Alabama A&M Bulldogs football

Rivalries

Alabama State

Main article: Magic City Classic

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.

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.

† Co-champions

Postseason

Bowl games

Alabama A&M participated in two NCAA College Division bowl games as members of the SIAC.

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.

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

Notable players

Players of the Year

Hall of Fame Inductees

Retired numbers

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
• Howard Ballard
• Kendrick Rogers

Notable coaches

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of January 23, 2026

References

References

1. (3 May 2021). "BOXTOROW {{!}} BOXTOROW Polls: Alabama A&M claims first ever HBCU national championship - BOXTOROW".
2. [http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2022/FCS.pdf Football records 2022]
3. (May 4, 2021). "Alabama A&M wins SWAC title, 40–33: Bulldogs rally to knock off Arkansas–Pine Bluff, claim final BCSP No. 1 spot". Black College Sports Page (vol. 27, no. 40).
4. "#SWAC100 Alumni Spotlight: Robert Mathis Alabama A&M - Southwestern Athletic Conference".
5. (10 January 2020). "Jordan Bentley & Abdul Fatai-Ibrahim receive top honors on Phil Steele's All-SWAC Team {{!}} rocketcitynow.com".
6. "ALABAMA A&M QB AQEEL GLASS WINS DEACON JONES TROPHY AS THE SPRING 2021 BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR {{!}} BCFHOF".
7. "Alabama A&M's Glass Garners Program's First Ever BoxToRow Player of the Year; Highlights Six All-Americans - Alabama A&M Athletics".
8. (30 April 2021). "Aqeel Glass Named SWAC Player Of The Year {{!}} WHNT.com".
9. "Aqeel Glass Won His 2nd Black College Football Player of the Year Award".
10. "Alabama A&M's Glass Becomes Just Third Individual to Repeat as BOXTOROW National Player of the Year - Alabama A&M Athletics".
11. "Glass Repeats As SWAC Offensive Player of the Year - Alabama A&M Athletics".
12. "Alabama A&M's Glass Headlines 10 Phil Steele All-SWAC Selections as Offensive Player of the Year - Alabama A&M Athletics".
13. "John Stallworth, Chairman".
14. McCarter, Mark. (March 4, 2012). "Robert Mathis has jersey retired at Alabama A&M".
15. "Alabama A&M Players/Alumni {{!}} Pro-Football-Reference.com".
16. "Future Alabama A&M Bulldogs Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com.