Southern Jaguars football
College football organization
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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.
1st season, 0–0 (–)
| Southern Jaguars football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| First season | 1916 | ||
| Athletic director | Roman Banks | ||
| Head coach | Marshall Faulk 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Location | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | ||
| Stadium | A. W. Mumford Stadium (capacity: 29,000) | ||
| Conference | SWAC | ||
| Division | West | ||
| Colors | Columbia blue and gold[1] | ||
| All-time record | 562–349–28 (.613) | ||
| Bowl record | 8–3 (.727) | ||
| Black college national championships | |||
| 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1960, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003 | |||
| Conference championships | |||
| SWAC: 1938, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1955, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1975, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2013 | |||
| Division championships | |||
| SWAC West: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024 | |||
| Rivalries | Grambling State (rivalry) Jackson State (rivalry) Texas Southern | ||
| Marching band | Human Jukebox | ||
| Website | gojagsports.com | ||

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
| Year | Coach | National championship selectors | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Year | Division | Coach | Opponent | CG result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.[2]
| Date | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
| Jan 1, 1942 | Flower | North Carolina A&T Aggies | L 12–14 |
| Dec 25, 1946 | Yam | Tuskegee Golden Tigers | W 64–7 |
| Dec 25, 1947 | Yam | Fort Valley State Wildcats | W 46–0 |
| Dec 5, 1948 | Fruit Bowl | San Francisco State Gators | W 30–0 |
| Dec 27, 1975 | Pelican Bowl | South Carolina State Bulldogs | W 15–12 |
| Jan 1, 1994 | Heritage Bowl | South Carolina State Bulldogs | W 11–0 |
| Dec 29, 1995 | Heritage Bowl | Florida A&M Rattlers | W 30–25 |
| Dec 31, 1996 | Heritage Bowl | Howard Bison | L 24–27 |
| Dec 27, 1997 | Heritage Bowl | South Carolina State Bulldogs | W 34–28 |
| Dec 26, 1998 | Heritage Bowl | Bethune-Cookman Wildcats | W 28–2 |
| Dec 18, 1999 | Heritage Bowl | Hampton Pirates | L 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,[3] including:
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of July 17, 2026[4]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| vs Alabama State Birmingham, AL |
at Nicholls | at LSU |
| Kentucky State | ||
| at Houston | ||
| Louisiana Christian |