Ed Conroy's surname has evoked all kinds of emotions at The Citadel

By David Scott

He knew that when, as a high school senior guard in 1985, he boarded a plane from his home in Davenport, Iowa, for his official recruiting visit with the Bulldogs.

"This is probably not right," thought Conroy as he settled into his seat. "I'm wasting their money. Being from the midwest, going to a military school. And with my last name."

At that time, Conroy's cousin, novelist Pat Conroy, was a polarizing and reviled figure at The Citadel. His 1980 book "The Lords Of Discipline" was an unflattering look at life at a South Carolina military college, thinly disguised from his days as a cadet at The Citadel.

The book made Pat Conroy persona non grata at The Citadel and gave his younger cousin -- who would one day become the Bulldogs' coach -- plenty of reservation about making it his college choice.

Even then-Bulldogs coach Les Robinson wasn't sure if Ed Conroy would be welcome. He asked and received permission from the school's Board Of Visitors before offering him a scholarship.

"If he can play and has good character, we'd take (Richard) Nixon's grandson," came the reply.

Ed Conroy loved what he saw of The Citadel. He played four seasons for the Bulldogs and became close with his uncle and Pat's father, portrayed as a bullying ex-Marine in another novel by Pat, "The Great Santini."

"I never saw that side that Pat wrote about," said Ed of Don Conroy, who went to 46 of Ed's games at The Citadel. "To me, he was the greatest. I never saw his violent side."

Then there's a third Pat Conroy book -- "My Losing Season" -- a non-fiction, first-person account of his time as a reserve guard on the 1966-67 Bulldogs team. That helped mend things between Pat Conroy and The Citadel, which invited him to be commencement speaker in 2000.

"I cannot express the pride I feel to see a Conroy here coaching this team," Pat, 62, told reporters in 2006 when Ed was hired. "It is one of the proudest moments of my life."