07/29/2026
J.F. Drake Memorial Learning Resource Center and the State Black Archives hosted an intern this Summer from UAH. Patricia Lee Phillips worked in the Alabama A & M University Archives and Special Collections, researching the history of AAMU Football! Her work resulted in a blog post (see below), podcast episodes for "Off the Leash," and an online exhibit.
Access the Online Exhibit: https://archivesaamu.omeka.net/collections/show/41
Read the Blog Post:
Bite into the History of the A&M Bulldogs
The following was written by AAMU Archives intern Patricia Lee Phillips, who has worked studiously this Summer to research and digitize records important to Bulldogs Football history. The collection, comprised of over 40 images and documents, is now available on the University Archives’ digital collections platform.
College football is as much a part of the South as grits and Granny’s golden brown buttermilk biscuits. It is a football league that is taken to heart by diehard fans. In order to play this game, a player’s heart must be in it to win it. And Alabama A & M is in it to win it!
AAMU’s Football Program has a rich history - one that began in 1912 and continues today. The players and coaches who dared to venture onto the “gridiron” forged a living legacy full of passion, commitment, dedication and determination. Some players and coaches have passed away, leaving their mark on the “Hill.” A few players achieved their own successful goals by moving up to the NFL, while others left their own special mark on AAMU football history. Year after year, a new litter of “Bulldogs” joins the pedigree roster with a love for the game.
The State Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (AMMU’s name at the time) Athletics Program was instituted in 1910 by the school’s second president, Walter Solomon Buchanan. He was the son-in-law of A&M’s first president, Dr. William Hooper Council. President Buchanan wanted the college to be more modern at the time. He believed that young people needed to form a kinship with each other, which in turn would help students learn discipline and overall health. The first football season occurred in 1912. While the specifics of the first games are not known, the Bulldogs have since come a long way.
Highlights from the Digital Collection:
The new digital collection showcases a small portion of the history of A&M football, including:
• Team information from the 1910s through the present
• Photographs of teams and players on and off the field, and from specific games like the 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship
• Program guides for entire seasons, as well as individual games like the Magic City Classic
• Yearbooks that featured the football team
• A 1971 Ticket from the First Annual Azalea Classic Football game
The earliest known team photographs are from a 1916 college yearbook. The young men pictured look tough and respectable: already a “winning football squad,” the players and coaches had no idea about the legacy they were creating. The “Legend of the Bulldogs” football team was dawning.
A “1930- 1931 Alabama A.& M. Athletic Association Announcement” pamphlet is an amazing addition to the collection. It lists the members of the Athletic Committee and the football schedule for 1930. Within its first pages is a black and white photograph of the 1930 Bulldogs football team. The young players are carrying on the tradition of athletic intimidation.
AAMU football has a rich history. Across the program’s nearly 115 years, players of various backgrounds from all over the United States have united under one mission on the gridiron. They, along with the coaches and fans, united in an unbreakable bond through which to share the joy of successes and the ache of defeats. Both wins and losses are showcased in this collection. The old saying, “It isn’t whether you win or lose, but how you played the game,” strikes true in each record. This means that if you played honestly and well, then you can hold your head up high even with a loss. The Bulldogs have shown time and time again that united, they can persevere.
