The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (/ˈʃɒntɪklɪər/, SHON-ti-klirr) are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference in most sports, having joined that conference as a full but non-football member on July 1, 2016. At that time, the football team began a transition from the second-level Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The team played the 2016 season as an FCS independent, joined Sun Belt football for the 2017 season, and became full FBS members for 2018 and beyond. A Chanticleer is a proud and fierce rooster. Prior to joining the Sun Belt, the Chanticleers had been members of the Big South Conference since that league's formati