GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- Skip Holtz is pledging to revitalize East Carolina after three losing seasons and return the Pirates to prominence.
``I promise you you'll have every ounce of energy, soul and life that I have in order to put this program back where it belongs and that's at a championship level,'' Holtz said Friday when he was introduced as East Carolina's new coach.
Holtz, the son of former South Carolina and Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, accepted the job Thursday, becoming the school's 19th football coach. He replaces John Thompson, who resigned after going 3-20 in two seasons.
Holtz had spent the past six years on his father's Gamecocks' staff, serving as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach this season. Before that he spent five seasons as the head coach at then-Division I-AA Connecticut.
He was introduced as the Pirates coach at a news conference where a few hundred fans cheered loudly when Holtz walked to the podium.
The coach beamed as he donned a purple Pirates cap and athletic director Terry Holland handed him a purple East Carolina jersey.
The Pirates have had three straight losing seasons, with former coach Steve Logan ending his 11-year run with a 4-8 campaign in 2002. Logan led the Pirates to five bowl games, but they haven't been close to postseason contention since 2001.
Despite the program's recent struggles, Holtz said he expects the Pirates to contend for a bowl game right away.
``I can tell you that this will be a team that will go out and play extremely hard each and every week,'' he said. ``And our goal will be to win a championship. We don't have a four-year plan or five-year plan.''
Holtz also served as offensive coordinator under his father at Notre Dame. In 1994, he became head coach at Connecticut, compiling a 34-23 overall record and a school-record 10 victories in 1998.
He then resigned to join his father's staff at South Carolina.
Holtz has a five-year contract that will pay him a base salary of $150,000 per year. He will also receive a guarantee of $240,000 for the first year of appearances on TV, radio and internet programs. That amount will increase by $25,000 for each of the following years.
Holtz will also receive a $25,000 bonus for any season in which the team reaches bowl eligibility.
Copyright 2007 - MOP Squad Sports
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