# Alabama A&M Bulldogs football

The Alabama A&M Bulldogs are the college football team representing the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. They play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

## Rivalries
### Alabama State

The Alabama State Hornets are A&M's arch-rival as the teams play annually in the Magic City Classic on the last Saturday in October at Birmingham's Historic Legion Field. A&M and State first played each other in 1924, though the annual classic began November 9, 1940 in Birmingham. The game has grown at Legion Field, a neutral site roughly halfway between the two campuses. The schools competed from 1947 to 1975 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The rivalry has intensified since A&M joined State as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 1999, with the two teams regularly in contention for the Eastern Division Crown. A&M leads the overall series 44–40–3 and holds a 44–34–3 edge over State in Birmingham. A&M holds a 16–7 advantage as SWAC opponents, with one of State's wins vacated due to NCAA violations. State won the first eight contests, holding the longest streak in the series. A&M longest win streak is seven from 1960 to 1966 coinciding with the arrival of Coach Louis Crews.

### Tuskegee

A&M's other in-state rivalry is with the Tuskegee Golden Tigers. The Bulldogs and Tigers began their series in 1932 and would not meet on the gridiron for another 20 years. They played annually from 1963 to 1999 including 35 years as conference rivals in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The series was discontinued in 2000 as A&M moved up to Division I after joining the SWAC in 1998. A&M and Tuskegee played a two-game set from 2008 to 2009, and renewed their rivalry again from 2011 to 2014. The two teams last met in Mobile for the 2021 Gulf Coast Challenge, with A&M leading the series 29–20–3.

## Championships
### National championships

In 2020–21, A&M was voted consensus black college football national championship as the only undefeated HBCU football team in the country. The Bulldogs were voted #1 in both BOXTOROW HBCU Coaches and Media Polls as well as the historic SBN (Sheridan Broadcasting Network) Sports Poll. This is the A&M's first national championship and the third for Coach Maynor, who was voted #1 by SBN in 2011 at Winston-Salem State.
| Year | Coach | National Championship Selectors | Record |
| 2020 | Connell Maynor | SBN Sports Poll, BOXTOROW Coaches Poll, BOXTOROW Media Poll, Black College Sports Page | 5–0 |

### Conference championships

A&M has won or shared a total of 14 league titles in football including two undefeated seasons. The Bulldogs have won two Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championships, after claiming 12 conference crowns as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) from 1947 to 1997.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
| 1962 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Louis Crews | 8–2 | 6–0 |
| 1963 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Louis Crews | 8–0 | 7–0 |
| 1966 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Louis Crews | 8–1 | 6–0 |
| 1971† | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Louis Crews | 5–6 | 4–3 |
| 1972† | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Louis Crews | 7–1–1 | 6–0–1 |
| 1979 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Ray Greene | 8–3 | 4–0 |
| 1981 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Ray Greene | 8–2 | 4–1 |
| 1987† | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Ray Greene | 7–4 | 6–1 |
| 1988† | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Ray Greene | 7–3 | 6–1 |
| 1989 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | George Pugh | 8–4 | 6–0 |
| 1990 | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | George Pugh | 6–5 | 6–1 |
| 1991† | Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Ray Bonner | 5–6 | 5–2 |
| 2006 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Anthony Jones | 9–3 | 6–3 |
| 2020 | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Connell Maynor | 5–0 | 3–0 |
| Conference Championships: | Conference Championships: | Conference Championships: | 14 | 14 |
† Co-champions

## Postseason
### Bowl games

Alabama A&M participated in two NCAA College Division bowl games as members of the SIAC.
| Season | Coach | Bowl Game | Opponent | Result | Location |
| 1966 | Louis Crews | Orange Blossom Classic | Florida A&M | L 26–43 | Miami, FL |
| 1971 | Louis Crews | Azalea Classic | Jackson State | L 21–40 | Mobile, AL |

### Playoffs

A&M has participated in the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs twice, with a 1–2 record in three games. Each loss came against the eventual national runner-up.
| Season | Coach | Playoff Round | Opponent | Result | Location |
| 1979 | Ray Greene | D-II First Round | Morgan State | W 27–7 | Huntsville, AL |
| 1979 | Ray Greene | D-II Semifinals | Youngstown State | L 52–0 | Youngstown, OH |
| 1989 | George Pugh | D-II First Round | Jacksonville State | L 33–9 | Jacksonville, AL |

### SWAC Championship Game

The Bulldogs have represented the SWAC East in seven conference championship games, the most of any team in the division. Both wins have come against
| Season | Division | Coach | Record | Result | Attendance |
| 2000 | SWAC East | Ron Cooper | 7–5 (5–2) | L 14–6 Grambling State | 34,687 |
| 2002 | SWAC East | Anthony Jones | 8–4 (6–1) | L 31–19 Grambling State | 23,727 |
| 2005 | SWAC East | Anthony Jones | 9–3 (7–2) | L 45–6 Grambling State | 20,612 |
| 2006 | SWAC East | Anthony Jones | 9–3 (6–3) | W 22–13 Arkansas-Pine-Bluff | 30,213 |
| 2009 | SWAC East | Anthony Jones | 7–5 (4–3) | L 30–24 Prairie View A&M | 20,218 |
| 2011 | SWAC East | Anthony Jones | 8–4 (7–2) | L 16–15 Grambling State | 23,476 |
| 2020 | SWAC East | Connell Maynor | 5–0 (3–0) | W 40–33 Arkansas Pine-Bluff | 17,248 |

## Notable players
### Players of the Year

| Award | Player | Position | Statistics |
| 2002 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year | Robert Mathis | DE | 58 TAC, 20 SAC, 32 TFL, 10 FF, 1 FUM RET TD |
| 2019 Phil Steele's SWAC Offensive Player of the Year | Jordan Bentley | RB | 272 ATT, 1417 YDS, 5.2 AVG, 18 TD, 2 REC TD |
| 2020 Black College Football Player of the Year 2020 BOXTOROW HBCU National Player of the Year 2020 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year | Aqeel Glass | QB | 57.6% CMP, 1355 YDS, 16 TD, 4 INT, 158.0 RTG |
| 2021 Black College Football Player of the Year 2021 BOXTOROW HBCU National Player of the Year 2021 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year 2021 Phil Steele's SWAC Offensive Player of the Year | Aqeel Glass | QB | 62.6% CMP, 3568 YDS, 36 TD, 7 INT, 160.8 RTG |

### Hall of Fame Inductees

| Player | Position | Tenure | Hall of Fame | Inducted |
| John Stallworth | WR | 1971–1974 | Pro Football | 2002 |
| John Stallworth | WR | 1971–1974 | Black College | 2014 |
| Barry Wagner | WR/DB | 1986–1989 | Arena Football | 2011 |
| Robert Mathis | DE | 1999–2002 | Black College | 2020 |

### Retired numbers

Alabama A&M Bulldogs retired numbers :
| No. | Player | Pos. | Tenure | Year retired | Ref. |
| 22 | John Stallworth | WR | 1971–1974 | 1974 | |
| 55 | Robert Mathis | DE | 1999–2002 | 2012 | |

### Alumni in the NFL

Over 15 Alabama A&M alumni have played in the NFL, including:
* John Stallworth
* Robert Mathis
* Frank Kearse
* Ronnie Coleman
* Joe Patton
* Barry Wagner
* Mike Hegman
* Oliver Ross
* Mike Williams
* Johnny Baldwin
* Jamaal Johnson-Webb
* Anthony Lanier
* Tank Dell
* Kendrick Rogers

## Notable coaches

| Coach | Seasons | Games | Record | Win % | Notes |
| George H. Hobson | 1942–1959 | 137 | 45–81–11 | .371 | First A&M coach to win Magic City Classic |
| Louis Crews | 1960–1975 | 150 | 94–53–3 | .637 | All-time leader in wins and games coached |
| Ray Greene | 1979–1983, 1986–1988 | 85 | 54–27–4 | .659 | All-time leader in winning percentage |
| Ron Cooper | 1998–2001 | 45 | 23–22 | .511 | Transitioned program to Division I |
| Anthony Jones | 2002–2013 | 140 | 83–57 | .593 | All-time leader in Division I wins and SWAC wins Won A&M's First SWAC Conference Championship |
| Connell Maynor | 2018–2024 | 72 | 40-32 | .554 | Won A&M's First Black College National Championship |

## Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of March 1, 2025
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
| at Arkansas | vs Howard (Atlanta, GA) MEAC/SWAC Challenge | at Tennessee State | Tennessee State |
| Alcorn State | at UAB | | |
| at Tennessee State | Tennessee State | | |
| Lane College | | | |