East Carolina Pirates football seasons
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Beatty
Kenneth Beatty was the first football, basketball and baseball coach at then East Carolina Teaching College. He was the coach from 1932-1933. He volunteered his time to the teams. He was inducted into the ECU Hall of Fame in 1974.-Football:...
. Since that first season, the Pirates
East Carolina Pirates football
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football team that represents East Carolina University . The team is currently a member of the Conference USA, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association .The Pirates have won seven conference championships and...
have played over 700 regular-season games and 15 bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s.
Historically, East Carolina has seen moderate success. While East Carolina's first ten years of football included only three winning seasons, the team has recorded one undefeated season and several one-loss seasons since their early struggles. Football was called off for the 1942, 1943, and 1944 seasons due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the three-season hiatus, the Pirates joined the North State Conference
North State Conference
The North State Conference was a collegiate athletic conference in the United States and is the predecessor of Conference Carolinas. Founded on December 6, 1930 at the Washington Duke Hotel in Durham, North Carolina, the conference was formed “for the greater advantage of the small colleges in...
. East Carolina won its first championship—the North State Conference championship—in 1953. In its 15 years as a member of the North State Conference, the Pirates won two championships and went to two bowl games. In 1962, the team left the conference and returned to its previous status as a football independent. During two of those years, the Pirates went 9–1.
In 1965, the Pirates accepted membership in the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
. The team won the Southern Conference championship under coach Clarence Stasavich
Clarence Stasavich
Clarence Stasavich was East Carolina College's tenth head football coach, and arguably one of the best in the school's history. He was the football coach from 1962 to 1969 and the athletic director from 1963 to 1975. During those eight years Stasavich posted a 50-27-1 record...
in the following year, but did not win another conference championship until 1972. The 1972 team was coached by Sonny Randle
Sonny Randle
-References:...
, who won the Southern Conference championship in his second year as head coach. In 1973, he again coached a conference-championship team—the only time in school history the team won two conference championships in a row. Randle left to take a position as head football coach of Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1974 and was replaced by Pat Dye
Pat Dye
Patrick Fain Dye is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at East Carolina University , the University of Wyoming , and Auburn University compiling a career college football record of 153–62–5...
. Dye, in his third year, won the Pirates' fourth Southern Conference championship. In 1977, ECU left the Southern Conference and had three more winning seasons as a football independent. In 1980
1980 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Georgia take its first national title since World War II.The Georgia Bulldogs starred freshman running back Herschel Walker, who made his NCAA debut against Tennessee. Down 15-2 at halftime, Georgia sent in Walker, the third string running back at the...
, under new head coach Ed Emory
Ed Emory
Ed Emory is a former American football player and coach. He became East Carolina University fourteenth head football coach in 1980. He was at the helm of another Pirate first. In 1983, he guided the Pirate faithful to a 8-3 record and a #20 ranking in the Associated Press final national poll. His...
, the Pirates had their first losing season since 1971. The team struggled over the next two years. In 1983, Emory's Pirates ended the season ranked as one of the top 25
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
teams in the country by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
The next seven seasons included just one winning season—1989. The Pirates gradually rebuilt the program, and the 1991
1991 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 1991 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Pirates offense scored 409 points while the defense allowed 277 points. Led by head coach Bill Lewis, the Pirates won the Peach Bowl defeating in-state rival North...
team, coached by Bill Lewis, went 11–1, losing only to Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
in the season opener. The team capped off the season with an in-state win over North Carolina State
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
in the Peach Bowl. Following the win, the Pirates entered the offseason ranked ninth in both the AP and Coaches Poll
Coaches Poll
The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams....
. Thanks to his performance during the year, Lewis was awarded the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
Coach of the Year award. The season marked the only time the Pirates finished the season ranked in the top 10. In 1995
1995 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 1995 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 1995 college football season. The Pirates offense scored 274 points while the defense allowed 226 points. Led by head coach Steve Logan, the Pirates won the 1995 Liberty Bowl....
, ECU won the Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
over Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
and finished 23rd in the Coaches' Poll. The Pirates joined Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
(C-USA) in 1997, ending their status as football independents for the first time since 1976. Since joining the C-USA, the Pirates have had six winning seasons, five losing seasons, and one 6–6 year.
Seasons
| Conference Champions | Bowl game berth |
| Season | Conference | Season results | Bowl result | Final ranking | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | AP Poll AP Poll The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation... |
Coaches Poll Coaches Poll The USA Today Coaches' Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and Division I college basketball teams.... |
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| East Carolina Pirates football seasons | |||||||||
| 1932 | Independent | — | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | |||
| 1933 | Independent | — | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | |||
| 1934 | Independent | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1935 | Independent | — | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1936 | Independent | — | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1937 | Independent | — | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1938 | Independent | — | 1 | 6 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1939 | Independent | — | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1940 | Independent | — | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1941 | Independent | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1942 | East Carolina did not play football during the 1942–1945 seasons because of World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... |
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| 1943 | |||||||||
| 1944 | |||||||||
| 1945 | |||||||||
| 1946 | Independent | — | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1947 | North State Conference | — | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1948 | North State Conference | — | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | — | ||
| 1949 | North State Conference | — | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 1950 | North State Conference | — | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1951 | North State Conference | — | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1952 | North State Conference | — | 6 | 3 | 2 | Lost Lions Bowl vs. Clarion Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clarion University of Pennsylvania, located on a campus in Clarion, Pennsylvania, is one of fourteen universities of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education .... 13–6 |
— | — | |
| 1953 | North State Conference | — | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1954 | North State Conference | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | Lost Elks Bowl vs. Charleston Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early... 12–0 |
— | — | |
| 1955 | North State Conference | — | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1956 | North State Conference | — | 2 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| 1957 | North State Conference | — | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1958 | North State Conference | — | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1959 | North State Conference | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1960 | North State Conference | — | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1961 | Carolinas Conference | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| 1962 | Independent | — | 5 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1963 | Independent | — | 9 | 1 | 0 | Won Eastern Bowl vs. Northeastern Northeastern Huskies The Northeastern University Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey ; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey and volleyball, swimming, and men's and women's soccer , and... 27–6 |
— | — | |
| 1964 | Independent | — | 9 | 1 | 0 | Won Tangerine Bowl Capital One Bowl The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl... vs. Massachusetts UMass Minutemen The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I sports competition. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure. Strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and... 14–13 |
— | — | |
| 1965 | Southern Conference | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | Won Tangerine Bowl Capital One Bowl The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl... vs. Maine Maine Black Bears The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams which represent the University of Maine. They compete in NCAA Division I athletics, with the majority of the teams playing in the America East Conference... 31–0 |
— | — | |
| 1966 | Southern Conference | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| 1967 | Southern Conference | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1968 | Southern Conference | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1969 | Southern Conference | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | Southern Conference | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | Southern Conference | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | Southern Conference | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | Southern Conference | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1974 | Southern Conference | 3 | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1975 | Southern Conference | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1976 | Southern Conference | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1977 | Independent | — | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | Independent | — | 9 | 3 | 0 | Won Independence Bowl Independence Bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976.... vs. Louisiana Tech 35–13 |
— | — | |
| 1979 | Independent | — | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| 1980 | Independent | — | 4 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | Independent | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | Independent | — | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | Independent | — | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | 20 | — | |
| 1984 | Independent | — | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1985 | Independent | — | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | Independent | — | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1987 | Independent | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1988 | Independent | — | 3 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1989 | Independent | — | 6 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1990 | Independent | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1991 1991 East Carolina Pirates football team The 1991 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Pirates offense scored 409 points while the defense allowed 277 points. Led by head coach Bill Lewis, the Pirates won the Peach Bowl defeating in-state rival North... |
Independent | — | 11 | 1 | 0 | Won Peach Bowl vs. NC State NC State Wolfpack football The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.... 37–34 |
9 | 9 | |
| 1992 | Independent | — | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1993 | Independent | — | 2 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| 1994 | Independent | — | 7 | 5 | 0 | Lost Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003... vs. Illinois Illinois Fighting Illini football The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51... 30–0 |
— | — | |
| 1995 1995 East Carolina Pirates football team The 1995 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 1995 college football season. The Pirates offense scored 274 points while the defense allowed 226 points. Led by head coach Steve Logan, the Pirates won the 1995 Liberty Bowl.... |
Independent | — | 9 | 3 | 0 | Won Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003... vs. Stanford Stanford Cardinal football The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The... 19–13 |
— | 23 | |
| 1996 | Independent | — | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | Conference USA | 3 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | Conference USA | 4 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | ||
| 1999 | Conference USA | 2 | 9 | 3 | Lost Mobile Alabama Bowl vs. Texas Christian TCU Horned Frogs football The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football... 28–14 |
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| 2000 | Conference USA | 3 | 8 | 4 | Won Galleryfurniture.com Bowl Houston Bowl The Houston Bowl is a now-defunct NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A college football bowl game that was played annually in Houston, Texas from 2000 to 2005. The game was originally known as the galleryfurniture.com Bowl in 2000 and 2001... vs. Texas Tech 40–27 |
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| 2001 | Conference USA | 3 | 6 | 6 | Lost GMAC Bowl 2001 GMAC Bowl The 2001 GMAC Bowl, a college football bowl game held on December 19 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, pitted the Marshall Thundering Herd, then of the Mid-American Conference, against the East Carolina Pirates from Conference USA... vs. Marshall Marshall Thundering Herd The Marshall Thundering Herd are the intercollegiate athletic teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in Conference USA, which are members of the NCAA Division I... 64–61 |
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| 2002 | Conference USA | 7 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | Conference USA | 10 | 1 | 11 | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | Conference USA | 10 | 2 | 9 | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | Conference USA East | 4 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 2006 East Carolina Pirates football team -Schedule:... |
Conference USA East | 2 | 7 | 6 | Lost Papajohns.com Bowl vs. South Florida South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus... 24–7 |
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| 2007 2007 East Carolina Pirates football team The 2007 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2007-08 and playws their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium... |
Conference USA East | 2 | 8 | 5 | Won Hawai'i Bowl 2007 Hawai'i Bowl The 2007 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Boise State University Broncos from the Western Athletic Conference and the East Carolina University Pirates from Conference USA at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 23, 2007... vs. Boise State 2007 Boise State Broncos football team The 2007 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2007 college football season. The Broncos, led by second year head coach Chris Petersen, play their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the... 41–38 |
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| 2008 2008 East Carolina Pirates football team The 2008 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2008-09. and plays their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium... |
Conference USA East | 1 | 9 | 5 | Won C-USA Championship 2008 East Carolina Pirates football team The 2008 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2008-09. and plays their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium... vs. Tulsa 2008 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team The 2008 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach was Todd Graham, in his second year at Tulsa. They played home games at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma and competed in the... 27–24 Lost Liberty Bowl 2009 Liberty Bowl The 2009 AutoZone Liberty Bowl is the fiftieth annual college football bowl game, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee on January 2, 2009 as part of the 2008-09 bowl season. The East Carolina Pirates accepted their invitation after their victory over the Tulsa... vs Kentucky 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team The 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head coach was Rich Brooks, who served his sixth year in the position... 19-25 |
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| 2009 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team The 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2009-10 and played their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The team was coached by Skip Holtz, who was in his fifth and final year with the program... |
Conference USA East | 1 | 9 | 5 | - | Won C-USA Championship 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team The 2009 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2009-10 and played their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The team was coached by Skip Holtz, who was in his fifth and final year with the program... vs. Houston 2009 Houston Cougars football team The 2009 Houston Cougars football team, also known as the Houston Cougars, Houston, or UH, represented the University of Houston in the college football 2009–2010 season. It was the 64th year of season play for Houston. The team was coached by second year head football coach, Kevin Sumlin... 38-32 Lost Liberty Bowl 2010 Liberty Bowl 2010 Liberty Bowl can refer to:* 2010 Liberty Bowl , played as part of the 2009–10 college football bowl season.* 2010 Liberty Bowl , played as part of the 2010–11 college football bowl season.... vs Arkansas 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team The 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2009 football season. The Razorbacks played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and two home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Head coach... 17-20 |
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| 2010 2010 East Carolina Pirates football team The 2010 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Pirates played their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and were led by head coach Ruffin McNeill, a former Pirate football player and former Texas Tech defensive... |
Conference USA East | 2nd | 6 | 7 | - | Lost Military Bowl vs Maryland 2010 Maryland Terrapins football team The 2010 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Terrapins' 58th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and its sixth within the framework of the ACC Atlantic Division... 20-51 |
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| Totals | 388 | 355 | 11 | (regular season games only) | |||||
| 8 | 9 | 0 | (bowl games only) | ||||||
| 396 | 364 | 11 | (all games) | ||||||
External links
- ECUPirates.com - Official East Carolina Pirates football website