ECU Greatness Visited: An Interview with Jeff Blake
by Aaron Carpenter & Ben Hardy

As East Carolina University head football coach Skip Holtz looks to win another Conference USA championship in the fall, he might motivate his players by pointing them toward the 1991 Pirates, who enjoyed one of the most memorable seasons in school history. That team, led by quarterback Jeff Blake, had a 11-1 season and defeated in-state rival NC State in a come from behind win in the 1992 Peach Bowl. The "We Believe" season saw the Pirates finish No. 9 in AP poll, the highest ranking in program history. Blake was under center for the Pirates from 1988-91 and finished seventh in the 1991 Heisman Trophy race. After leaving East Carolina, Blake was drafted in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL Draft to the New York Jets. During the 1992 Jets’ season, Blake quickly became a standout player, but due to depth chart issues in New Yourk, was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals after the 1993 season, where he arned the nickname of “Shake-n-Blake” for his ability to scramble and frustrate opposing defenses. Blake was selected for the 1995 AFC Pro-Bowl team where he threw a Pro-Bowl record 92-yard touchdown pass to Yancey Thigpen.  A member of the ECU Hall of Fame, Blake was in Greenville in April for the Purple and Gold spring football game, where he served as an honorary coach where Quarterback Patrick Pinkney led his squad to a 31-10 victory, which drew Pirate alumni from all over to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

We caught up with Jeff Blake after the game to ask him a few questions.

G-Vegas: How did it feel to be back on the sidelines here at ECU?
Jeff Blake: It felt real good. I felt like I was getting some flashbacks from when I was playing and it felt good to be on the sidelines and be able to talk to the guys. I gave them some pointers and tidbits that I’d learned while being in the NFL.

GV: Speaking of pointers, we saw you from the press box speaking with Patrick Pinkney several times during the game. What were you saying to him?
JB: I was letting him know what to look for in certain situations, and tried to encourage him, telling him he was doing a great job and that kind of thing.

GV: What specifically did you like about the game today, or maybe didn’t like; what did you see from the team on the field?
JB: I saw that they played hard, they were aggressive, they’d get to the ball, and they had the capability of making big plays. The only things I didn’t like were the turnovers.

GV: The secondary looked a little suspect today from our vantage point, what did you think about that?
JB: I think that when you have a team and the secondary is mixed up between the two sides, that part of the defense can suffer from not being on the same page. The corners and safeties haven’t played as much together to develop the chemistry they need. That makes it tough. When you’ve got a senior and a freshman that haven’t played together yet, the communication isn’t there yet and that’s tough. It’s the same with the offensive line. You’ve got guys that have played together for three or four years, and now there’s a freshman right next to them and it doesn’t gel as well.

GV: What do you feel about the impact that you and your teammates had on the ECU football program during the early 1990s?
JB: I feel like we helped establish a tradition. I feel like we helped get the program rolling and get it off to a positive start.

GV: How did it feel to be inducted into the ECU Hall of Fame in 2007?
JB: It felt great. It let me know that the people here at ECU still appreciate everything that I’ve done. And I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate the things the school has done for me.

GV: What do you think your greatest moment was while playing football here at ECU?
JB: I have a lot of great memories. I think winning the way we did my senior year and the fact that we did it with class, and it was done with integrity would be the thing I remember most fondly.

GV: Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers?
JB: Go G-Vegas!

There you have it. A no-holds barred interview with an ECU Hall of Famer. Until next time, sports fans.

These writers can be reached at aaronraycarpenter@gmail.com and thebigus@yahoo.com.