Sport American football All-time series Southern, 32–29 | Meetings total 61 | |
 | ||
First meeting October 25, 1958
Southern, 30–6 Latest meeting October 15, 2016
Southern, 28–24 Largest victory Southern, 41–0 (1960)
Jackson State, 41–0 (1981) | ||
The Jackson State–Southern University (also known as the BoomBox Classic) rivalry is a college football rivalry between the Jackson State University Tigers and Southern University Jaguars. An annual conference game between two historically black universities in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, its location usually rotates between JSU's Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium and Southern's Ace W. Mumford Stadium, but it has also been held at larger venues to accommodate the large crowds the game draws. As of 2015, the Southern Jaguars leads the series 32–29.
History
The teams first met in 1929, a 98–0 blowout by Southern. They did not play again until 1958, when Jackson State joined the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Since then, the conference rivals have played each other every year, and twice in 1999, when Southern defeated Jackson State 31–30 in the SWAC Championship Game.
The game draws substantial crowds, and has sometimes been played at alternative venues to accommodate the numbers. It was played in New Orleans in 1997, 2002, and 2004. From 2008 to 2010 it was played at Jackson State's venue, Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, to take advantage of the larger capacity.
The storied rivalry extends beyond the game itself, featuring a battle between the schools' well-respected and popular marching bands, Jackson State's "Sonic Boom of the South" and Southern's "Human Jukebox". Hence, the game is commonly referred to as The BoomBox Classic. The "BoomBox" battle continues after the game has been decided, this post-game battle is known as the "5th Quarter" in the HBCU community.