The Pirates are the football team of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. They compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA and play in the American Athletic Conference.
📜 East Carolina Pirates Football History
East Carolina first began a football program in 1932. The school was a teacher training college at the time, and the team was originally known as the Teachers. After a disappointing couple of seasons, the name was changed to Pirates in an attempt to increase enthusiasm.
Following 15 years as an independent school, East Carolina joined the North State Conference in 1947 and remained a member until 1961. The Pirates competed independently from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1977 to 1996, broken up by an 11-year spell in the Southern Conference.
In 1997, East Carolina joined Conference USA. This membership lasted until the end of the 2013 season, and since 2014 the Pirates have played in the American Athletic Conference.
