East Tennessee State Buccaneers

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East Tennessee State Buccaneers
East Tennessee State Buccaneers logo.svg
University East Tennessee State University
Conference Southern Conference
NCAA Division I (FCS)
Athletic directorDr. Richard Sander
Location Johnson City, Tennessee
Varsity teams17
Football stadium William Greene Stadium
Basketball arena Freedom Hall Civic Center
Baseball stadium Thomas Stadium
Soccer stadium Summers-Taylor Stadium
Other venuesJ. Madison Brooks Gymnasium
ETSU Athletic Center
MascotBucky
NicknameBuccaneers
ColorsNavy blue and gold [1]
   
Website etsubucs.com
SoCon's logo in East Tennessee State's colors SoCon logo in East Tennessee State colors.svg
SoCon's logo in East Tennessee State's colors

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers are the 16 intercollegiate athletics teams that represent East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, Tennessee. ETSU's teams include men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track and field; women's-only softball and volleyball; and men's-only baseball and football. The Buccaneers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). [2]

Contents

Teams

A member of the Southern Conference, ETSU sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA-sanctioned sports: [3] The most recent change to ETSU's sports sponsorship was the dropping of men's indoor track & field after the 2022–23 season. [4]

Men's sportsWomen's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross Country
Cross CountryGolf
GolfSoccer
Football Softball
Soccer Tennis
TennisTrack and field 1
Track and field 2
1 (indoor & outdoor) – 2 (outdoor)

Baseball

Casey Mae Riley serves as the Director of Player Operations. ETSU's baseball team won the 2013 Atlantic Sun Tournament with a 7–2 win over Kennesaw State May 26, 2013. The first-ever A-Sun championship for ETSU win earned the Bucs their first NCAA tournament appearance in 32 years. [5]

Basketball

Erick Green Erick Green.jpg
Erick Green

ETSU has a long history in men's basketball with an all-time record of 1,252–1,005 and 10 overall appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, with their last appearance occurring in 2017. They appeared in the Sweet Sixteen in the 1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, and have an overall tournament record of 2–10. [6]

The men's head coach is currently Desmond Oliver. He became the 18th head coach in ETSU's 100+ year history. After Steve Forbes left to become head coach of Wake Forest in 2020, assistant Jason Shay became the men's head basketball coach for one season.

ETSU has also had success with their women's basketball program going to the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Besides appearing in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship three times, they have also appeared Women's National Invitation Tournament three times with their most recent appearance coming in 2015. Overall the women's program has 543–597 record. [7]

The women's head coach is currently Brittney Ezell. She became the eighth head coach in the 46-year history of East Tennessee State University women's basketball on May 8, 2013. The 2013–14 campaign—in which the team went 9–21 overall—was Ezell's first leading the Bucs after spending three seasons as the head coach at Belmont University in Nashville. In 2014–15, ETSU experienced an unbelievable turnaround under Ezell with a 16-game win progression from 2013 to 2014 where the Bucs went 9–21. The total win improvement was the second best in the country. The 2014–15 win total of 21 marked the first time since the 2009–10 season that ETSU reached 20 wins. Led by Ezell, the Bucs made it to the Southern Conference Tournament Championship game falling to No.1 seed Chattanooga in overtime, 61–56. ETSU appeared in the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) for the third time in school history falling short to NC State, 73–59. [8]

Football

East Tennessee State established its first football team in 1920 when the university was still called East Tennessee State Normal School. [9] ETSU fielded a team every year until the 2004 season when the decision was made to disband the program based on the recommendations of a 1999 Athletic Task Force and then university president Paul Stanton. In January 2013, the Student Government Association approved a student fee increase that would help fund and resurrect the program. [10] Former University of Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer was given the task of helping guide the direction of the new program. [11] On the recommendation of Coach Fulmer, ETSU hired former University of North Carolina head coach Carl Torbush as the team's new head coach. [12] In the Fall of 2017, the Buccaneers will begin playing on their newly erected football stadium.

Notable football alumni include Donnie Abraham, Earl Ferrell, Thane Gash, Gerald Sensabaugh and Mike Smith. A couple of the more memorable highlights of ETSU football history include the 1969 team that went undefeated and beat Louisiana Tech, led by Terry Bradshaw, in the Grantland Rice Bowl in Baton Rouge, LA and the 1996 team that went 10-3 and advanced to the Division I-AA quarterfinals after defeating Villanova, 35–29, in a first-round playoff game in Memorial Center. [9]

Men's golf

The men's golf team has won 24 conference championships. [13]

Their best finish in the NCAA Division I Championship was 3rd place in 1996. [13]

Notable ETSU golfers include Eric Axley, Rhys Davies, David Eger, Larry Hinson, Mike Hulbert, Keith Nolan, J. C. Snead, Bobby Wadkins, Garrett Willis and Adrian Meronk.

Southern Conference

On May 30, 2013, the Southern Conference announced that it was extending an invitation for membership to the Buccaneers, effective July 1, 2014. ETSU accepted the invitation and joined Mercer and VMI in the conference, replacing Appalachian State, Davidson, Elon and Georgia Southern beginning in the league's 2014 season. The Buccaneers rejoined the league after a nine-year absence.

Bucky

ETSU-Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Cente ETSU-Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center, East Tennessee State University.jpg
ETSU-Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Cente

Bucky's background begins with the story of the East Tennessee State University nickname—the Buccaneers. A brief history begins with a Buccaneer, who once roamed a vast area which stretched from the Florida Keys northward. Johnson City, home of ETSU, is located among the mountains of Eastern Tennessee and is a great distance from the ocean, but geologists and archaeologists teamed up and discovered an underground river near the university. Named Pirate Creek, it evidently winds its way through many tunnels.

It is thought that these caverns at one time channeled all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Soon after this discovery, the legend of buccaneer, Jean Paul LeBucque was found in history books. The legend describes how LeBucque was a nuisance and terror. Evidently, he was looking for a place to hide his great store of gold and treasure, and find safety for himself. He sailed north in search of a new home and began to look inland. Legend states that he discovered the underground river near Johnson City and called Pirate Creek his home. Geologists feel that the upheaval of the Earth's crust, which now blocks the channel, possibly killed LeBucque. This legend is widely accepted and is one way to explain why an inland school would choose a pirate nickname. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Tennessee State University</span> Public university in Johnson City, Tennessee, US

East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. It was historically part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee under the Tennessee Board of Regents, but since 2016, the university has been transitioning to governance by its own board of trustees. As of May 2017, it is the fourth largest university in the state and has off-campus centers in nearby Kingsport, Elizabethton, and Sevierville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murry Bartow</span> American college basketball coach

Murry Linn Bartow is an American former college basketball coach. As the head coach of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, he was twice named the conference coach of the year, first in the Southern Conference in 2004 and later in the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2007. He was later an interim head coach with the South Florida Bulls and UCLA Bruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Sanders</span> American football player and coach (born 1965)

Randy Sanders is a former American football coach.

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for East Tennessee State University (ETSU) located in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was dormant from the end of the 2003 season until being reinstated for the 2015 season. They played all of their 2015 home games and all but one of their 2016 home games at Kermit Tipton Stadium before the opening of the new William B. Greene Jr. Stadium for the 2017 season. The remaining 2016 home game, against Western Carolina on September 17, was played at nearby Bristol Motor Speedway, which was already set up for football due to a game the prior week between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Before ETSU dropped football, it competed in NCAA Division I as a Southern Conference (SoCon) football program. The revived program played as an independent in 2015 before returning to the SoCon in 2016.

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team represents East Tennessee State University (ETSU), located in Johnson City, Tennessee, in men's college basketball. East Tennessee State is coached by Brooks Savage and currently competes in the Southern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2017. In March 2020 the Buccaneers won the SoCon championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012–13 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2012–13 East Tennessee State Buccaneers basketball team represented East Tennessee State University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Buccaneers, led by 10th year head coach Murry Bartow, played their home games at the ETSU/Mountain States Health Alliance Athletic Center and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 10–22, 8–10 in A-Sun play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun tournament to Stetson.

Brittney Ezell is a women’s college basketball coach, lastly as the head coach of the East Tennessee State Buccaneers women's basketball team. Ezell had previously been the coach of Montevallo University and Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 2004 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament took place from March 3–6, 2004 at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, South Carolina. The East Tennessee State Buccaneers defeated their in-state rival Chattanooga in the championship game to win their sixth title in school history and receive the automatic berth to the 2004 NCAA tournament. Tim Smith of ETSU was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Steve Forbes is an American men's college basketball head coach for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. His Division I experience includes five years at East Tennessee State, two seasons at Texas A&M, one year at Illinois State, three years at Louisiana Tech, and two years at Idaho.

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's soccer team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, United States. The team is a member of the Southern Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. ETSU's first men's soccer team was fielded in 2008. The team plays its home games at Summers-Taylor Stadium on the ETSU campus. The Buccaneers were coached by Bo Oshoniyi until he was hired away by Dartmouth College. In March 2018, ETSU announced the hiring of former University of Kentucky assistant coach David Casper. Following his dismissal in 2021, David Lilly assumed the post of head coach. Lilly would go on to win the 2023 SoCon Coach of the Year award. Allen Vital was appointed as the head coach in February of 2024 following the departure of David Lilly to UAB Blazers men's soccer.

The 2015–16 East Tennessee State Buccaneers women's basketball team represented East Tennessee State University (ETSU) during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The "Bucs", led by third year head coach Brittney Ezell, played their home games at the Freedom Hall Civic Center as members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 16–14, 8–6 in SoCon play to finish in fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SoCon women's tournament to Furman.

The 2016–17 East Tennessee State Buccaneers women's basketball team represented East Tennessee State University (ETSU) during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The "Bucs", led by fourth-year head coach Brittney Ezell, played their home games at the Freedom Hall Civic Center as members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 16–14, 8–6 in SoCon play to finish in third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SoCon women's tournament to Samford.

The 2017–18 East Tennessee State Buccaneers women's basketball team represented East Tennessee State University (ETSU) during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The "Bucs", led by fifth-year head coach Brittney Ezell, played their home games at the Freedom Hall Civic Center as members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Bucs finished the season 20–13, 11–3 in second place in the SoCon, losing to Mercer in the conference tournament. They received a berth in the 2018 WNIT but lost in the first round to the James Madison Dukes.

The 2017–18 East Tennessee Buccaneers basketball team represented East Tennessee State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Buccaneers, led by third-year head coach Steve Forbes, played their home games at the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee as of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 25–9, 14–4 in SoCon play to finish in second place. They defeated Chattanooga and Furman to advance to the championship game of the SoCon tournament where they lost to UNC Greensboro. Despite having 25 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

The 1990–91 East Tennessee State Buccaneers basketball team represented East Tennessee State University during the 1990-91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by first-year coach Alan Leforce. Leforce was an assistant the previous year under coach Les Robinson who left to become head coach at NC State. The Bucs finished the season 28–5 and 11–3 in Southern Conference play to finish in a tie for first place. They won the Southern Conference tournament championship in Asheville to receive the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest region. They lost to No. 7 Iowa in the first round. They finished ranked No. 17 in the final AP poll.

The 2019–20 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team represented East Tennessee State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Buccaneers, led by fifth-year head coach Steve Forbes, played their home games at the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 30–4, 16–2 in SoCon play to finish as the SoCon regular season champions. They defeated VMI, Western Carolina and Wofford to become champions of the SoCon tournament. They earned the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. However, the NCAA Tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 1988–89 East Tennessee State Buccaneers basketball team represented East Tennessee State University during the 1988-89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Les Robinson. The Bucs finished the season 20–11 and 7–7 in Southern Conference play to finish in fourth place. They won the Southern Conference tournament championship in Asheville to receive the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the Southeast region. They lost to No. 1 seed Oklahoma, 72–71 in the first round – the second game of the tournament between No. 1 and No. 16 seeds decided by a single point. This was the first of four consecutive seasons where ETSU qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

The 1989–90 East Tennessee State Buccaneers basketball team represented East Tennessee State University during the 1989-90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Les Robinson. The Bucs finished the season 27–7 and 12–2 in Southern Conference play to finish in first place after the regular season. They won the Southern Conference tournament championship in Asheville to receive the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the Southeast region. They lost to No. 4 seed, and eventual Final Four participant, Georgia Tech, 99–83 in the first round.

Jason Shay is an American college basketball coach. He is currently an assistant coach at Wake Forest. Shay is a former men's college basketball head coach for the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. Prior to East Tennessee State, Shay held assistant coaching stints at University of North Dakota, Northwest Florida State College, University of Tennessee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Mercyhurst (Pa.) College. Throughout those stops, Shay had a streak of helping lead teams to nine consecutive postseason berths at the Division I level, including Tennessee's first-ever trip to the Elite Eight in 2010 and a Sweet 16 run at Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2005.

The 2024–25 East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball team represent East Tennessee State University in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Buccaneers, led by second-year head coach Brooks Savage, play their home games at the Freedom Hall Civic Center in Johnson City, Tennessee, as members of the Southern Conference.

References

  1. ↑ East Tennessee State University Brand Guidelines . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "SoCon Adds ETSU, Mercer and VMI - SoConSports.com—Official Web Site of The Southern Conference". Soconsports.com. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  3. ↑ "ETSUBucs.com". East Tennessee State University. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "ETSU to Discontinue Men's Indoor Track & Field" (Press release). ETSU Buccaneers. June 23, 2023. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Bucs head to Nashville for NCAA Regional". ETSUBucs.com. 2013-05-27. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  6. ↑ "EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY - MEN'S BASKETBALL - 2014-15 Quick Facts and Preseason Prospectus" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  7. ↑ "2014-15 ETSU Women's Basketball Quick Facts" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
  8. ↑ Brittney Ezell (2013-05-08). "Brittney Ezell - Women's Basketball Coaches - Official Site of East Tennessee State Athletics". Etsubucs.com. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  9. 1 2 "ETSU Football". Archived from the original on 2012-07-31.
  10. ↑ "Update: ETSU Student Government votes yes on football". Johnson City Press. 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  11. ↑ The Associated Press (2013-04-03). "Fulmer helping restart program at ETSU". NCAA.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  12. ↑ The Associated Press (2013-06-21). "East Tennessee State hires Torbush as coach to rebuild football program". NCAA.com. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  13. 1 2 "ETSU Men's Golf – Statistical leaders and records" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Bucky's Bio | Official Site of East Tennessee State Athletics".
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