession, the announcer comes over the loudspeaker to credit the successful conversion. Fans stand holding their hands out eagerly waiting for the announcement to reach the "...RESULTING IN A FIRST DOWN!" in which fans yell "PIRATES! ARRRRRGH!" It sounds ridiculous because it is, and that's what makes it so amazing.
I could go on and on about the football fan experience at East Carolina, and if I had not stopped at eight, I probably would have kept going. The point is that, as an ECU fan, the college football experience is second to none. If you ever found yourself in Greenville, NC (or "G-Vegas" as the locals would say), be sure to stop by The Dowdy-Ficklen, ya landlubber.
