The Jacksonville State Gamecocks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Jacksonville State University (JSU) located in the U.S. state of Alabama. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Conference USA. Jacksonville State's first football team was fielded in 1904. The team plays its home games at the 24,000-seat AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama.
On November 5, 2021, the university accepted an invitation to join Conference USA (C-USA) of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) beginning with the 2023 season.
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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
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
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)
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of March 9, 2026.