Welcome to Stadium Spotlight, a series highlighting the venues that shape North Carolina’s college football landscape. From mountain valleys to city skylines, each stadium in the Old North State has its own story. Our next stop: nestled in the heart of eastern North Carolina, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is more than just the home of ECU football — it’s where purple pride meets pirate passion.
With a seating capacity of 51,000, Dowdy-Ficklen is the second-largest college football stadium in the state and a place where fans have been rocking the bleachers since 1963.
🏟️ Where They Play: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
Location: Greensville, NC
Home of: East Carolina Pirates
Capacity: 51,000
🎉 2025 Home Highlights
Dowdy-Ficklen always brings the energy, and the 2025 slate is loaded with must-see matchups:
- Sept. 6 vs. Campbell – Home opener in Greenville
- Sept. 20 vs. BYU – Family Day and Paint It Gold game; rematch from ECU’s 2022 road win in Provo
- Sept. 25 (Thurs) vs. Army – ESPN national TV game vs. the reigning AAC champs
- Oct. 16 (Thurs) vs. Tulsa – Night of the Boneyard blackout game under the lights
- Nov. 8 vs. Charlotte – Homecoming, Hall of Fame Day, Paint It Purple – a budding in-state rivalry
- Nov. 15 vs. Memphis – Senior Day sendoff at Bagwell Field
🏗️ A Stadium Built by Pirates, For Pirates
When Dr. Leo Jenkins announced plans for a new stadium in 1961, Pirate Nation rallied to raise the funds. On September 21, 1963, the facility, then known as James Skinner Ficklen Memorial Stadium, opened with a win over Wake Forest. Since then, it has grown from humble beginnings into one of the most formidable home fields in the American Athletic Conference and North Carolina college football.
Key milestones:
- 1963 – Original south stands built
- 1968 – North stands added, raising capacity to 20,000
- 1978 – Corner expansions lift capacity to 35,000
- 1994 – Ron and Mary Ellen Dowdy gift $1 million for ongoing expansion, and the venue is renamed Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
- 1998–2010 – Upper deck, club seats and east end zone project boost capacity to 50,000
- 2019 – Completion of TowneBank Tower adds premium seating, media space and club-level amenities
💡 Did You Know?
- Record Crowd: 51,711 fans packed Dowdy-Ficklen for ECU vs. NC State on Sept. 3, 2022
- First Game: ECU 20, Wake Forest 10 (1963)
- Playing Surface: Natural grass, officially named Bagwell Field in 1997
- Video Board: One of the 25 largest in college football (84’ x 28’)
- TowneBank Tower is home to club seating, luxury suites, and ECU’s press operations
🎉 Most Memorable Games at Dowdy-Ficklen
Dowdy-Ficklen has hosted its share of unforgettable moments. Here are some of the most iconic games ever played in Greenville (there are plenty more):
🔰 1991: ECU 31, South Carolina 20
After years of losses, ECU beat the Gamecocks for the first time — and never looked back during a legendary 11-win season.
🔰 1991: ECU 24, #23 Pittsburgh 23
A late-game 80-yard drive and 2-point conversion from Jeff Blake sealed the upset in front of a frenzied Ficklen crowd.
🔰 1999: ECU 23, NC State 6
In their first-ever visit to Ficklen, the Wolfpack were shut down by David Garrard and a fired-up ECU defense in front of 50,092.
🔰 2007: ECU 34, UNC 31
Ben Hartman redeemed himself with a 39-yard game-winner as time expired, snapping a long drought against the Tar Heels.
🔰 2008: ECU 24, #8 West Virginia 3
The highest-ranked team ever to fall in Greenville, the Mountaineers were stunned as ECU dominated from start to finish.
🔰 2009: ECU 38, #18 Houston 32 (C-USA Championship)
A cold, rainy day didn’t stop Pirate Nation from celebrating back-to-back conference titles as Van Eskridge sealed it with a pick of Case Keenum.
🔰 2010: ECU 33, NC State 27 (OT)
In Ruffin McNeill’s first season as coach, the Pirates outlasted Russell Wilson’s Wolfpack in overtime thanks to a Damon Magazu interception.
🔰 2012: ECU 65, Marshall 59 (2OT)
A Senior Night for the ages — Shane Carden led a dramatic comeback capped by a game-tying TD with 4 seconds left and a 2OT winner.
🔰 2014: ECU 70, UNC 41
No excuses this time. ECU dropped 789 yards of offense and a 70-burger on the Tar Heels in front of what was then the largest crowd in school history.
📍 Location & Legacy
📫 Address: 100 Ficklen Drive – Greenville, NC 27858
🌱 Surface: Natural Grass (Bagwell Field)
🎓 Other Use: Site of ECU’s Spring Commencement
From the goalposts that came down in ’91 to night games that shake the town, Dowdy-Ficklen is where memories are made and Pirate flags fly high.
🔮 Looking Ahead
With nationally televised matchups and rivalry games on deck in 2025, Pirate fans will have plenty of chances to make more magic in the Boneyard.
Will you be there when the next great moment happens at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium?
SOURCES: ECU athletics, 247Sports (Hoist the Colours)
Read more of our Stadium Spotlight series
🏟️ Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium | Cullowhee: Explore the picturesque FCS football home of Western Carolina football
🏟️ Garrison Stadium | Murfreesboro: Home of the Chowan Hawks for more than a half century
🏟️ Truist Stadium | Greensboro: The largest FCS venue in North Carolina and home to NC A&T football – multi-year HBCU national champions
