| Jacksonville State Gamecocks football | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
 | |||||||
| First season | 1904; 121 years ago | ||||||
| Athletic director | Greg Seitz | ||||||
| Head coach | Charles Kelly 1st season, 5–3 (.625) | ||||||
| Stadium | AmFirst Stadium (capacity: 22,500) | ||||||
| Location | Jacksonville, Alabama | ||||||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||||||
| Conference | Conference USA | ||||||
| All-time record | 627–424–39[1] (.593) | ||||||
| Bowl record | 1–1 (.500) | ||||||
| Claimed national titles | |||||||
| Div. II:1992 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Rivalries | Troy (rivalry) Sam Houston | ||||||
| Colors | Red and white[2] | ||||||
| Marching band | Marching Southerners | ||||||
| Website | JaxStateSports.com | ||||||
TheJacksonville State Gamecocks football program is the intercollegiateAmerican football team forJacksonville State University (JSU) located in the U.S. state ofAlabama. The team competes in theNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of theConference USA. Jacksonville State's first football team was fielded in 1904. The team plays its home games at the 24,000-seatAmFirst Stadium inJacksonville, Alabama.[3]
On November 5, 2021, the university accepted an invitation to joinConference USA (C-USA) of theNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) beginning with the 2023 season.[4]
Jacksonville State University's first football team, the Eagle Owls, was formed in the late 19th century. During the first half century of play,Troy University andSamford University became their rivals. Before the start of the 1947 season, not only did the team change their colors from blue and gold to red and white, but their nickname changed to the Fighting Gamecocks.
Jacksonville State joined theNCAA in 1973, and played at theNCAA Division II level from 1973 to 1994. In 1995, the team moved up to theNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and competed in theSouthland Conference from 1996 to 2002 before moving to theOhio Valley Conference from 2003 to 2020.Jacksonville State University planned to leave theOhio Valley Conference for theASUN Conference in July 2021, with the team temporarily competing in theWestern Athletic Conference (WAC)'s "ASUN–WAC Challenge" partnership league.[5] However, a few months later on November 5, 2021, the school accepted an invitation to joinFBSConference USA (C-USA) beginning with the 2023 season.[4]
Jacksonville State has made four appearances in theNCAA Division II national championship game. The Gamecocks were defeated in their first three championship game appearances, losing 33–0 toLehigh in 1977, 3–0 toMississippi College in 1989 (later vacated), and 23–6 toPittsburg State in 1991. In 1992, the Gamecocks defeatedPittsburg State 17–13, reversing the results in a rematch of their 1991 championship game.
| Season | Coach | Selector | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Bill Burgess | NCAA Division II | 12–1–1 |
Jacksonville State has won 25 conference championships, 18 outright and four shared.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962† | Alabama Collegiate Conference | Don Salls | 4–3–2 | 3–0–1 |
| 1963† | 4–4–1 | 3–0–1 | ||
| 1964 | 4–4–1 | 3–0 | ||
| 1965 | Jim Blevins | 7–2 | 3–0 | |
| 1966 | 8–2 | 3–0 | ||
| 1970 | Mid-South Conference | Charley Pell | 10–0 | 5–0 |
| 1974 | Gulf South Conference | Clarkie Mayfield | 7–4 | 7–1 |
| 1977 | Jim Fuller | 11–3 | 7–1 | |
| 1978 | 7–3 | 6–1 | ||
| 1981 | 8–3 | 6–0 | ||
| 1982 | 10–2 | 7–0 | ||
| 1988† | Bill Burgess | 10–2 | 7–1 | |
| 1989 | 13–1 | 8–0 | ||
| 1991 | 12–1 | 6–0 | ||
| 1992 | 12–1–1 | 5–0–1 | ||
| 2003 | Ohio Valley Conference | Jack Crowe | 8–4 | 7–1 |
| 2004 | 9–2 | 7–1 | ||
| 2011† | 7–4 | 6–2 | ||
| 2014 | John Grass | 10–2 | 8–0 | |
| 2015 | 13–2 | 8–0 | ||
| 2016 | 10–2 | 7–0 | ||
| 2017 | 10–2 | 8–0 | ||
| 2018 | 9–4 | 7–1 | ||
| 2020 | 10–3 | 6–1 | ||
| 2022 | ASUN Conference | Rich Rodriguez | 9–2 | 5–0 |
| 2024 | Conference USA | 9-4 | 7-1 |
† Co-championship
Jacksonville State has participated in ten bowl games, and has a record of 7–3. However, most of them are not Division I bowl games.[6] Consequently, after joiningDivision I FBS, they participated in two bowl games, and have a record of 1–1.
| Season | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Don Salls | Paper Bowl† | Troy | W 19–0 |
| 1949 | Paper Bowl† | West Alabama | W 12–7 | |
| 1950 | Paper Bowl† | Pensacola Naval Alumni | L 6–7 | |
| 1955 | Refrigerator Bowl† | Rhode Island | W 12–10 | |
| 1966 | Jim Blevins | Space City Classic† | Arkansas–Monticello | W 41–30 |
| 1970 | Charley Pell | Orange Blossom Classic† | Florida A&M | W 21–7 |
| 1977 | Jim Fuller | Grantland Rice Bowl† | North Dakota State | W 31–7 |
| Jim Fuller | Pioneer Bowl† | Lehigh | L 0–33 | |
| 2023 | Rich Rodriguez | New Orleans Bowl | Louisiana | W 34–31OT |
| 2024 | Rod Smith | Cure Bowl | Ohio | L 27–30 |
† non-Division I bowl game
The Gamecocks have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs ten times, with an overall record of 7–10.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | First round | Western Kentucky | L 7–45 |
| 2004 | First round | Furman | L 7–49 |
| 2010 | Second round | Wofford | L 14–17 |
| 2013 | First round Second round Quarterfinals | Samford McNeese State Eastern Washington | W 55–14 W 31–10 L 24–35 |
| 2014 | Second round | Sam Houston State | L 26–37 |
| 2015 | Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals National championship game | Chattanooga Charleston Southern Sam Houston State North Dakota State | W 41–35OT W 58–38 W 62–10 L 10–37 |
| 2016 | Second round | Youngstown State | L 24–40 |
| 2017 | Second round | Kennesaw State | L 7–17 |
| 2018 | First round Second round | East Tennessee State Maine | W 34–27 L 27–55 |
| 2020 | First round Quarterfinals | Davidson Delaware | W 49–14 L 14–20 |
The Gamecocks have appeared in the Division II playoffs ten times, with an overall record of 15–9. They were national champions in 1992.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Quarterfinals Semifinals National championship game | Northern Arizona North Dakota State Lehigh | W 35–0 W 31–7 L 0–33 |
| 1978 | Quarterfinals | Delaware | L 21–42 |
| 1980 | Quarterfinals | Cal Poly–SLO | L 0–15 |
| 1981 | Quarterfinals | Southwest Texas State | L 22–38 |
| 1982 | Quarterfinals Semifinals | Northwest Missouri State Southwest Texas State | W 34–21 L 14–19 |
| 1988 | First round Quarterfinals | West Chester Portland State | W 63–24 L 13–20 |
| 1989 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals National championship game | Alabama A&M North Dakota State Angelo State Mississippi College | W 33–9 W 21–17 W 34–16 L 0–3 |
| 1990 | First round Quarterfinals | North Alabama Mississippi College | W 38–14 L 7–14 |
| 1991 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals National championship game | Winston-Salem State Mississippi College Indiana (PA) Pittsburg State | W 49–24 W 35–7 W 27–20 L 6–23 |
| 1992 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals National championship game | Savannah State North Alabama New Haven Pittsburg State | W 41–16 W 14–12 W 46–35 W 17–13 |
This unnamed rivalry started in 1904,[7] when Jacksonville wore blue and gold as the Eagle Owls andSamford University was still named Howard College. Jacksonville State leads the series 23–21–2.[citation needed][when?]
Jacksonville State used to playTroy in the annualBattle for the Ol' School Bell. The schools first played in 1924, and this was one of the fiercest rivalries for both schools. The game has not been played since 2001, after Troy moved up to theFBS. Jacksonville State leads the series 32–29–2.[citation needed][when?]
Notable alumni include:
Future non-conference opponents announced as of August 26, 2025.[8]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| atUCF | Eastern Kentucky | atUAB | UAB | atOle Miss | ||
| atGeorgia Southern | Georgia Southern | atBuffalo | Buffalo | |||
| Murray State | atAuburn | |||||
| atSouthern Miss |
