Former Navy staffer to unpack memories
East Carolina equipment manager returns to Annapolis
East Carolina football hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2014, so almost no one currently involved with the program has much experience with the organization that is involved.
There is one staff member who knows the drill backward and forward, and it just so happens that individual holds a position that is very important to the preparation process.
Director of athletic equipment operations Steve Hinrichs knows what’s involved with transporting an entire football team to another location for almost a week. That’s because Hinrich helped make it happen so many times during his 12-year tenure at the Naval Academy.
Navy football played in the postseason 11 times while Hinrich was an assistant in the equipment department. He held the title of associate director of equipment operations for many years before leaving for East Carolina in July 2018.
East Carolina (7-5) will represent the American Athletic Conference in Monday’s
Military Bowl against Boston College (6-6) of the Atlantic Coast Conference. ESPN is broadcasting the contest, which is being held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
“I learned enough at Navy to know to start the planning process as soon as we became bowl-eligible,” Hinrichs said.
The Pirates qualified for the postseason Dec. 13 when they knocked off Memphis for their sixth win. East Carolina added another
win to its record by beating Navy, 38-35, the following Saturday, spoiling Senior Day at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
That was an exciting victory for the Pirates as freshman Owen Daffer kicked a game-winning 54-yard field goal as time expired. East Carolina is hoping to make more happy memories when it returns to the same facility for the Military Bowl.
Loading the equipment truck is one of the most critical elements of traveling to a bowl game. Everything East Carolina needs for the game, the team hotel and the practice facility must be packed up. Don’t forget anything, because there’s no going back and getting it.
Football equipment, such as every player’s helmet, shoulder pads and cleats, is merely the nuts and bolts of what needed to be brought to Washington. Items for team meeting rooms at the Capital Hilton and for three practices at St. John’s College Prep also had to come.
“Essentially, you have to transport everything necessary to run a mini-training camp at another location,” Hinrichs said. “You make a lot of lists then start checking things off.”
Hinrichs, who has just one full-time assistant for football, spent two days packing the semitruck that is adorned with the Pirates logo.
East Carolina will conduct its final practice at St. John’s on Sunday morning before Hinrichs and crew must reload the truck for the trip to Annapolis. They’ll meet the tractor-trailer at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to unload and set up the locker room for Monday’s game.
“It’s a lot of work, a lot of logistics. Thankfully, everything has been fairly smooth so far,” Hinrichs said Friday.
Hinrichs became interested in the business as an undergraduate at Sacred Heart. That is where he met Greg Morgenthaler, who is now associate athletic director for equipment operations at Navy.
Morgenthaler was the first full-time equipment manager at Sacred Heart and his staff consisted entirely of students such as Hinrichs, who stood out and showed great promise.
When Hinrichs said he was interested in pursuing the profession post-college, Morgenthaler helped him get a summer internship with the Carolina Panthers. Hinrichs clearly impressed Carolina equipment manager Jackie Miles because he was hired full time after graduating from Sacred Heart.
After spending three years with the Panthers, Hinrichs accepted an assistant’s position at Navy under his mentor. In addition to serving as the No. 2 man for football, he worked with women’s basketball, wrestling, swimming and diving and golf.
“Working with Greg at Navy, I was able to learn a lot about the profession and really grow quite a bit,” Hinrichs said. “Obviously, my time at Navy made me who I am today and gave me the ability to hold the position I do now. It was a great experience I’ll never forget.”
Morgenthaler has provided recommendations for several assistants who have gone on to bigger and better things. Ed Connell (Louisville), Barry Boyd (Arizona), Cliff Perry (Princeton) and Bryan Harrod are among the former Navy assistants who left for better jobs.
“Steve had done all he could and learned everything he needed at Navy. He was more than ready to become a head equipment manager,” Morgenthaler said.
Morgenthaler was attending the annual equipment manager’s convention when he
was told by a Riddell representative the top job at East Carolina was open. He immediately picked up the phone and called J.J. McLamb, the executive associate athletics director at East Carolina.
McLamb was in charge of hiring the new head equipment manager and did not take long to settle on Hinrichs after doing a phone interview followed by an in-person interview.
“Steve was quite content at Navy, and I don’t think he would have left for too many other jobs. East Carolina was the perfect fit for him and his family,” Morgenthaler said. “It hurt to lose Steve, but I was happy to see him get this opportunity.”
Hinrichs’ wife is a North Carolina native, having grown up right outside Charlotte.
The couple has twin 10-year-old daughters, Abigail and Olivia. They quickly settled into a house in Greenville, and Christina Hinrichs is teaching at Southside High in nearby Chocowinity.
“I could see myself being here for a while. We love East Carolina as a school and enjoy the town. It’s a great spot to raise a family,” Hinrichs said.
Hinrichs had been at East Carolina for sixth months when Scott Montgomery was fired as football coach and replaced by Mike Houston. It proved a wise hire as the former Lenoir-Rhyne, The Citadel and James Madison leader has directed a dramatic turnaround.
“Coach Houston came in and changed things for the better. He’s a winner and all the players have bought into his philosophy and culture,” Hinrichs said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth and improvement with this program since Coach Houston took over.”
East Carolina and Navy play annually as members of the American Athletic Conference, which is fun for Hinrichs as he gets to mingle with his former co-workers. Meanwhile, the 40-year-old is working hard to build the equipment operations at the school into the type of top-notch outfit he was a part of at Navy.
“I don’t have as large a staff, so we have to do more with less,” he said. “Regardless, I have high expectations, so I push everyone to perform at a championship level.”
After watching Hinrichs work for the last four years, McLamb is even more certain he was the right hire.
“Steve is doing such a phenomenal job that I wish I had 10 of him. He is a great worker and an even better person,” McLamb said. “I would say Steve has been an incredible addition to our staff who has brought a lot of knowledge and experience to the table, which has helped us grow as a department.”