Surprisingly, East Carolina is one of only two Division I football teams to have the nickname the Pirates — FCS’s Hampton is the other.
The North Carolina coast has a long history of pirate folklore and legends. But East Carolina wasn’t always the Pirates. Before adopting the “Pirate” nickname, ECU had a variety of live and costumed student mascots.
So how did ECU become known all around the country as the Pirates?
Who (or What) Is the East Carolina Pirates Mascot?
PeeDee (or sometimes Pee Dee) the Pirate is the official mascot of the East Carolina Pirates. Still, it took a while for the student body and the university to accept the name as the official representative of ECU athletics.
In 1983, ECU decided to give its pirate mascot an official name. The university launched a naming contest among local elementary schools in Pitt County, and the name “PeeDee” was selected.
The name drew inspiration from the Great Pee Dee River, which flows along the North Carolina and South Carolina border, areas historically linked to pirate activity. The river’s name is thought to originate from the Catawba Indian word “pi’ri,” meaning “something good,” further cementing its regional significance.
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Despite the thoughtful choice, the name PeeDee was not universally embraced by ECU students, who felt excluded from the decision-making process. In 1985, then-Chancellor John McDade Howell attempted to retire PeeDee by simply calling the mascot “The Pirate.”
However, the name PeeDee persisted and remains a part of the university’s tradition.
Today, ECU’s mascot continues to embody the pirate spirit, with a design that draws from the fearsome image of Blackbeard himself. The Pirate mascot, PeeDee, carries the pirate legacy at ECU and remains a proud and enduring symbol of the university’s heritage.
Why Is East Carolina the Pirates?
Pirates have a deep-rooted history along the North Carolina coast, with legendary figures like Blackbeard calling the region home.
The treacherous waters of the Outer Banks served as a haven for pirates, allowing them to evade capture. Embracing this rich maritime history, East Carolina University officially adopted the “Pirates” as their nickname in 1934.
But ECU wasn’t always associated with pirates. PeeDee, or The Pirate, officially became East Carolina’s mascot in 1983, but ECU’s mascot history is rich and varied, with a series of colorful characters preceding the current pirate.
The first mascot, from 1930-31, was a live wildcat. In 1958, a Great Dane named “Buc” took over the role, followed in 1968 by a large white French poodle. During the mid-1970s, the university had an unofficial dog mascot named Pete.
Pete, a scrappy dog who resembled the one from the “Little Rascals” movies, quickly gained a reputation as a back-alley brawler with a strong dislike for the rams of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the wolves of NC State University. Pete’s fierce demeanor was a perfect match for the ECU football team’s defense, which earned the nickname “wild dogs” for its relentless, aggressive play on the field.
Before PeeDee was introduced, ECU also experimented with students dressed as parrots and pirates. The final decision to adopt a pirate mascot was in line with the rich pirate history of the North Carolina coast.