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[2] 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.[3] 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[4] | 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.
The Alabama A&M Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent Alabama A&M University. The program will feature 17 varsity sports teams in the 2024–25 school year. A&M participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association‘s Division I as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Russell Athletic is the current sponsor of the Alabama A&M University Athletic Department.
| Men’s sports | Women’s sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Bowling |
| Cross country | Cross country |
| Football | Soccer |
| Golf | Softball |
| Tennis | Tennis |
| Track & field | Track & field |
| Volleyball | |
| † – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor | |
Men’s cross country is being reinstated starting in 2024–25 after having last competed in 2004.[2]
History
National championships
| Assoc. | Division | Sport | Year | Rival | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCAA | Division II | Men’s soccer[3] (2) | 1977 | Seattle Pacific | 2–1 |
| 1979 | Eastern Illinois | 2–0 | |||
| Women’s track and field (indoor) (1) |
1992 | Abilene Christian Cal State Los Angeles |
67–42 (+25) | ||
| Women’s track and field (outdoor) (1) |
1992 | Cal State Los Angeles | 112–65 (+47) | ||
| 1993 | Abilene Christian | 92–86 (+6) |
Individual sports
Baseball
The Alabama A&M Bulldogs transitioned from Division II to NCAA Division I in 1999. The lone Bulldogs baseball conference title came in 1993 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Football
The Alabama A&M Bulldogs are the college football team representing the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. The Bulldogs play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Basketball
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The Alabama A&M Bulldogs basketball team has had notable players including Desmond Cambridge, Mickell Gladness, Obie Trotter, Frank Sillmon, Willie Hayes (basketball), and Nigel Moore (basketball). The Bulldogs were coached by L. Vann Pettaway from 1986 to 2010. During that span, Pettaway amassed a 440–264 record with the a school-best 28–3 in 1992-93 and 1995–96. From 1992 to 1997, the Bulldogs went 136–20. The Alabama A&M Bulldogs men’s basketball team has made the NCAA tournament once, in 2005.[4]
Soccer
Alabama A&M’s men’s soccer team won two NCAA Division II national championships in 1977 and 1979, finished Third place in 1980, and was runner-up in Division I in 1981. The program was discontinued following the 2011 season.[5][6]
References
- Alabama A&M University Style Manual (PDF). Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- “Alabama A&M Reinstates Men’s Cross Country Program” (Press release). Alabama A&M Bulldogs. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- “Division II Men’s Soccer Championship Results” (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- “NCAA basketball tournament History: Alabama A&M Bulldogs”. ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- Kennedy, Paul (August 16, 2010). “Alabama A&M to drop men’s program”. SoccerAmerica. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- McCarter, Mark (February 18, 2012). “Alabama A&M sports history: Men’s soccer program folded after years of success”. The Huntsville Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
