What are the Flying Fleet?
Erskine folks are often asked, “What is a Flying Fleet?” The story behind the answer reveals some of the history of our athletic program. The early Erskine teams in baseball, football, and tennis needed a team name and chose the name “Seceders.” In 1929, football coach Jake Todd would employ a wide-open passing attack as head coach that led the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association in scoring. During that 1929 season, in a game at Furman, Todd’s passing attack so impressed
Greenville News sportswriter Carter “Scoop” Latimer that he labeled Erskine teams “The Flying Fleet.” The name struck a cord with the Erskine student body, and that fall they voted to have the nickname replace “Seceders” as the team name.
Erskine enjoys the distinction of being the only college in the country known as “The Flying Fleet.”
What is The Fleet Way?
The philosophy of Erskine Athletics is based upon the ideals of ‘The Fleet Way.” This philosophy focuses on three pillars and a strong statement.
“Christ-Centered”- This simply means that we believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and thus, we seek to serve and honor Him in all we do. Our decisions and actions are built on this foundation. As we build and develop tomorrow’s leaders, we strive to influence them by this core value. We want leaders who serve, sacrifice, and make mistakes but take responsibility. We also strive to develop young people who love and accept other people for who they are. We want to be guided each day with the goal of seating The Lord above all.
“Competitive”- Every student-athlete is dedicated to the pursuit of winning. We have won 25 conference team championships in the past fifteen years, and each one has brought much pride to our program. Championships, however, are not the end all be all. There have been many miserable players and coaches who were part of championship teams. The pride really is in the process. We want our teams to be highly competitive and fight with every ounce of strength they have. The most important aspect is the quest to compete at the highest level of the team's potential. Win or lose, our job is to build leaders on and off the field.
“Community-Focused”- In this world of the latest technological advancements, people casually walk around staring at a screen, and true community is becoming an obscure concept. The notion that our “friends” are merely people who like our posts keeps us from interacting in real life. Successful leaders, however, are those who grasp the concept of relationships. One of the most valuable memories of the college experience will be in the relationships that are formed and nurtured. The concept of community is important to Erskine Athletics. We want student-athletes to build strong relationships with their teammates, but we also want them to engage in the entire Erskine community. We want them to be servants for their communities because leadership starts with service to people.
Our goal for the Erskine College Flying Fleet Department of Athletics can be summarized as follows:
“A self-sacrificing, relentless pursuit of remarkable.”
We want young people committed to a cause greater than themselves. The concept of
team demands that members give up their personal interest for the good of the whole. It is what makes athletics great. It takes special people to work hard and persevere not for themselves but for the goal of everyone on the team. If we lose, we get back up and continue to fight. If we win, we continue to fight. Ultimately, we seek the REMARKABLE. I have always been drawn to that word. My favorite definition of remarkable is “conspicuously unusual and extraordinary.” We want to be different. We want people to take notice of the Flying Fleet and be struck by the uniqueness of what is going on here.
#TheFleetWay
Mark Peeler, Director of Athletics
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