Alabama A&M Bulldogs football

Alabama A&M Bulldogs football
2016 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team
First season 1912
Head coach James Spady
3rd year, 9–21 (.300)
Stadium Louis Crews Stadium
Seating capacity 21,000
Field surface Artificial Turf
Location Huntsville, Alabama
Conference SWAC
Division East
All-time record 405–377–35 (.517)
Bowl record 0–2 (.000)
Conference titles 13
Current uniform
Colors Maroon and White[1]
         
Mascot Bulldogs
Marching band Marching Maroon & White
Website aamusports.com

The Alabama A&M Bulldogs are the college football team representing the Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. The Bulldogs play in NCAA Division I Football Championship as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Rivalries

Alabama A&M vs. Grambling, 2014

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 Historic Legion Field. A&M and State first played each other in 1936, though the annual classic series began in 1940 in Birmingham, which is roughly halfway between the two campuses. The two competed from 1947–1975 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The rivalry has intensified since A&M joined State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 1999, with the two teams regularly in contention for the Eastern Division Crown. Alabama A&M currently leads the series.

The Bulldogs other in-state rivalry is with Tuskegee Golden Tigers. The Bulldogs and Tigers began their series with in 1932 and would not meet on the girdiron for another 20 years. They played annually from 1963–1999 including 35 years as conference rivals in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The series was discontinued when A&M moved up to Division I (FCS) and joined the SWAC. A&M and Tuskegee resumed a two game set from 2008–2009, the latter as an installation of the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis. The two teams are currently in the midst of a four game series through 2014. As of 2015, Alabama A&M leads the series.

A&M and the Tennessee State Tigers have a rivalry dating back to the 1930s. After a 30 year hiatus, the two teams resumed play in the 1970s. TSU dominated the series well into the 1980s, winning the first 15 contests. A&M scored its first win, a 7–6 victory in 1986, followed by another 24–6 win in 1987. A&M and TSU met annually for a decade beginning in 2001, usually on Labor Day Weekend in the John Merritt Classic at Nashville's LP Field. Since their last contest in 2010, TSU holds a 21–8 series lead, with A&M winning 6 of the last 9 meetings.

Additionally, the Bulldogs has developed new rivals upon their entrance to the SWAC in 1999. A&M's has a budding rivalry with the Jackson State Tigers, who long with Alabama State and A&M are the only schools to represent the Eastern Division in the SWAC Championship Game. JSU leads the all-time series 15–8, with the teams splitting the last 10 games. A&M primary interdivisional rival is the Grambling State Tigers. Grambling (7) and A&M (6) lead the league in title game appearances and have squared off against each other in the SWAC Championship Game a record 4 times. Grambling currently holds a 17–6 series edge, with A&M winning 2 of the last 3 games played.

Championships

Conference championships

A&M has won a total of 13 conference championships in football with their most recent title coming in a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the 2006 SWAC Championship Game. AAMU has 12 previous conference crowns as a member of the Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) from 1947–1997.

Season Conference Coach Overall Record Conference Record
1962 SIAC Louis Crews 8–2 6–0
1963 SIAC Louis Crews 8–0 7–0
1966 SIAC Louis Crews 8–1 6–0
1971 SIAC Louis Crews 5–6 4–3
1972 SIAC Louis Crews 7–1–1 6–0–1
1979 SIAC Ray Greene 8–3 4–0
1981 SIAC Ray Greene 8–2 4–1
1987 SIAC Ray Greene 7–4 6–1
1988 SIAC Ray Greene 7–3 6–1
1989 SIAC George Pugh 8–4 6–0
1990 SIAC George Pugh 6–5 6–1
1991 SIAC George Pugh/Ray Bonner 5–6 5–2
2006 SWAC Anthony Jones 9–3 6–3

Division championships

The Bulldogs have won a total of 6 SWAC Eastern Division Championships, each time earning a berth to the SWAC Championship Game.

Season Division Coach Overall Record Conference Record Result Attendance
2000 SWAC East Ron Cooper 7–5 5–2 L 14–6 Grambling State 34,687
2002 SWAC East Anthony Jones 8–4 6–1 L 31–19 Grambling State 23,727
2005 SWAC East Anthony Jones 9–3 7–2 L 45–6 Grambling State 20,612
2006 SWAC East Anthony Jones 9–3 6–3 W 22–13 Arkansas-Pine-Bluff 30,213
2009 SWAC East Anthony Jones 7–5 4–3 L 30–24 Prairie View A&M 20,218
2011 SWAC East Anthony Jones 8–4 7–2 L 16–15 Grambling State 23,476

Bowl games

A&M has participated in two College Division Bowl Games.

Season Bowl Game Opponent Result Location
1966 Orange Blossom Classic Florida A&M L 26–43 Miami, FL
1971 Azalea Bowl Classic Jackson State L 21–40 Mobile, AL

Pro Football Hall of Fame members

Alumni in the NFL

Over 16 Alabama A&M alumni have played in the NFL,[2] including:

Notable coaches

Coach Seasons Games Record Winning %
George H. Hobson 1942–1959 136 45–80-11 .371
Louis Crews 1960–1975 148 93–62-3 .639
Ray Greene 1979–1983, 86–88 85 53–27–5 .653
Ron Cooper 1998–2001 45 23–22 .511
Anthony Jones 2002–2013 140 83–57 .593

References

  1. ↑ Alabama A&M University Style Manual (PDF). Retrieved 2016-09-11.
  2. ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/colleges/alabamaam/

External links

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