For men's teams, Jackson State University sponsors Football, Basketball, Baseball, Track, and Tennis. For women's teams, Jackson State University sponsors Basketball, Softball, Track, Tennis, Volleyball, Soccer, and Bowling.
The Tigers have appeared in five NCAA tournaments: 1978, 1991, 1997, 2000, & 2007. As of 2015, the Tigers ranks 4th in the SWAC for number of NCAA appearances. All home games are held at the Williams Assembly Center.
The men's and women's golf teams have dominated the SWAC championships. The men have won 21 championships (1989–2006, 2008–09, 2011), include 18 consecutive, and the women have won nine (1996–97, 2001, 2005–09, 2012).[2]
Often accompanying the JSU athletic teams is the university's marching band and dance line. They are nicknamed the Sonic Boom of the South and Prancing 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". The band performs at most football games and most basketball home games.
