An Update From AD Jon Gilbert
September 10, 2026 | General
Pirate Nation:
We are excited to welcome you back to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the 2026 Pirate Football season. Your passion, energy, and unwavering support create one of the best atmospheres in college football and give our players and coaches a true home-field advantage.
The Pirates open their home schedule Saturday at noon against Appalachian State in the annual Paint it Purple game. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and is presented by ECU Health. As part of Pirate Club Day, we will also recognize our VanSant Society, Sabre Society and Purple & Gold Society members for their tremendous support of ECU Athletics.
If you have haven't secured your tickets yet, please call the ECU Athletics Ticket Office at (252) 737-4500 or visit the Online Ticket Center.
Make sure you check out important information about parking, concessions and more here. Below are some of the highlights you can expect on Saturday:
Game Day Events & Entertainment
We are excited to welcome you back to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the 2026 Pirate Football season. Your passion, energy, and unwavering support create one of the best atmospheres in college football and give our players and coaches a true home-field advantage.
The Pirates open their home schedule Saturday at noon against Appalachian State in the annual Paint it Purple game. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU and is presented by ECU Health. As part of Pirate Club Day, we will also recognize our VanSant Society, Sabre Society and Purple & Gold Society members for their tremendous support of ECU Athletics.
If you have haven't secured your tickets yet, please call the ECU Athletics Ticket Office at (252) 737-4500 or visit the Online Ticket Center.
Make sure you check out important information about parking, concessions and more here. Below are some of the highlights you can expect on Saturday:
Game Day Events & Entertainment
- Tailgate Plaza will open at 8 a.m. with The Embers featuring Craig Woolard taking the stage at 10 a.m.
- The Heisman Trophy will be on display in Tailgate Plaza courtesy of our friends at Greenville Nissan. Be sure to stop by and get a photo with college football's most prestigious individual award.
- The Pirate Walk will begin at 9:45 a.m. along the Howard & Lyn Swain Pirate Promenade. Show up early and be there for the team as they step off the buses.
- Treasure Island, our student tailgate area, has been renovated with new grass and other improvements. Winyah will be performing beginning at 10 a.m. We are grateful to Bret Oliverio of Sup Dogs for their continued support of this special game-day experience for our students.
- Fans will notice a new paved pedestrian walkway connecting the Shreve Family Lot, formerly Lower Minges, to the Burt Family Premium Lot.Â
- Thanks to Pepsi - Minges Bottling Group, fans can once again enjoy a full array of fireworks throughout the game.
- At halftime, remain in your seats for a special performance by our very own Marching Pirates.
I also hope you saw this week's announcement about the Pirate Club's 50/50 raffle at home football games. We appreciate Valicy for sponsoring this exciting new promotion.
Fans can purchase raffle tickets online until the end of the third quarter of Saturday's game. The jackpot has already exceeded $5,000, with plenty of time remaining to participate. Fifty percent of the raffle proceeds will be awarded to the holder of a randomly selected ticket, while the remaining 50 percent will benefit the Pirate Club and its mission of supporting our student-athletes. Fans can participate by scanning QR codes displayed throughout Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium or visiting ecu5050.com.
We look forward to seeing Pirate Nation back together this weekend. Wear your Purple, arrive early and help us create an electric atmosphere from kickoff to the final whistle.
Let's make Saturday afternoon one to remember.
Go Pirates!
Jon
Fans can purchase raffle tickets online until the end of the third quarter of Saturday's game. The jackpot has already exceeded $5,000, with plenty of time remaining to participate. Fifty percent of the raffle proceeds will be awarded to the holder of a randomly selected ticket, while the remaining 50 percent will benefit the Pirate Club and its mission of supporting our student-athletes. Fans can participate by scanning QR codes displayed throughout Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium or visiting ecu5050.com.
We look forward to seeing Pirate Nation back together this weekend. Wear your Purple, arrive early and help us create an electric atmosphere from kickoff to the final whistle.
Let's make Saturday afternoon one to remember.
Go Pirates!
Jon
Thursday, September 10
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