Mike, Amanda Houston invest $100,000 in Pirates Unite Campaign

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Pirate Club is thrilled to announce a significant contribution to the Pirates Unite Campaign from ECU Football Head Coach Mike Houston and his wife, Amanda.

The Houston family’s generous investment of $100,000 will play a pivotal role in the realization of the Isley Indoor Performance Center.

The Isley Indoor Performance Center, a proposed 101,000 square-foot facility, will feature a synthetic turf football practice field, along with amenities such as LED lighting, scoreboard, sound system, and graphics. The facility, which will be constructed atop the current multipurpose turf field adjacent to the existing football turf practice facility, will be accessible to all sport programs for training purposes.

“We are excited to be able to make this gift for a number of reasons,” Mike Houston said. “Pirate Nation welcomed Amanda, our boys, and me with open arms from day one, and we are fortunate to call this special community home. We have all made life-long friends along the way and it has been a privilege to lead the Pirates football program. It is incredible when you take a step back and see the number of individuals and businesses that have stepped up to make the indoor facility a reality. This facility will make an enormous difference for not only our football program, but all Pirate student-athletes. We are nearing the end zone and need one final push to get it done.”

Coach Houston, who was hired in December 2018 as the Pirates’ 22n head coach, has led the program through a rebuild, resulting in consecutive bowl eligibility seasons. A 1994 graduate of Mars Hill University, he was inducted into the MHU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020, which followed a similar honor at alma mater Franklin High School in 2014.

Amanda Houston earned her bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State and an MBA from Western Carolina. The Houston’s have two sons, Owen Michael and Reid Wilson.

“We are so appreciative of Mike and Amanda for their generosity and commitment to ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club,” ECU Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert said. “The Houston family has integrated themselves into our community over the past five years and been actively involved with a variety of organizations. By making the commitment to the ongoing Pirates Unite Campaign, they are not only benefitting the football program, but they are building the foundation for Pirate student-athletes now and into the future.”

Pirate Club Executive Director Ryan Robinson added, “We are honored to receive an investment from Mike, Amanda, and the boys for the Pirates Unite Campaign. The Houston family have been loyal Pirate Club members since their arrival and have always been available to assist with all our initiatives. The investment from the Houston family reflects the collective effort needed to complete the Isley Indoor Performance Center and demonstrates their unwavering support for the Pirates.”

To learn more about “Pirates Unite: The Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence,” please visit the website and you can also contact any Pirate Club staff member by clicking here .

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