The Bulldogs play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

A historically dominant football program, the Bulldogs lead the MEAC in conference championships.

The school has produced four players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame including Harry Carson, Deacon Jones, Marion Motley, and Donnie Shell.

[4] South Carolina State has won nineteen Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles, eleven outright and eight shared.

At 55 years of age, Thomas Sr. had one carry for three yards as a running back in a contest versus Savannah State.