Jackson State football stadium funding requests die in Mississippi Legislature again

Jackson State football will not be getting a new stadium any time soon after several bills introduced in the Mississippi state legislature have died in committee.

For the fifth session in a row, legislators passed over funding requests to repair or replace the university’s stadium. Representatives submitted three proposals for state funds, each asking for different amounts, but all three of the bills were dead by the end of February.

Jackson State plays its home games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. The stadium was built in 1950, and the Tigers have occupied it since 1970. In 2011, JSU took over its operations.

All of the proposals from this legislative session, and many of the bills submitted over the last five sessions, have asked for money to build a new stadium elsewhere in Jackson. Sen. Sollie Norwood, D-Jackson, whose district encompasses the university, said he would rather see the stadium repaired.

Norwood recounted a recent conversation that he had with a former JSU football player who played in the school’s first game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in 1967. He said the man shared stories about the game, a 20-14 win over Grambling State, and his experiences with the stadium since then.

“There’s a lot of history there,” Norwood said in a March 5. “All those memories, you just can’t throw that to the side. You can’t go back and recreate those moments in a new stadium.”

The other issue that a new stadium presents, Norwood said, is finding enough space on or near Jackson State’s campus to construct a venue that fits the school’s needs.

“I looked throughout my district, and I’m not sure of any place that would fit (another stadium),” Norwood said. “The only place that previously we had identified is a space where we were hoping to get another dormitory at some point.”

In October, the Clarion Ledger reported that Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium has lost nearly $1.5 million since 2019. In that same stretch, JSU has led the FCS in average attendance every season. In 2025, the Tigers’ averaged 29,308 in attendance, leading the FCS for the eighth year in a row, a statistic that Norwood pointed to as justification for funding the repairs.

Over the years, conversations surrounding a new JSU stadium have also been shut down. In 2014, the university commissioned a feasibility study for a domed stadium that would have cost between $250 million and $280 million and required public funding. Then-Lt. Governor Tate Reeves shot down the concepts.

“Mississippi taxpayers should not be asked to subsidize college athletic venues,” Reeves said in a statement at the time. “Our limited budget for IHL should be focused on preparing students to graduate from our universities with the job skills needed for today’s economy. Across the country, college athletics are supported through private donations, ticket revenue and sponsorships.”

In 2022, talks about a new on-campus facility popped up again after a 2021 study revealed that a 35,000-seat stadium would require the university to raise between $80 million and $100 million. The largest appropriations request this year, a bill proposed by Rep. Christopher Bell, D-Jackson, asked the state for $65 million.

At a November Jackson City Council meeting, in which a resolution supporting a new stadium passed unanimously, several parties, including Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes and Mayor John Horhn, indicated that a new Jackson State stadium, built in a different location, would open up the land around the Vet for UMMC’s long-planned cancer center.

At the time, Horhn said UMMC officials indicated they were “very, very close” to wanting to take possession of the stadium site and assist JSU in securing a new facility elsewhere. UMMC declined to comment on any interest in Veterans Memorial Stadium at the time.

Jackson State has not made any indication that it is pursuing funding for a new stadium. Instead, the university aims to secure funding for repairs. In its legislative priorities for fiscal year 2027, JSU requested $19 million for stadium structural repairs.

The Clarion Ledger contacted Jackson State, which did not provide a comment on March 5.

The project would focus on “addressing immediate life safety and code compliance issues to ensure the facility remains safe and operational for public use.” The proposed renovations would “stabilize the facility and reduce liability while allowing continued limited use during the planning and design of long-term upgrades.”

Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: New Jackson State football stadium money requests die in MS Legislature