GREENVILLE, N.C. – ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club are pleased to announce a $100,000 investment to the Pirates Unite Campaign from Wes and Darlene Johnson of Powder Springs, Ga. along with daughters, Allison and Meredith.

The Johnsons gift will support the Isley Indoor Performance Center.

This marks the latest in a series of recent gifts to the Pirates Unite Campaign which kicked off in May of 2022 and has generated nearly $24 million in commitments including a record-breaking $5 million investment from Van and Jennifer Isley for the multipurpose indoor facility to be located off Charles Boulevard.

“East Carolina University means so much to our family,” Wes Johnson said. “Since we were students Darlene and I have always held a special place in our heart for the Pirates and that continues with our daughters. We are proud to invest in the Isley Indoor Performance Center and support two amazing individuals like Van and Jennifer Isley and the countless others who have invested in the project.”

The Johnsons are longtime supporters of the Pirate Club and both graduated from East Carolina. Wes graduated from the ECU College of Business in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is a retired owner of a product development, marketing and sales company. Wes served on the ECU Alumni Association Board of Directors and currently serves on the ECU Board of Visitors. Darlene was also a 1985 graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the ECU College of Nursing. She is a retired registered nurse in the public health sector. 

Allison earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from ECU in accounting, while Meredith graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree from West Georgia.

“We are grateful for the Johnson family to join so many others who have invested in the Isley Indoor Performance Center,” Pirate Club Executive Director/Executive Associate AD Ryan Robinson said. “This is an important project, and we are making huge strides as we head toward the end of the year. The Johnson family are Pirates through and through and have kept their connection to the Pirates through the years with season tickets to football, baseball and basketball.”

The proposed 101,000-square-foot Isley Indoor Performance Center will consist of a steel structure, a 120-yard synthetic turf football practice field, LED lighting, scoreboards, clocks, a sound system and graphics. 

The facility will reside on top of the current multipurpose turf field next to the existing football turf practice facility. All sports programs will have access to the facility to train. Construction will begin when funding is complete. For more information about the Pirates Unite Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence, please visit ecupirateclub.com/piratesunite.