The Jacksonville State University Marching Southerners

Week nights during the fall, music literally fills the air, especially in Jacksonville. The further north you travel on Hwy 21, and if you turn onto Hwy 204, roll your windows down and turn off your radio. You don't need a radio if you have the Marching Southerners in your back yard.
Jacksonville State University Football games include two games, 4 quarters of football and halftime.
For more than 60 years, the Marching Southerners have brought together students from across the U.S. to form one of the largest and best band in the nation. We may be biased, but if you listen, you'll understand.


Each performance brings pride, tears, awe, and joy. Each season, from pregame and halftime to Competitions and showcases, this group of students from Jacksonville State University perform for thousands, including as a flash mob.


"I'll fly Away" is a Southerner tradition, performed postgame with the Gamecocks' football team and cheerleaders joining in the fun.
You might actually recognize the name "Marching Southerners" from some of their notable performances, including the 1996 – 70th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. By the way, a segment of the Southerners' performance can be seen in the opening scene of Episode 9.08 of Friends ("The One with Rachel's Other Sister"), which originally aired on Nov. 21, 2002.

If you're from across the pond, in 2012,The Southerners led the New Year's Day Parade in London, England, which also kicked off the 2012 Summer Olympics celebrations and Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

This year, the Marching Southerners have been invited to travel to Hawaii and play on the U.S.S Missouri in honor of the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. 

Jacksonville State is known as the "friendliest campus in the south," and the Southerners are known for taking that Southern hospitality with them wherever they go. 

If you hear that the Southerners are performing, it's not something you want to miss.