COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA/WNCT) – A former University of South Carolina quarterback and East Carolina University assistant football coach passed away Thursday morning at the age of 43.
Phil Petty, a Boiling Springs, NC native, became the starting quarterback for the university in 2000. He remained the starting quarterback for three years. He won the MVP award in the Gamecocks’ 2002 Outback Bowl victory over Ohio State.
Petty also served as an assistant football coach for five seasons at East Carolina University under then coach Skip Holtz. He coached the tight end position for three seasons after serving two years as the ECU quarterbacks coach.
Petty officially joined the ECU staff on Dec. 9, 2004, and coordinated the continued development of quarterback James Pinkney, who put up 2,773 and 2,783 passing yards in back-to-back campaigns – the third and second-highest single-season performances in ECU history.
Just over a month ago, Petty had taken an assistant football coaching job at Gray Collegiate Academy in Columbia, S.C.
