# Southern Jaguars football

The Southern Jaguars are the college football team representing Southern University. The Jaguars play in NCAA Division I Football Championship as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Jaguars started collegiate football in 1916, and played in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference 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 rivalry, dubbed the "Boombox Classic," is played between Jackson State and Southern yearly.

## History
### Classifications

* 1952–1972: NCAA College Division
* 1973–1976: NCAA Division II
* 1977: NCAA Division I
* 1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

### Conference memberships

* 1916–1933: Independent
* 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 | Ace Mumford | Associated Negro Press, Pittsburgh Courier | 10–0–1 |
| 1950 | Ace Mumford | Associated Negro Press, Pittsburgh Courier | 10–0–1 |
| 1954 | Ace Mumford | Atlanta Daily World, Pittsburgh Courier | 10–1 |
| 1960 | Ace Mumford | Atlanta Daily World, Associated Negro Press, Pittsburgh Courier | 9–1 |
| 1993 | Pete Richardson | American Sports Wire, Black College Sports Report | 11–1 |
| 1995 | Pete Richardson | Atlanta Daily World, American Sports Wire, American Urban Radio Networks | 11–1 |
| 1997 | Pete Richardson | Atlanta Daily World, American Sports Wire | 11–1 |
| 2003 | Pete Richardson | 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 |
| 1937† | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 4–4–1 | – |
| 1938† | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 7–1–1 | 4–1–1 |
| 1940† | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 8–1 | 5–1 |
| 1946 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 9–2–1 | 6–0 |
| 1947 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 10–2 | 7–0 |
| 1948 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 12–0 | 7–0 |
| 1949† | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 10–0–1 | 6–0–1 |
| 1950 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 10–0–1 | 7–0 |
| 1955 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 7–2–1 | 6–1 |
| 1959 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 8–2 | 7–0 |
| 1960† | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Ace Mumford | 9–1 | 6–1 |
| 1966† | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Robert E. Smith | 7–2–1 | 5–1–1 |
| 1975† | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Charles Bates | 9–3 | 4–2 |
| 1993 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Pete Richardson | 11–1 | 7–0 |
| 1997 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Pete Richardson | 11–1 | 6–1 |
| 1998 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Pete Richardson | 11–1 | 8–0 |
| 1999 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Pete Richardson | 11–2 | 4–0 |
| 2003 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Pete Richardson | 12–1 | 6–1 |
| 2013 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Dawson Odums | 9–4 | 7–2 |
| Conference Championships: | Conference Championships: | Conference Championships: | 19 | 19 |
† Co-champions

### Division championships

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

## Postseason

Southern has appeared in eleven bowl games. The Jaguars have a record of 8–3.
| 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, 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 February 27, 2025
| 2025 | 2027 |
| vs NC Central (Atlanta, GA) MEAC/SWAC Challenge | at Nicholls |
| at Mississippi Valley State | |
| Alabama State | |
| at Fresno State | |