[2] West Alabama's football team was first fielded in 1931 when the school was known as Livingston State Teachers College.

[3] That year also marked the start of World War II which led to a decline in college enrollment across the United States.

In 1944, Dr. William Wilson Hill became president of the university and instantly started recruiting students to enroll.

After a three-year hiatus, the football team returned to action under the guidance of new head coach E.G McCollum.

Following two dismal seasons from 1947 and 1948, LSTC made a bold move and hired former University of Alabama star Vaughn Mancha as the fourth head coach in team history.

This season would mark the last in Mancha’s tenure at LSTC as he decided to take over as defensive coordinator at Florida State.

Andrews spent three seasons guiding the UWA football team, leading the Tigers to a 24-7-2 record during his tenure.

In 1973, Andrews became the second LU head coach to resign and accept the defensive coordinator position at Florida State.

In the NCAA Quarter Finals, the team faced a tough task of taking on #1 ranked North Dakota.

During his time at UNA, he led the Lions to three consecutive national championships from 1993 to 1995 as his squads finished with an overall record of 41-1 during the course of those three seasons.

Wallace also led UNA to Gulf South Conference Championships during the 1993–95 seasons, while his Lions also qualified for the NCAA Division II Playoffs six times during his tenure.

The Wallace Era began with a great glimmer of hope as UWA recorded its first winning season in 14 years.

A couple of wins over #22 Delta State and Arkansas-Monticello put UWA right back in the thick of the playoff race, but a loss to West Georgia the following week nearly derailed their hopes.

During the season finale, UWA was locked in a battle for their playoff lives against longtime rival and Wallace’s former team, North Alabama.

After four overtimes, it appeared UNA was set to claim the victory until a forced fumble gave UWA the ball.

[16] UWA opened Gulf South Conference play with a home win over West Georgia but fell short to Delta State on the road.

After a 3–2 start, the Tigers reeled off three consecutive wins including a last-second Homecoming triumph over Henderson State.

Quarterback Deon Williams connected to wide receiver Gerald Worsham in the back of the endzone for the game-winner.

[17] The team dropped back-to-back heartbreakers the following two weeks before returning home to face Valdosta State in the season finale.

The day before the contest, Bobby Wallace announced to his players that he would be stepping down as head coach upon the end of the season.

[18] After falling behind and trailing at the half, the Tigers upset the #7 ranked Blazers to give Wallace a victory in his final game.

[21] Bobby Wallace was inducted into the Division II Hall of Fame in December to close out a storied career.

In June 2024, Gilliland was named interim athletic director at West Alabama after the retirement of Kent Partridge, while remaining on the sidelines as the Tigers' head coach.

West Alabama eventually removed the interim tag from Gilliland, after which he resigned as head football coach.