The East Carolina Pirates football program is a college football team that represents East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, North Carolina. The team competes in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The Pirates were founded in 1932 and played their first game against North Carolina Wesleyan College. They began competing in the Southern Conference in 1946 and remained there until 1975. In 1976, they joined the Mid-American Conference (MAC), where they stayed until 1991.
The Pirates have won seven conference championships, most recently in 2013. They have also appeared in nine bowl games, most recently in the 2019 Military Bowl.
The East Carolina program has had a number of successful players over the years, including:
- Quarterback Jeff Blake, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 1992 NFL Draft
- Running back Greg Jones, who was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft
- Wide Receiver Jameson Crowder, who was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the third round.