The 2016 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Scottie Montgomery and played their home games at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium. This was East Carolina's third season as members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 3–9, 1–7 in American Athletic play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place in the East Division.
Note: ‡ The game vs. Navy was originally scheduled for October 13 (Thursday) but was postponed due to flooding from Hurricane Matthew; it was rescheduled to Saturday, November 19.
This game was notable for about a score of the band members taking a knee during the national anthem. It received widespread coverage, including on CNN, Fox News, and NBC.