Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato doesn't like that idea. John Thompson's successor at ECU might not, either.

But the fans would love it. So would the players.

From 1973 through 1987, the Pirates and Wolfpack opened against each other nine times. Several were classics. Sellouts were routine at a time when neither school could count on regular full houses. There wasn't a more popular series in the state than those Pack-Pirate openers. Suspense began building in midsummer.

Coaches on both sides -- Lou Holtz, Bo Rein, Dick Sheridan, Pat Dye, Ed Emory and Sonny Randle -- emphasized the game's importance for building regional interest in football. All of those openers were played at State. Now it would have to be a home-and-home arrangement.

The regular series ended after hundreds of ECU fans stormed Carter-Finley Stadium following a dramatic comeback win in 1987. But if State and ECU are serious about promoting football in North Carolina, the opener of old should be revived.

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