GREENVILLE — It’s often said that a football team is a lot like a family. Well, within that family, there are few groups closer than the special teams players. That’s the case with East Carolina’s specialists.

They spend more time with one another than arguably any other group on the team, making them a tight-knit group. The special teams community throughout the nation is close, too. That was made clear on July 24 when former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler and Nebraska punter Sam Foltz passed away in a car accident.

Memorials and support flooded social media as soon as the news broke. Among those who took to Twitter to express his sympathies was Pirate punter Worth Gregory, tweeting “Sam was what every college athlete should strive to be.”

According to CNN, Sadler and Foltz were serving as counselors at a weekend kicking camp in southern Wisconsin. Gregory was among those attending the camp. He got to know Foltz over the course of the weekend.

“I was there that weekend. I was with him that entire weekend,” Gregory said at ECU’s media day on Saturday. “I was asked to stay an extra day, but I decided not to. That could have been me in that car. It’s kind of made me realize that this is my last chance and those guys don’t get the extra chance I’m going to get.”

That extra chance Gregory gets is one more season to make an impact for his team and to take a step toward a possible professional career. He’s set the bar high for himself after ranking among the American Athletic Conference’s best with an average of 43.1 yards per punt last season. He landed 20 of his 60 punts last year inside the 20-yard line and drilled 11 of them for over 50 yards.

“The good thing with punting is that, if I go out there and average 50 yards or if I go out there and average 40 yards, I’m not only chasing my own goals, but I’m also trying to help the team,” Gregory said. “Trying to improve myself is only going to help the team.

“In my position, I don’t think there’s any chance where I’d be selfish or something like that. Me trying to chase certain goals like the NFL is only going to help the team.”

Gregory’s approach — as well as the entire unit’s mindset — is oftentimes a comedic one. They take pride in keeping things lighthearted during practices and games, but are able to dial in when needed.

“(Place kicker Davis Plowman) and I have always said that the more you focus on kicking, the worse you’re going to get at it,” Gregory said. “That’s kind of how we focus toward games and practices. You’ve got to lock in when it’s your time … But if you’re sitting around thinking about making that field goal, you’re probably not going to make that field goal.”

Plowman added, “During a game, I usually tell jokes on the sideline. I don’t really pay attention to the game at all. Then I see where we are, third-and-long, and I kick warm up kicks. I’m still telling jokes and it’s fourth down and I lock down for about one kick.”

Plowman, Gregory and company are like that behind the scenes, too. The specialists run their own parody Twitter account — @ECU_Specialists — that documents locker room shenanigans like Gregory playing pool on a hover board. They even used the social media platform to send out a Christmas card last December.

“It’s more of a group effort,” Plowman said of the specialists’ social media presence. “We take different ideas in and go with the best ones.”

They keep things loose on the sideline, which helps overcome the stress of a game or even a heartbreaking tragedy. When it’s their time to shine, though, ECU’s specialists have no problem flipping the switch to have an impact on the game.