Just two days after East Tennessee State lost to 27-3 to North Dakota State and was eliminated from the FCS playoffs, Buccaneers head coach Randy Sanders has announced that he will retire.
Sanders, 56, led ETSU to a share of the SoCon title in 2018 and won it outright this past season. The Bucs have qualified for the postseason twice under Sanders and earned their first ever seed this year. ETSU advanced to the quarterfinals thanks to an incredible comeback win over Kennesaw State in the second round. That was the program's first postseason win since 1996.
The Buccaneers also notably bested Vanderbilt in their season opener this year, their second ever win over a P5 opponent, and strung together a 11-2 record, the winningest season in program history.