Jacksonville State Gamecocks football

History

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 and Samford 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 the NCAA in 1973, and played at the NCAA Division II level from 1973 to 1994. In 1995, the team moved up to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and competed in the Southland Conference from 1996 to 2002 before moving to the Ohio Valley Conference from 2003 to 2020. Jacksonville State University planned to leave the Ohio Valley Conference for the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) in July 2021, with the team temporarily competing in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC)'s "ASUN–WAC Challenge" partnership league.

A few months later on November 5, 2021, the school accepted an invitation to join Conference USA beginning with the 2023 season, moving to Division I FBS in the process.

Classifications

• NAIA (1966–1969)
• NAIA Division I (1970–1981)
• NCAA Division II (1973–1994)
• NCAA Division I FCS (1995–2022)
• NCAA Division I FBS (2023–)

Conference affiliations

• Independent (1904–1937)
• Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1938–1940)
• Alabama Intercollegiate Conference (1945–1949)
• Independent (1950–1959)
• Alabama Collegiate Conference (1960–1969)
• Mid-South Athletic Conference/Gulf South Conference (1970–1992)
• Division II Independent (1993–1995)
• Southland Conference (1996–2002)
• Ohio Valley Conference (2003–2020)
• AQ7 (2021)
• ASUN Conference (2022)
• Conference USA (2023 and beyond)

Championships

National championships

Jacksonville State has made four appearances in the NCAA Division II national championship game. The Gamecocks were defeated in their first three championship game appearances, losing 33–0 to Lehigh in 1977, 3–0 to Mississippi College in 1989 (later vacated), and 23–6 to Pittsburg State in 1991. In 1992, the Gamecocks defeated Pittsburg State 17–13, reversing the results in a rematch of their 1991 championship game.

Conference championships

Jacksonville State has won 25 conference championships, 18 outright and four shared.

† Co-championship

Bowl games

Jacksonville State has participated in eleven bowl games, and has a record of 8–3. However, most of them are not Division I bowl games. Consequently, after joining Division I FBS, they participated in three bowl games, and have a record of 2–1.

non-Division I bowl game

Playoff history

Division I-AA/FCS playoffs results

The Gamecocks have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs ten times, with an overall record of 7–10.

Division II playoffs results

The Gamecocks have appeared in the Division II playoffs ten times, with an overall record of 15–9. They were national champions in 1992.

Rivalries

Samford

Main article: Jacksonville State–Samford football rivalry

This unnamed rivalry started in 1904, when Jacksonville wore blue and gold as the Eagle Owls and Samford University was still named Howard College. Jacksonville State leads the series 23–21–2.

Troy

Main article: Battle for the Ol' School Bell

Jacksonville State used to play Troy in the annual Battle 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 the FBS. Jacksonville State leads the series 32–29–2.

Notable former players

Notable alumni include:

• Orlando Adams (drafted by Philadelphia Eagles)
• Jesse Baker (drafted by Houston Oilers)
• Alan Bonner (drafted by Houston Texans)
• Dieter Brock (signed by Los Angeles Rams)
• A.J. Davis (signed by New Orleans Saints)
• Eric Davis (drafted by San Francisco 49ers)
• Casey Dunn (signed by Washington Redskins)
• Riley Green (country music singer, played quarterback)
• David Gulledge (drafted by Washington Redskins)
• Jaylen Hill (signed by Baltimore Ravens)
• Peter Little Horn (signed by Detroit Lions)
• Delvin Hughley (signed by Denver Broncos)
• Chris Landrum (signed by San Diego Chargers)
• Darrell Malone (drafted by Kansas City Chiefs)
• Keith McKeller (drafted by Buffalo Bills)
• Siran Neal (drafted by Buffalo Bills)
• Ryan Perrilloux (signed by New York Giants)
• Troymaine Pope (signed by Seattle Seahawks)
• Taureen Rhetta (signed by Kansas City Chiefs)
• David Robinson (drafted by Kansas City Chiefs)
• James Shaw (signed by Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Roc Thomas (signed by Minnesota Vikings)
• Mike Wallace (drafted by Cleveland Browns)
• Pierre Warren (signed by New Orleans Saints)
• Mark Word (signed by Cleveland Browns)
• Alvin Wright (signed by Los Angeles Rams)

Future non-conference opponents

Future non-conference opponents announced as of January 21, 2026.

References

References

1. NCAA Statistics https://stats.ncaa.org/teams/history?utf8=✓&org_id=315&sport_code=MFB&commit=Search
2. "Jacksonville State Historical Data". [[College Football Data Warehouse]].
3. (5 November 2021). "Conference USA to add Liberty, Jacksonville State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State beginning in 2023". [[ESPN]].
4. (February 23, 2021). "ASUN, WAC Conferences Announce Football Partnership for 2021". ASUN Conference.
5. (14 December 2023). "Jacksonville State's forgotten bowl history".
6. McCann, Stu. (November 25, 2013). "JSU will host Samford in first round of FCS playoffs".
7. "Jacksonville State Gamecocks Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com.