The Alabama A&M Bulldogs soccer was the intercollegiate varsity men's soccer team representing the Alabama A&M University, located in Normal, Alabama. The team was a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) athletic conference of NCAA Division I.Division I - Normal, AL | Alabama A&M University on ncaa.com
The Bulldogs' last head coach was Salah Yousif, who had started his coaching tenure in 1977 and leaded the team to win two national championships,Alabama A&M: Yousif coaches Bulldogs to two national championships by Reggie Benson, The Huntsville Times at AL.com. 23 Feb 2012 in 1977 and 1979.Men's Soccer - Championship History at ncaa.comDII men’s soccer teams with the most NCAA DII national championships on ncaa.com. 14 Dec 2025
Alabama A&M played their home matches at the John Hunt Park Stadium,2010 men's soccer schedule located in Huntsville"John Hunt Park" at North Alabama Soccer Coalition with capacity for 2,000 spectators.,John Hunt Park at huntsville.org which also served as home venue to the women's team.Women's soccer schedule
History The Bulldogs' won their first NCAA DII national championship in 1977, which was also the first NCAA tournament contested by Alabama A&M. The Bulldogs eliminated Loyola Maryland 2–1 on extra time, Florida International 4–0, New Haven 2–0, and finally defeated Seattle Pacific 2–1 to win their first championship.
Alabama A&M also made a great campaign in 1978, where they not only eliminated but thrashed their opponents: Florida International (6–0), Loyola MD (4–0), Eastern Illinois (5–0) to reach their second consecutive NCAA final against the same opponent (Seattle Pacific, 17–5–4 record),Hall of Fame - Men's Soccer Team, 1978 at spufalcons.com but the team lost 0–1 on extra time with a golden goal by Bruce Raney.Hall of Fame: Bruce Raney at spufalcons.com Until the final, the Bulldogs had an impressive record of 15 goals scored in only 3 matches.
By 1980, the Southwestern Athletic Conference had been promoted to NCAA Division I so the team participated in the NCAA DI championship. that same year the team debuted in the tournament, where they finished third after defeating Duke (2–0), William & Mary (1–0), and losing to San Francisco (0–1) in semifinals. Alabama A&M then defeated Hartwick 2–0 in the third place match.
Alabama A&M contested their second consecutive NCAA DI tournament in 1981. They eliminated Duke (1–0), Clemson (2–1), West Virginia (2–1), and Philadelphia Textile (3–2) to play their first final in the top division, but they were defeated by Connecticut 1–2 on extra time at Stanford Stadium.1981 NCAA Champion Men's Soccer Team Holds 25th Reunion at uconnhuskies.com. 29 Sep 2006
Despite the success of their first years in the NCAA, the program decreased considerably in its later years. The 2010 season ended with no wins, being defeated in all of their games. The negative performances included several heavy defeats at the hands of UC Riverside (0–5), UNLV (1–8), Bradley (0–9), Evansville (0–9), and Jacksonville (0–7), among other disastrous results.2010 schedule at aamusports.com That same season, the university announced its plans to cut off the program due to budget cuts. At the moment of the announcement, A&M was the only SWAC school that sponsored men's soccer.A&M to drop men's soccer program. 12 Aug 2010
On November 3, 2011, the A&M team played their last game, with a 0–8 defeat to Memphis to finish with another negative record of 0–15. The program only had two winning seasons in the last eight.Alabama A&M sports history: Men's soccer program folded after years of success By Mark McCarter on AL.com. 18 Feb 2012
The program was discontinued following the 2011 season.
Players
Roster (As of 2010 season)2010 Men's soccer roster at aamusports.com (archived)
Players in the pros Nat. Player Selected teams Ref. Ike Udeh 1997 Kansas City Wizards), Jacksonville Cyclones Why many footballers suffer after retirement – Ex-F’Eagles star Udeh at punching.com. 29 Dec 2025Soccer coach builds library in native Nigeria by NEAL EMBRY at hooversun.com. December 27, 2020 Jean Harbor 1988 Washington Diplomats, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Colorado Rapids Players of Color Part 1: Jean Harbor by Matt Pollard at Holding The High Line. 5 Feb 2021 Matthew Mendy 2008 1. FC Kleve, 1. FC Vöcklabruck, Anhui Jiufang Matthew Mendy - career stats at globalsportsarchive.com Eugene Sseppuya 2005 Colorado Rapids, FC Urartu Sepuya joins Armenia league
Other notable players Mfanfuthi Bhembe#10. MfanaFuthi Bhembe profile (archived) Lwazi MaziyaAlabama A&M at South Carolina on gamecocksonline.com. 23 Sep 2007 Mlondi MdluliOBITUARY: Alabama A&M keeper Mdluli killed 09/07/2006 on Socceramerica.com
Coaches
Notable coaches The Alabama A&M's most notable coach was Salah Yousif, born in Ethiopia,Former A&M professor Salah Yousif, who launched national championship soccer program, dies in Ethiopia. 5 Jul 2013 who had been initially hired in 1976 as an economics professor, then becoming soccer coach in 1977. Under his guidance, the men's program won two national championships within three years, apart from being runners-up in 1978. Yousif spent 21 seasons with the team, winning 238 matches. He achieved a 238–121–24 record in 21 years with the Bulldogs.
Yousif was the main promotor to the soccer development at Alabama A&M, convincing the university officials to start a team. The program became so successful that only lost four games between 1977 and 1980. Nevertheless, Yousif was fired by the university after an NCAA investigation about illegal activities. He was later reinstated when the NCAA exhonerated him from any of those accusations. Yousif died in an accident in his native country in 2013.The widow of Dr. Salah Yousif donated books to ECSU Library at Ethiopian Public Service University. 30 Jul 2013
Honours
National Competition Titles Winning years NCAA DII championship 1977, 1979
Team statistics
NCAA appearances Alabama A&M's appearances in NCAA tournaments (Divisions I and II) are listed below:Division I - Men's Soccer Records at ncaa.comDivision II Men's Soccer Championships Records Book (1972–2018) at ncaa.org
Division II SeasonStageRivalRes.Score 1977 Champions Seattle Pacific W2–1 1978 Runners-up Seattle Pacific L 0–1 1979 Champions Eastern Illinois W 2–0
Division I SeasonStageRivalRes.Score 1980 Third place Hartwick W 2–0 1981 Runners-up Connecticut L 1–2 1982 First round Clemson L 0–2 1983 Quarterfinals Connecticut L 0–1 1984 Second round Clemson L 1–3
References