| Year: | 1940 |
| Team: | East Carolina Pirates |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Independent |
| Record: | 5–3 |
| Head Coach: | John Christenbury |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Stadium: | Guy Smith Stadium |
The 1940 East Carolina Pirates football team was an American football team that represented East Carolina Teachers College (now known as East Carolina University) as an independent during the 1940 college football season. In their first season under head coach John Christenbury, the team compiled a 5–3 record.
East Carolina was ranked at No. 497 (out of 697 college football teams) in the final rankings under the Litkenhous Difference by Score system for 1940.[1]