The Buccaneers are the football team of East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City, Tennessee. They compete in the Football Championship Subdivision of the NCAA and play in the Southern Conference.
ETSU, then known as East Tennessee State Normal School, first fielded a football team in 1920. The college took its current name in 1963, and joined the Southern Conference in 1978, having already won 2 conference championships as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference.
The football program at ETSU was disbanded in 2003 due to insufficient financial backing, but was reinstated in 2013 after the student government approved a motion to increase the university's tuition fees in order to fund the team. ETSU then rejoined the Southern Conference in 2014, and has won 2 conference titles in the years since.
The Buccaneers play their home games at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,694.
