GREENVILLE, N.C. (Sports Network) - East Carolina has named Ruffin McNeill its new head football coach.
McNeill was on the Texas Tech staff the last 10 seasons. He replaces Skip
Holtz, who left the Pirates to take over the head coaching job at South
Florida.
The Executive Committee of the ECU Board of Trustees, acting for the full
board, approved the appointment of McNeill and the outline of his contract in
a conference call meeting Thursday. The board will consider McNeill's contract
at a regular meeting next month.
The 51-year-old McNeill starred as a four-year letterman from 1976-80 on East
Carolina's football team as a defensive back. He was the team captain for two
seasons and helped lead the school to the Southern Conference Championship in
1976 and an Independence Bowl berth in 1978.
Most recently, McNeill had been the interim head coach at Texas Tech in the
wake of Mike Leach's firing. He served as assistant head coach, special teams
coordinator, and linebackers coach for the Red Raiders.
"Coach McNeill's interview revealed his strong commitment to doing things the
right way and his love of coaching young men to grow in every part of their
lives," ECU athletic director Terry Holland said. "His excitement for what ECU
football can become in the future was contagious and his deep and abiding
appreciation for what East Carolina University has meant to him and his family
was truly moving."