Pirates Make Their Pick

ECU announced yesterday that Ruffin McNeil a former Pirate of the 70's is coming home to Captain the Pirate's football ship.

Like most coaches McNeil has coached everywhere during his rise in the ranks and certainly his last stop at Texas Tech, he has been in the news quite a bit lately. McNeil was named interim head coach of the Red Raiders after Tech dismissed Mike Leach as head coach back in December.

There was hope by ECU fans that they could attract a big name coach but in our world today of long term contracts and big buyouts existing that was impossible. You only have to look no further than Raleigh and all the trouble State had in replacing Herb Sendeck in Basketball just four years ago.

Speaking of Mike Leach, as many of you know my son Brooks works as a contractor to NOAA and he is finishing up on a trip that has put him in Key West Florida for the past three weeks. Brooks and I talk by cell phone every day unless he is off shore and out of cell range. Earlier this week he ask me to guess who he ran into down there? Mike Leach. Small world isn't it.

Today is the first day of a very important week for nine Twin county students including four from Rocky Mount High School. Today is another step in the announcement process in who from our area will advance to the next round for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship to UNC.

Three RMHS students are awaiting word, Andrew Bowers, Lein Soltan and Nancy Thai. They are joined by Ann Dunn Andracchio of Rocky Mount Academy, Emily Capps of Northern Nash and Forrest Kent Brown of Nash Central.

Next Wednesday is advance day on the Park Scholarship to N C State. Cameron Privott of RMHS along with Soltan,Thai, from RMHS are up for this scholarship too. They are joined by Capps of Northern Nash and Brown from Nash Central along with Emma Gwaltney of Southern Nash and Samantha Watson from Tarboro.

Good luck to all!

Tonight the Gryphons hope to continue as the front runner in Big East Basketball as they travel to Southern Nash.

***Editor's notes Sometimes I proof read three or four times before I hit publish and just about any time I look back i find misspellings etc. Thanks for the catch on Park scholarship. I had not caught that after several reviews.