<a href='http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/cusa/2004-12-02-ecu-holtz_x.htm' target='_blank'>Skips ECU</a>
By Keith Parsons, The Associated Press
East Carolina hired former South Carolina assistant Skip Holtz to replace coach John Thompson, a source close to the school said Thursday night.
Holtz is the son of Lou Holtz, who retired last week at South Carolina, and was quarterbacks coach on his father's staff. He was offensive coordinator through the 2003 season, when Lou Holtz took on that role.

When Steve Spurrier was hired as the Gamecocks new coach, he decided not to keep Skip Holtz as an assistant.

The school scheduled a news conference for Friday, when Holtz will be introduced, the source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Thompson, 3-20 in two seasons, resigned about two weeks ago after athletic director Terry Holland told him he would be fired at the end of the season.

Holtz also served as the offensive coordinator under his father at Notre Dame. In 1994, Skip Holtz became the head coach at then-Division I-AA Connecticut and compiled a 34-23 record in five seasons, including a school-record 10 victories in 1998. He then resigned to rejoin Lou Holtz at South Carolina.

At East Carolina, Holtz will have several key starters back on offense from a team that went 2-9, including quarterback James Pinkney and leading rusher Chris Johnson. The Pirates finished their season with a 52-14 loss to North Carolina State.

That wrapped up a third straight losing season. Former coach Steve Logan led East Carolina to five bowls in his 11 years, but he was dismissed after finishing 4-8 in 2002.

Thompson, then the defensive coordinator at Florida, took over and lost 15 of his first 16 games, done in mostly by a porous defense. The Pirates allowed about 457 yards per game this season, nearly 50 more than the previous one.

Holland was hired in September, and Thompson admitted the two rarely spoke during the past two months.

Now, East Carolina will have to pay three coaches. Logan, the quarterbacks coach for NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder, is due $200,000 per year through 2005. Because his contract requires the state university to pay him the difference between whatever he makes and the $200,000, Logan works as an unpaid employee for the Thunder, East Carolina attorney Ben Irons said last month.

Under the terms of Thompson's settlement with the school, he will be paid until Jan. 1, 2008. If he doesn't take another job, Thompson receives $150,000 a year — his base salary as coach. He gets $100,000 annually if another school hires him, according to the settlement that was released last week.

Holland plans to turn to boosters to help pay those salaries, which could tax East Carolina's $18 million athletics budget.


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