LIVINGSTON, Ala. — The University of West Alabama and Pittsburg State University officials have announced the schools have signed a two-year contract for a home and home football series in 2026 and 2027.
The Tigers and Gorillas will meet Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 at Livingston, Ala., at Terry Bunn Field at Tiger Stadium; and the two squads will face off Saturday, Sept. 11, 2027 in Pittsburg at Carnie Smith Stadium. The two schools have not previously faced off against one another on the gridiron.
"We're excited to announce this home-and-home football series with Pittsburg State, one of the premier programs in Division II football," Gilliland said. "We both have great traditions of excellence and competitiveness on the field, and this matchup will showcase two programs that take great pride in doing things the right way. Our fans can look forward to an outstanding atmosphere and a high level of competition when these two teams meet."
Pitt State Vice President for Athletics Jim Johnson echoed those sentiments.
"We are excited for this opportunity to play a high-quality program like West Alabama in the non-conference portion of our schedule for the next two seasons," Johnson said. "This series will showcase two great programs from the MIAA and the Gulf South Conference. Working ahead on future schedules is so vital in today's landscape, so we're thankful to be able to address the open date we had in our schedules for 2026 and 2027."
Pitt State has made 20 NCAA postseason appearances highlighted by NCAA-II National Championships in 1991 and 2011 and national runner-up finishes in 1992, 1995 and 2004. The Gorillas posted an 8-3 mark in 20024, falling in the first round of the NCAA-II playoffs to Harding University. West Alabama is 5-3 on the season heading into a non-conference home match-up against Northeastern State University Saturday. The Tigers opened the season 5-0 and ranked No. 8 nationally, before dropping a pair of tightly-contested games to No. 3 University of West Florida (23-16) and No. 17 Delta State (41-38) in October.
West Alabama posted a 9-2 mark in 2024 and qualified for the NCAA-II playoffs. The Tigers dropped a hard fought 37-34 decision to Lenoir-Rhyne University in first-round playoff action.
