Southern

Southern University's identity is woven together from two threads: a nationally iconic marching band and a dominant rivalry. The Human Jukebox, established in 1947 by T. Leroy Davis, earned its name in the early 1970s when observers noted it could play any song on demand, like a living jukebox. The band has performed at the Super Bowl six times as of 2020 and received ESPN's Band of the Year award. It is one of the most celebrated musical traditions in American sports.

The Bayou Classic has been contested between Southern and Grambling every November since 1974 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The halftime Battle of the Bands between Southern's Human Jukebox and Grambling's World-Famed Tiger Marching Band is often considered as significant as the football game itself.

Mel Blount, a cornerback who played for the Jaguars from 1967–1969, went on to win four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. The program's cultural footprint extends far beyond football: the Human Jukebox is a national treasure, and the Bayou Classic rivalry is a pilgrimage for HBCU fans.

The newest thread is the biggest swing the program has taken in decades: Marshall Faulk, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, became Southern's 22nd head coach in December 2025. His debut, the inaugural Birmingham Football Classic against Alabama State at Legion Field, followed a script Jaguar fans know too well — a 17-13 halftime lead became a 30-17 loss, the second half scoreless. The Faulk era begins with the same question every celebrity hire carries: whether the name on the headset changes the games in November.

Through October 3 the Faulk era is 2-4: a 34-15 win over Kentucky State and a 50-31 win over Louisiana Christian, against losses to Alabama State, 77-6 at Houston, 35-17 at Jackson State and, on October 3, 41-10 at home to Arkansas-Pine Bluff as a favorite. The Bayou Classic against Grambling on November 28 is still the game the hook points to.