East Tennessee State
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The East Tennessee State University, or "ETSU", Buccaneers compete as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference in NCAA Division I basketball. The school ceased sponsoring football in 2004; re-instatement is a possibility if funding is found, but in 2007 the students defeated a referendum which would have increased athletic fees to support such a move. East Tennessee State is a public institution located in Johnson City, Tennessee, in the far eastern end of the state. The school has an undergraduate enrollment of around 10,000.
The campus is located on the south side of Johnson City, along US 321, which makes a 90-degree turn at one corner of the grounds; coming from the southeast (from I-26 exit 24) as University Parkway, US 321 turns left onto State of Franklin Road. The Mini-Dome is at the corner of State of Franklin Road and John Roberts Bell Drive, a quarter-mile west of the turn.
ETSU's main rivals are from their days in the SoCon: Appalachian State, Davidson, and Tennessee-Chattanooga. A rivalry is brewing with Belmont over basketball, however.
Thirteen Bucs have moved on to the NFL, including Pro Bowl DB Donnie Abraham and RB Earl Ferrell. Tommy Woods, Skeeter Swift, and Keith Jennings are the three ETSU alumni who have seen action in the NBA or ABA.
Contents
Conference Affiliations
Football
| no team | 2004-present | |
| Southern Conference | NCAA I FCS | 1979-2003 |
| Ohio Valley Conference | NCAA I FCS | 1978 |
| Ohio Valley Conference | NCAA II | 1973-1977 |
| Ohio Valley Conference | NCAA College Division | 1958-1972 |
| Volunteer State Athletic Conference | NCAA College Division | 1957 |
| Volunteer State Athletic Conference | NAIA | 1952-1956 |
| Volunteer State Athletic Conference | Independent | 1949-1957† |
| Smoky Mountain Conference | Independent | 1930-1951† |
| Unaffiliated Independents | Independent | 1920-1929 |
Basketball
| Atlantic Sun Conference | NCAA I | 2005-present |
| Southern Conference | NCAA I | 1979-2005 |
| NCAA Division I Independents | NCAA I | 1978-1979 |
| Ohio Valley Conference | NCAA I | 1973-1978 |
| Ohio Valley Conference | NCAA University | 1958-1973 |
| Volunteer State Athletic Conference | NAIA | 1947-1958 |
| Smoky Mountain Conference | NAIA | 1936-1947 |
| Smoky Mountain Conference | Independent | 1930-1936 |
| Unaffiliated Independents | Independent | 1919-1930 |
Post-Season Appearances
Football
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Note: Years for bowl games indicate the fall season preceding the game itself. Further, unless impossible to avoid, corporate sponsorship is ignored. Please see Bowl Alert for details. |
| NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs | 1996 |
| Grantland Rice Bowl | 1969 |
| Burley Bowl | 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956 |
Basketball
Championships
Football
| Ohio Valley Conference Champions | 1962, 1969 |
| Volunteer State Athletic Conference Champions | 1954 |
| Smoky Mountain Conference Champions | 1938, 1948 |
Basketball
| Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Champions | 2009 |
| Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Champions | 2007 |
| Southern Conference Tournament Champions | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2004 |
| Southern Conference Regular Season Champions | 1990, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2002, 2004 |
| Southern Conference North Division Regular Season Champions | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 |
| Ohio Valley Conference Regular Season Champions | 1968, 1978 |
| NAIA District 27 Champions | 1953, 1954, 1956 |
| Volunteer State Athletic Conference Tournament Champions | 1953, 1954, 1956 |
| Volunteer State Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions | 1950, 1953, 1954, 1956 |
| Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament Champions† | 1951, 1952 |
| Smoky Mountain Conference Regular Season Champions† | 1949, 1950, 1952 |
† - data missing for 1930-1946, so ETSU may have won more championships than noted here.
National Individual Awards
Football
| NCAA Division I FCS First-Team All-Americans | 1968: Ron Overbay (DB) 1970: William Casey (DB) 1985: George Cimadevilla (P) 1986: George Cimadevilla (P) 1994: Jeff Johnson (WR) 1996: James Russell (DL) 1997: B.J. Adigun (WR) 1997: Mario Hankerson (LB) 2003: Brandon Calton (DL) |
| NCAA Division II First-Team All-Americans | 1953: Hal Morrison (E) |
| NAIA Division I First-Team All-Americans | 1954: Buddy Saulsbury (B) |
Basketball
| Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award | 1991: Keith Jennings (G) |
External Links
East Tennessee State University Athletics
| Atlantic Sun Conference | edit |
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| NCAA Division I (non-football) | |
| Florida Gulf Coast • Jacksonville • Kennesaw State • Lipscomb • New Jersey Tech • North Florida • South Carolina-Upstate • Stetson |
