WORKING AS A TEAM

In 2005, East Carolina University football coach Skip Holtz put his mark on the football team.

One difference fans noticed when ECU opened with Duke on September 3rd was the absence of players' names on the backs of the jerseys. Holtz indicates he believed the team was “buying in” to what the coaches were trying to sell in terms of a new culture and attitude much more quickly than when he was involved in starting turnarounds at UConn and South Carolina.

The removal of individual names is making a statement that Holtz wants the East Carolina University team to understand.

“One of the players said, 'Coach, we’ve always had our names on our uniforms,' ” said Holtz. “I said no, we’ve got the one on the front. That’s the only one we need to worry about right now. Until we’re proud of the one on the front I don’t care about the one on the back."

Team unity is one of the biggest factors in collective effectiveness and success.