The Jackson State Tigers represent Jackson State University

Jackson State University

Jackson State University is a historically black university founded in 1877 in Natchez, MS by the American Baptist Home Mission Society of New York. The Society moved the school to Jackson in 1882, renaming it Jackson College, and developed its present campus in 1902. It became a state supported...

 in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.

Conference affiliation

Jackson State University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference

Southwestern Athletic Conference

The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...

 (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Jackson State University's colors are royal blue

Royal blue

Royal blue describes both a bright shade and a dark shade of azure blue. It is said to have been invented by millers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of which won a competition to make a dress for the British queen, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz....

 and white

White

White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...

 and their nickname is the Tiger

Tiger

The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...

.

Capital City Classic

Every Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...

 weekend, Jackson State plays rival Alcorn State University

Alcorn State University

Alcorn State University is an historically black university comprehensive land-grant institution in Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871-History:...

 in the Capital City Classic at Veterans Memorial Stadium

Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium

Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. Veterans Memorial Stadium is the home field of the Jackson State University Tigers. In July 2011, Jackson State University will own and operate the stadium...

 in Jackson, MS. Every year, the Tigers play their archrival Southern University

Southern Jaguars

The Southern Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.-Conference affiliation:Southern University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship...

 in the "Boombox Classic

Boombox Classic

The Boombox Classic is the nickname for the annual regular season college football game between and . It is held at Veterans Memorial Stadium in even-numbered years and at Mumford Stadium in odd-numbered years...

". Every year, the Tigers take part in the annual Southern Heritage Classic

Southern Heritage Classic

The Southern Heritage Classic presented by FedEx is the annual college football game between the Tigers of Jackson State University and the Tigers of Tennessee State University.The series record is TnSU 10, JSU 7....

 against the Tennessee State Tigers. In 2007, the Tigers defeated the Tigers of Grambling State University

Grambling State University

Grambling State University is a historically black , public, coeducational university, located in Grambling, Louisiana. The university is the home of legendary football coach Eddie Robinson and is on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.-Academics:Grambling State University provides over...

 42-31 to lock up the 2007 SWAC

Southwestern Athletic Conference

The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...

 Championship

SWAC Championship Game

The SWAC Championship Game is an American college football game held on the first Saturday in December by the Southwestern Athletic Conference each year to determine its football champion. The game pits the champion of the Eastern Division against the champion of the Western Division in a game...

.

Notable alumni

• Lem Barney
  Lem Barney
  Lemuel Joseph "Lem" Barney is a former American Football cornerback who played for the Detroit Lions. He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.-College years:...
  
  
• Corey Bradford
  Corey Bradford
  Corey Lamon Bradford is a former American football wide receiver. He played for the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, and Detroit Lions.-High school years:...
  
  
• Robert Brazile
  Robert Brazile
  Robert Lorenzo Brazile, Jr. is a former professional American football linebacker in the National Football League. Nicknamed "Dr. Doom", Brazile played from 1975-1984 for the Houston Oilers.-Professional career:...
  
  
• Leslie "Speedy" Duncan
  Speedy Duncan
  Leslie Herbert "Speedy" Duncan is a former American football cornerback who played college football at Jackson State University, and then played professional football....
  
  
• Harold Jackson
• Eddie Payton
  Eddie Payton
  Edward Payton is a former American football running back and kick returner who played five seasons in the NFL from 1977 to 1982 for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. He also played in the Canadian Football League...
  
  
• Walter Payton
  Walter Payton
  Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
  
  
• Jackie Slater
• Jimmy Smith

Baseball

The university plays their home games at the Jackson State University Baseball Stadium, constructed in 2006.

Notable alumni

• Oil Can Boyd
  Oil Can Boyd
  Dennis Ray "Oil Can" Boyd is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Boyd played for the Boston Red Sox , Montreal Expos , and Texas Rangers .He batted and threw right-handed....
  
  
• Wes Chamberlain
  Wes Chamberlain
  Wesley Polk Chamberlain is a former professional baseball right fielder/left fielder. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball from 1990 through 1995 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox . He also played one season in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Chiba...
  
  
• Dave Clark
• Marvin Freeman
  Marvin Freeman
  Marvin Freeman is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to for the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Colorado Rockies. He worked as both a starting pitcher and a reliever in his career. He is currently an assistant baseball coach at Rich Central High School in Olympia...
  
  

Men's Basketball

The Tigers have appeared in three NCAA tournaments: 1997, 2000, & 2007. They play their games at Williams Assembly Center

Williams Assembly Center

Williams Assembly Center is a 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Jackson, Mississippi. It was built in 1981 and is home to the Jackson State University Tigers basketball team....

.

Notable alumni

• Lindsey Hunter
  Lindsey Hunter
  Lindsey Benson Hunter, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player. He was a point guard in the National Basketball Association from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with Detroit Pistons...
  
  
• Trey Johnson
  Trey Johnson
  Clinton "Trey" Johnson III is an American professional basketball player. Johnson played college basketball with the Alcorn State Braves and the Jackson State Tigers in the Southwestern Athletic Conference . During his senior year, he won the SWAC Player of the Year award...
  
  
• Ed Manning
  Ed Manning
  Edward R. Manning was an American professional basketball player and college and NBA assistant coach. He was the father of former NBA player Danny Manning....
  
  
• Audie Norris
  Audie Norris
  Audie James Norris is a retired American professional basketball player. He was a 6'9" 230 lb center and played collegiately at Jackson State University from 1978 to 1982. He played for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers from 1982 to 1985...
  
  
• Purvis Short
  Purvis Short
  Purvis Short is a retired American professional basketball player, who starred with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association during the 1980s...
  
  
• Dwayne Whitfield
  Dwayne Whitfield
  Dwayne Whitfield is an American professional basketball player. A 6'9" and 240 lb power forward, played college basketball at Jackson State University and had a brief stint in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors....
  
  
• Gene Short
  Gene Short
  Eugene "Gene" Short is a former American professional basketball player. He was a 6'6" 200 lb small forward and attended Jackson State University....
  
  
• Cleveland Buckner
  Cleveland Buckner
  Cleveland Buckner is a retired American basketball player. A forward-center, he played collegiately for the Jackson State University and was selected by the New York Knicks in the 6th round of the 1961 NBA Draft.He played 68 games for the Knicks in the NBA from 1961 to 1963.-External links:...
  
  
• Cornell Warner
  Cornell Warner
  Cornell Warner is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'9" forward/center from Jackson State University, Warner played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Buffalo Braves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Los Angeles Lakers...
  
  

Marching band

Often accompanying the JSU athletic teams is the university's marching band

Marching band

Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...

 and dance line. They are nicknamed the Sonic Boom of the South

Sonic Boom Of The South

The Sonic Boom of the South is a marching band at Jackson State University in the United States. It is one of the largest HBCU marching bands with over 250 members.-History:The first band at JSU was organized in 1920....

 and J-Settes. The band was first organized in the early 1940s. As early as the mid-1920s, the University had a well-organized orchestra. The group was given the nickname, “The Sonic Boom of the South” by band members in 1971. In 1971, the majorettes abandoned their batons and became a dance team known as the Prancing J-Settes. In 1974, “Get Ready,” an old Motown favorite was selected as the band’s theme song. Also, during the mid 1970s, the “Tiger Run-On” was perfected. The “Tiger Run-On” is a fast, eye-catching shuffle step that blends an adagio step with an up-tempo shuffle (200 steps per minute), then back to adagio—a “Sonic Boom” trademark that brings fans to their feet during halftime performances. In 2003 the marching band was in enshrined in the NCAA Hall of Champions. Also, the marching band was filmed by Electronic Art Sports (EA Sports) for inclusion in the 2005 version of the video game "EA Sports NCAA Football 2005."

NFL Halftime Appearances

• Atlanta Falcons
  Atlanta Falcons
  The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  
• Detroit Lions
  Detroit Lions
  The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
  
  
• New Orleans Saints
  New Orleans Saints
  The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
  
  
• New York Jets
  New York Jets
  The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  
• Houston Oilers
• Philadelphia Eagles
  Philadelphia Eagles
  The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  
• Cincinnati Bengals
  Cincinnati Bengals
  The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
  
  
• Indianapolis Colts
  Indianapolis Colts
  The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
  
  

• The 1991 NBA All-Star game
  1991 NBA All-Star Game
  The 1991 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game between players selected from the National Basketball Association's Western Conference and the Eastern Conference that was played on February 10, 1991 at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
  
  

• The Motown’s 30th Anniversary television special.
• The NAACP 34th Image Awards television special.