How a grassroots student protest helped launch the South Alabama Jaguars football program
In short: In 2006, students staged a night of campus vandalism to demand a football team. By 2009, the Jaguars were playing, and within five years, they set a record as the youngest program to reach a bowl game. Discover the rapid rise of this unconventional college football powerhouse.
The South Alabama Jaguars football program emerged from a student-led grassroots movement. In 2006, students organized a night of non-destructive vandalism dubbed 'viva la resistance' to pressure the university into establishing a team. Their efforts included painting slogans like 'We Want Football' across campus and covering trees in the central traffic circle with toilet paper and streamers. This specific act of 'junking the jungle' became an enduring homecoming tradition. By December 2007, the university's board of trustees officially approved the addition of football, and the team began play in 2009 under the leadership of head coach Joey Jones.
The program’s ascent was remarkably swift. After two undefeated seasons, the Jaguars began a transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2011. By 2014, in just their fifth year of competition and second year of bowl eligibility, the Jaguars broke Florida Atlantic's record to become the youngest FBS team to earn a bowl invitation. They faced Bowling Green in the inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. While they lost that initial contest 33–28, the milestone cemented their status as a rising force in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Jaguars have since navigated various coaching eras, including the tenures of Steve Campbell and Kane Wommack. Wommack, who served as head coach from 2021 to 2023, led the team to its first bowl game victory in program history. Following his departure for Alabama in 2024, Major Applewhite took the helm, guiding the team to its second bowl win in the Salute to Veterans Bowl. Today, the program operates out of state-of-the-art facilities, including the 49,000-square-foot Football Fieldhouse and the Jaguar Training Center, which stands as the largest covered practice facility in Alabama. These investments reflect the university's commitment to sustaining the momentum ignited by those original student activists nearly two decades ago.
Beyond the field, the program maintains unique traditions, such as the honor of wearing the number 5 jersey. Originally established by Joey Jones to honor the late Anthony Mostella, the tradition recognizes a player who exemplifies leadership and hard work. While discontinued briefly between 2018 and 2020, Kane Wommack revived the practice in 2021, evolving it so that a different player is selected to wear the jersey each game.
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