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East Carolina fans petition to bring back coach McNeill, fire AD
Last Friday, East Carolina athletic director Jeff Compher fired sixth-year head coach Ruffin McNeill, a former Pirates defensive back from 1976-79, after his team finished 5-7 (3-5) to place fifth in the American Athletic Conference.
It was a move that did not sit well with the fan base, who have since started a petition on Change.org titled Save Ruff, Fire#Compher.
The petition was started by Tracy McLendon, and as of Monday night had more than 5,000 supporters.
Per McClendon:
McNeill compiled a 42-34 overall record during his tenure at East Carolina. The former Pirates coach entered the year having to replace the record-setting duo of quarterback Shane Carden and wide receiver Justin Hardy, not to mention star offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley, who left to take the same position at Oklahoma. McNeill also had to make due without sophomore quarterback Kurt Benkert, who sustained a season-ending knee injury two weeks before the first game of the year.
In 2015, the Pirates scored a 35-28 win over Virginia Tech for their fifth straight victory over an ACC opponent. However, the season was soured by late-game losses to Temple and Cincinnati, not to mention a 31-13 defeat at the hands of UConn.
Compher, ECU’s third-year AD, said the team was not meeting “competitive expectations” when he met with the media on Friday to discuss the firing.
“After observing and evaluating the program for three straight seasons I came to the conclusion that our football team was not meeting competitive expectations, and that in my opinion the trajectory of the program was not going in the right direction,” Compher said. “The decision was difficult because of who Ruffin McNeill is as a man. We’ve all come to know him as an outstanding person. He’s a great family man and a caring coach and has nurtured this team throughout his six seasons here at ECU.”
