The East Carolina Pirates college football team plays in Conference USA. The Pirates home games are played at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.

Following a win over the Houston Cougars in the Conference USA Championship game, the Pirates earned a berth to play in the Liberty Bowl on January 2, 2010 The Pirates fell to the Arkansan Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl in overtime with a final score of 20-17.http://www.ecupirates.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/ecu-m-footbl-sched.html

The East Carolina Pirates football program was introduced in 1932. The team played as an independent until 1947, when it joined the North State Conference. In 1953, the Pirates won their first conference championship. After switching back to independent in 1962, the Pirates played 12 seasons in the Southern Conference, then went back to an independent team from 1977 to 1996. Since 1997, the team has played in the Conference USA.College Football Data Warehouse: East Carolina Pirates Football

The East Carolina Pirate Football team is in a transition year. They have a new coach in Ruffin McNeill after Skip Holtz accepted a position at South Florida. The pirates also will have a new starting quarterback after James Pickney graduated. Much of the defensive line has graduated or left for the NFL. The pirates will have to deal with the emotions of losing an assistant coach Thomas "Rock" Roggeman who succumbed to his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

On the positive side for the Pirates, senior wide receiver Dwain Harris has been named 88th best college player by riavals.com. His skills as a playmaker should do well in the planed more open offence under offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley who followed McNeill from Texas Tech.

Schedule

• Aundrae Allison (wide receiver)
• Terrance Copper (wide receiver)
• Damane Duckett (offensive tackle)
• David Garrard (quarterback)
• Chris Johnson (running back)
• Vonta Leach (fullback)
• Guy Whimper (offensive tackle)
• Jeff Blake (quarterback)