GREENVILLE, N.C. – Five of the most influential figures in ECU Athletics history were inducted into the East Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 14, at the 44th annual installment ceremony inside Minges Coliseum as part of Hall of Fame/Letterwinners Weekend.
Marcus Crandell, Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach for Livingstone College football was one of five of the inductees.
The decorated class includes 1994 Liberty Bowl Alliance Co-Offensive Player of the Year and former Pirate quarterback Marcus Crandell, longtime East Carolina supporter Ron Dowdy, two-time USTFCCCA (United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) All-American Eric Frasure, Conference USA All-Decade women's golf selection Adrienne Millican and current professional golfer Harold Varner III.
The inductees were recognized publicly inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium as a part of the Hall of Fame festivities during the Oct. 15 Homecoming football game versus Memphis.
Crandell (ECU '97) finished his time in the Purple and Gold as the owner of more than 30 passing and total offense records and was tops on the career list in passing yards (7,198), total offense (7,641), touchdown passes (58) and completions (620). He was voted the 1994 Liberty Bowl Alliance Co-Offensive Player of the Year and was tabbed to the All-Independent Team by Football News and the Associated Press.
In pacing East Carolina to a victory over Stanford in the 1995 Liberty Bowl, Crandell was named the North Carolina College Football Player of the Year and selected to the National All-Independent First Team as well as the ECAC Division I-A First Team while earning Liberty Bowl Alliance Player of the Week accolades three times. He helped produce three of the top five passing seasons and three of the top six total offense seasons in school history at the time of his graduation and ended his career tied with Jeff Blake with seven games of 300-plus yards of total offense.
The five new inductees will bring the total membership to 183. The original ECU Athletics Hall of Fame was formed in 1974 as an organization to honor individuals who have, by direct participation in Pirate intercollegiate athletics, brought outstanding recognition to themselves and the University.
