On Sept. 10, 1983, a packed Carter-Finley Stadium witnessed East Carolina upset North Carolina State 22-16 after a late fourth-down stop. A family split in allegiances sent two brothers home in opposing colors, magnifying personal disappointment and joy. Their mother navigated a tense, crowded parking lot and intervened to keep the boys from fighting. Nearby fans, intoxicated and combative, escalated into a brawl; one man in purple ripped a license plate from a car and threw it into the pine trees. The game and the chaotic exit became a vivid, lasting memory of rivalry, community fervor, and youthful identity.
Saturday, Sept. 10, 1983. Night had fallen and traffic was moving slowly as our aircraft carrier Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale was sitting in line attempting to leave Raleigh's Carter-Finley Stadium. My mother had a white-knuckled grip on the polished wooden steering wheel. I was riding shotgun, dressed head-to-toe in North Carolina State red and white. My little brother was in the backseat,
ECU had just defeated State for the first time in six years and did so by stopping the Pack on fourth down deep in Pirates territory in the waning seconds, preserving a 22-16 victory in front of 57,700 fans, at the time the largest crowd to ever witness a college football game in the state of North Carolina. My brother was very happy.
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