The 2012 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Ruffin McNeill and played their home games at DowdyâÂÂFicklen Stadium.
They were a member of the East Division of Conference USA, and tied with Central Florida and Tulsa for best conference record, at 7-1. They finished the season with an invitation to the 2013 New Orleans Bowl, where they lost to Louisiana-Lafayette to finish the season with an overall 8-5 record.