National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (FCS – Football Championship Subdivision for football) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), which it joined in 1982. The university's colors are black and old gold and their athletic teams are known as the Hornets.
=== The Mighty Marching Hornets ===
Alabama State's marching band is officially known as "The Mighty Marching Hornets". The band has been nationally recognized.
The Mighty Marching Hornets were featured in the documentary series, Bama State Style, which followed the lives of the students in the band. In 2016, The Mighty Marching Hornets made an appearance in Ang Lee's film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. In 2017, the band's 2012 halftime performance at the Magic City Classic garnered over three million views on YouTube. The band performed in the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on New Year's Day. In 2023, Alabama State became the first HBCU to host the annual Honda Battle of the Bands. The band is traditionally led …
