The Southern Jaguars are the college football team representing Southern University. The Jaguars play at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Jaguars started collegiate football in 1916, and played in the Gulf Coast Athletic Association before joining the SWAC in 1934.

Every late November they play their last regular season game against in-state rival Grambling in the Bayou Classic in New Orleans, Louisiana. Another notable football rivalry, dubbed the "BoomBox Classic", is played against Jackson State yearly.

History Classifications 1962–1972: NCAA College Division 1973–1976: NCAA Division II 1977: NCAA Division I 1978–present: NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

Conference memberships 1916–?: Independent ?–1933: Gulf Coast Athletic Association 1934–present: Southwestern Athletic Conference

Championships

Black college football national championships

1948 Ace Mumford Associated Negro Press, Baltimore Afro-American, Pittsburgh Courier 12–0 1949 Associated Negro Press, Pittsburgh Courier 10–0–1 1950 Associated Negro Press, Pittsburgh Courier 10–0–1 1954 Atlanta Daily World, Pittsburgh Courier 10–1 1960 Atlanta Daily World, Associated Negro Press, Pittsburgh Courier 9–1 1993 Pete Richardson American Sports Wire, Black College Sports Report 11–1 1995 Atlanta Daily World, American Sports Wire, American Urban Radio Networks 11–1 1997 Atlanta Daily World, American Sports Wire 11–1 2003 Atlanta Daily World, American Sports Wire, American Urban Radio Networks, Black College Sports Page, Dr. Cavil's Classic Cuts–Major Division Poll 12–1

Conference championships Southern has won 19 conference championships, with all of them coming in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, 12 outright and 7 shared.

1938† Southwestern Athletic Conference Ace Mumford 7–1–1 4–1–1 1940† 8–1 5–1 1946 9–2–1 5–1 1947 10–2 7–0 1948 12–0 7–0 1949† 10–0–1 6–0–1 1950 10–0–1 7–0 1955 7–2–1 6–1 1959 8–2 7–0 1960† 9–1 6–1 1966† Robert E. Smith 7–2–1 5–1–1 1975† Charles Bates 9–3 4–2 1993 Pete Richardson 11–1 7–0 1997 11–1 6–1 1998 11–1 8–0 1999 11–2 4–0 2003 12–1 6–1 2013 Dawson Odums 9–4 7–2 Conference Championships: 19 † Co-champions

Division championships 2000 SWAC West Pete Richardson Jackson State W 31–30 2003† Alabama State W 20–9 2004 Alabama State L 35–40 2013 Dawson Odums Jackson State W 34–27 2014 Alcorn State L 24–38 2018 Alcorn State L 28–37 2019 Alcorn State L 24–39 2022† Eric Dooley Jackson State L 24–43 2024 Terrence Graves Jackson State L 13–41 Division Championships 9 † Co-champions

Postseason Southern has appeared in eleven bowl games. The Jaguars have a record of 8–3.College Football Reference DateBowlOpponentResultJan 1, 1942FlowerNorth Carolina A&T AggiesL 12–14Dec 25, 1946YamTuskegee Golden TigersW 64–7Dec 25, 1947YamFort Valley State WildcatsW 46–0 Dec 5, 1948Fruit BowlSan Francisco State GatorsW 30–0Dec 27, 1975Pelican BowlSouth Carolina State BulldogsW 15–12Jan 1, 1994Heritage BowlSouth Carolina State BulldogsW 11–0Dec 29, 1995Heritage BowlFlorida A&M RattlersW 30–25 Dec 31, 1996Heritage BowlHoward BisonL 24–27 Dec 27, 1997Heritage BowlSouth Carolina State BulldogsW 34–28 Dec 26, 1998Heritage BowlBethune-Cookman WildcatsW 28–2 Dec 18, 1999Heritage BowlHampton PiratesL 3–24

College Football Hall of Fame members Marino Casem (head coach; 1987–1988, 1992) Ace Mumford (head coach; 1936–1961)

Alumni in the NFL Southern has three alumni that has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mel Blount, Class of 1989 Aeneas Williams, Class of 2014 Harold Carmichael, Class of 2020 Over 70 Southern alumni have played in the NFL,Pro Football Reference including: RaShaun Allen Perry Brooks Matthew Dorsett Jubilee Dunbar George Farmer Alvin Haymond Maurice Hurst Rich Jackson Ray Jones Tyrone Jones Gerald Perry Rufus Porter Isiah Robertson Godwin Turk Ralph Williams Gillis Wilson Jerry Wilson Danny Johnson Kendel Shello

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of July 17, 2026 vs Alabama StateBirmingham, AL at Nicholls at LSU Kentucky State at Houston Louisiana Christian

See also List of black college football classics List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs

References

External links