When it comes to bowl games in the history of East Carolina football, many would agree that a 37-34 Peach Bowl win over N.C. State to cap an 11-1 season for the Pirates in 1991 would be at the top of the list.

The epic triumph for the Pirates took place on Jan. 1, 1992, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium before a crowd of 59, 332. It was the last football game played at the former home of the Atlanta Braves.

The teams had not played since 1987 when fans were involved in physical violence on the field after a 32-14 ECU win in Raleigh. Issues developed when the goal posts were taken down by Pirate supporters. The series had been played annually in the capital city since 1970.

ECU rallied after trailing, 34-17, with under nine minutes left. The Pirates responded to chants of “We believe” from the ECU faithful in a comeback that culminated with a 22-yard scoring pass from Jeff Blake to Luke Fisher with 1:32 remaining.

“When we were behind 17 points. you couldn’t help but hear the people dressed in purple chanting that they believe,” said ECU coach Bill Lewis. “We’ve added a special meaning to ‘We believe.’ … We truly captured the spirit of that.”

State moved into position for a tying 49-yard field goal attempt as time expired, but it was no good.

The Pirates (7-5) and Wolfpack (6-6) will meet in the postseason for the second time in the Military Bowl in Annapolis on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 5:45 p.m. (ESPN). It will be interesting to see how that contest develops and where it will rank in ECU’s bowl history.

A win would even ECU’s all-time bowl record at 11-11.

Both teams have experienced players leaving their programs for the transfer portal, which has become an increasingly significant factor in postseason rosters.

Ranking the bowls

Wins are the biggest qualifier in terms of the degree to which bowl memories are cherished and the bigger the bowl, the higher the rating. Other factors play in as well such as the dramatic circumstances of the matchup and the impact of the outcome.

Here are the rankings for ECU’s bowl games over the years, from best to worst.

1. Peach Bowl (1991 season), ECU’s 11th straight win resulted in a No. 9 national ranking.

2. Hawaii Bowl (2007), Ben Hartman’s 34-yard field goal concluded a 41-38 win over Boise State.

3.  Liberty Bowl (1995), A second straight postseason trip to Memphis produced a 19-13 win over Stanford.

4. Birmingham Bowl (2022), A winning end to Holton Ahlers’ extended career at quarterback with a 53-29 victory over Coastal Carolina.

5. Beef O’Brady’s Bowl (2013), A 37-20 win over Ohio in St. Pete as Shane Carden operated Lincoln Riley’s offense for 568 yards with a receiving touchdown.

6. galleryfurniture.com Bowl (2000), David Garrard and Kliff Kingsbury in the quarterback battle with ECU winning, 40-27, in the Astrodome in Houston.

7. Independence Bowl (1978), A 35-13 win over Louisiana Tech in Shreveport, under Coach Pat Dye, legitimized ECU’s move to the major college ranks.

8. Tangerine Bowl (1965), The Pirates got their only postseason shutout, 31-0, over Maine.

9. Tangerine Bowl (1964), Bill Cline, tailback in Clarence Stasavich’s single wing, ran for a 9-yard touchdown and threw to Pete Crane for a 2-point conversion in a 14-13 win over Massachusetts in Orlando.

10. Eastern Bowl (1963), The Pirates notched their first bowl win, 27-6, over Northeastern in Allentown, PA.

11.  Elks Bowl (1953 season), At least the Pirates didn’t have a long ride home after a 12-0 loss to Morris-Harvey in Greenville.

12. Lions Bowl (1952), The first bowl game for East Carolina was a 13-6 loss to Clarion in Salisbury.

13. GMAC Bowl (1999), ECU lost, 64-61, in double overtime in Mobile after leading 38-8 at the half in a quarterback matchup between Garrard and Byron Leftwich.

14.  Liberty Bowl (2009 season), Arkansas edged the Conference USA champion Pirates, 20-17, in overtime.

15. Liberty Bowl (2008 season), ECU was topped, 25-19, by Kentucky after winning its first C-USA title.

16. Birmingham Bowl (2015), Carden’s career closed with a 28-20 loss to Florida despite his 427 passing yards.

17. Papajohns.com Bowl (2005), The first bowl game under Skip Holtz resulted in a 24-7 loss to South Florida in Birmingham.

18, Mobile Bowl (1999), No prolific ending for an exceptional season as LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns for Texas Christian in a 28-14 triumph.

19, New Orleans Bowl (2012), ECU was defeated, 43-34, by Louisiana-Lafayette in the SuperDome.

20. Military Bowl (2010), Maryland was a 51-20 winner in Washington, D.C.

21. Liberty Bowl (1994), Illinois dealt the Pirates a 30-0 defeat.

22. Military Bowl (2021), Boston College didn’t play because of COVID.