For 35 years, Jeff Charles gave East Carolina University sports a recognisable voice. From dramatic football finishes to hard-fought basketball games, the American broadcaster became inseparable from the Pirates and their supporters. His signature victory call, “You can paint this one purple!”, became part of the university’s sporting identity. Charles died in February 2023, but his influence remains visible in ECU’s Hall of Fame, its broadcasting facilities and a scholarship bearing his name.
His name also invites confusion. A contemporary political journalist is called Jeff Charles, while Hollywood actor Josh Charles has an entirely different career. Understanding those distinctions reveals the remarkable career of an announcer whose achievements deserve attention beyond American college sport.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jeff Charles Purtee |
| Profession | Sports Broadcaster, Radio Commentator |
| Known As | Voice of the Pirates |
| Birthplace | Piqua, Ohio, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Goshen College, Indiana |
| Career Began at ECU | 1988 |
| Associated With | East Carolina University (ECU) |
| Specialisation | Football and Basketball Commentary |
| Famous Catchphrase | “You can paint this one purple!” |
| Major Recognition | North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year (2000, 2014) |
| Hall of Fame | ECU Athletics Hall of Fame (2023) |
| Wife | Debra Charles |
| Date of Death | 10 February 2023 |
| Age at Death | 70 years |
| Net Worth | Not publicly verified |
| Legacy | Jeff Charles Scholarship and ECU broadcasting honours |
The Broadcaster Who Became Part of Pirate Nation
Jeff Charles was best known as the longtime radio play-by-play announcer for East Carolina University’s football and men’s basketball teams in Greenville, North Carolina. His job required more than describing a score. He supplied context, recognised turning points and helped listeners follow games they could not watch in person.
In American college sport, a commentator can connect generations of supporters. Charles occupied that position at ECU from 1988 until his death in 2023.
ECU still remembers him as an emeritus broadcaster. Before streaming became commonplace, radio helped distant supporters keep pace with university sport. Charles made those broadcasts immediate and personal.
From Ohio to the National Radio Stage
Born in the Ohio city of Piqua, Charles was professionally known by a shortened version of his full name, Jeff Charles Purtee. His route into broadcasting combined formal study with experience at different universities and a major commercial radio station.
He attended the Career Academy of Broadcasting in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Goshen College in Indiana with a speech communications degree in 1975.
Before moving to East Carolina, he worked on broadcasts associated with Furman University, the University of Illinois and Virginia Tech.
Charles also became sports director at Atlanta’s WSB radio. He hosted an evening sports programme transmitted across 38 states and into Canada, giving him experience with a substantially wider audience than a single college community.
Why His 1988 Move to East Carolina Mattered
Joining the Pirates in 1988 gave Charles unusual continuity with one institution. His public identity became closely attached to East Carolina.
His broadcasts continued through victories, rebuilding and disappointment, making him a trusted voice across generations of supporters.
Football, Basketball and Baseball
His workload was extensive. University records credit him with covering 15 football bowl games and more than 1,000 basketball contests. He also provided baseball play-by-play commentary until the late 1990s.
The workload meant travelling, mastering statistics and explaining action instantly, with little margin for error.
Colleagues also recalled his meticulous preparation. Television sports director Brian Bailey praised his command of statistics and players, qualities that made complicated contests easier for listeners to understand.
Alongside radio, Charles undertook selected college basketball television assignments for Fox Sports Net South. His career therefore spanned both established local broadcasting and wider regional sports coverage.
The Victory Call That Became a Tradition
Charles’s best-known expression was “You can paint this one purple!”, used when a Pirates victory was secure. The phrase worked because it captured a shared emotion without needing a lengthy celebration. ECU’s purple became shorthand for collective pride.
Supporters repeated the line, which became part of tributes and was preserved at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Yet his style was not based entirely on enthusiasm. Longtime colleague Si Seymour remembered Charles as a commentator who acknowledged opponents’ strengths instead of treating every moment as a partisan contest. That balance added credibility to a voice closely identified with one team.
Professional Recognition Beyond the Commentary Booth
Charles received North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year honours twice, in 2000 and 2014, from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. The awards placed his work in a broader professional context, recognising quality beyond the loyalty of ECU fans.
East Carolina named him an honorary alumnus in 2015, recognising service to a university he had not attended.
In 2023, he was elected to the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame and formally inducted on 21 October, several months after his death. The honour recognised 35 years of sports commentary and his lasting association with Pirates football and basketball.
The university also named the radio booth at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in his honour.
His Death and the Response Across East Carolina
Charles died on 10 February 2023, aged 70, while in New Orleans accompanying the ECU men’s basketball team for a game against Tulane. His death prompted immediate tributes from the university, colleagues and supporters. Public Radio East described a heart attack as the cause.
He had earlier returned to work following colon cancer treatment. ECU records that he underwent surgery in late 2012 and resumed basketball commentary in February 2013.
A subsequent home basketball game against Cincinnati became an occasion to remember him. ECU held a moment of silence, played recordings of notable commentary and celebrated his career before an appreciative crowd.
For supporters, his voice was linked to personal memories of university life and sporting success.
A Legacy That Supports Future Journalists
Charles’s influence now reaches students who may never have heard him broadcast live. Friends and colleagues helped establish the Jeff Charles Scholarship through East Carolina’s School of Communication, creating financial support for aspiring journalists.
The initiative also contributed to the university’s Pursue Gold fundraising campaign surpassing its $500 million goal in 2023.
ECU currently includes the scholarship among its awards for undergraduate journalism students.
Charles had supported educational opportunities during his lifetime too. He and his wife, Debra, established a nursing scholarship in memory of their daughter Heather, an ECU student who died in a road accident in 1992. He later organised motorcycle fundraising activities benefiting that memorial fund.
The Other Jeff Charles: Journalism and Political Commentary
Not every contemporary reference to Jeff Charles concerns the late ECU announcer. Another American professional with that name works in political journalism and commentary. As of October 2026, Townhall identifies him as its news editor, with recent articles covering United States politics, civil liberties and government policy.
This writer has also contributed to outlets including RedState and The Daily Caller. He hosts A Fresh Perspective, a political discussion podcast, and has written the mystery thriller The Grinning Golly Murders, set in New Orleans.
Articles published by the journalist after February 2023 should not be mistaken for work by the deceased ECU announcer.
Jeff Charles and Josh Charles: Why the Names Are Confused
Josh Charles is an American film, television and theatre actor, not an ECU broadcaster. His breakthrough roles included Knox Overstreet in Dead Poets Society and Dan Rydell in Sports Night. He later played lawyer Will Gardner in The Good Wife, earning two Primetime Emmy nominations.
In 2026, Josh Charles starred as Dr Martin Best in Fox’s Best Medicine, an American adaptation of the British television drama Doc Martin. Unlike Jeff Charles the broadcaster, Josh works primarily in scripted entertainment, although his credits also include sports documentary narration.
No credible documentation connects the actor by family ties to either Jeff Charles. Their careers belong to distinct individuals.
Conclusion
Jeff Charles’s place in American college sport rests on sustained service, accomplished broadcasting and an unusually strong bond with East Carolina University. The awards, Hall of Fame recognition and student scholarship preserve a career that gave Pirates supporters a familiar voice for 35 years. Separating his story from those of the journalist Jeff Charles and actor Josh Charles ensures that each professional receives recognition for the right achievements.
FAQs
Who was Jeff Charles at East Carolina University?
Jeff Charles was the radio play-by-play announcer known as the “Voice of the Pirates”. From 1988 to 2023, he covered ECU football and men’s basketball, along with earlier baseball broadcasts. He became especially associated with the expression “You can paint this one purple!” after team victories.
When did Jeff Charles die, and how old was he?
The ECU broadcaster died on 10 February 2023, aged 70, while travelling with the university’s men’s basketball team in New Orleans. His death was widely mourned by East Carolina supporters and colleagues. The university subsequently honoured his work through its Athletics Hall of Fame.
Is Jeff Charles related to Josh Charles?
No verified family relationship connects the sports broadcaster or political journalist named Jeff Charles with actor Josh Charles. The actor is known for The Good Wife, Sports Night and Best Medicine. Similar names should not be treated as evidence of shared family history.
What does the journalist Jeff Charles do?
The living journalist Jeff Charles is identified by Townhall as its news editor in 2026. He covers political issues and also presents the podcast A Fresh Perspective. His work is separate from the ECU broadcaster’s career and should not be confused with that of Josh Charles.
What was Jeff Charles’s net worth?
No trustworthy public financial disclosure establishes the late broadcaster’s net worth. His salary, savings and estate value have not been reliably documented for public comparison. Claims assigning him a precise personal fortune should therefore be treated cautiously rather than repeated as confirmed fact.
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