City of Mobile, Hancock Whitney Stadium win bid to host 2026, 2028 AHSAA Super 7 football state championships

Protective Stadium in Birmingham set to host 2025, 2027 championships

BY COLE McNANNA
Sports Editor
cole@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 1/29/25

The City of Mobile and Hancock Whitney Stadium were officially added to the rotation of host sites for the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Super 7 football state championships.

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City of Mobile, Hancock Whitney Stadium win bid to host 2026, 2028 AHSAA Super 7 football state championships

Protective Stadium in Birmingham set to host 2025, 2027 championships

Posted

The City of Mobile and Hancock Whitney Stadium were officially added to the rotation of host sites for the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Super 7 football state championships.

Mobile was selected to host the 2026 and 2028 championships during Wednesday’s annual meeting of the Central Board of Control.

Last summer, Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn were removed from the rotation due to the expanded College Football Playoff. Protective Stadium in Birmingham was next in line and hosted the 2024 championships and will again host the Super 7 championships in 2025 and 2027.

“I want to thank all the cities that showed interest in hosting our Super 7 football championships in the coming years,” said AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon in a Wednesday release. “All were impressive and could be outstanding venues for our Super 7 event. However, after much study and discussion, we concluded these two cities were our best options at this time. And I especially want to thank our Central Board for their guidance and support.”

Harmon added that the stadiums in Mobile and Birmingham made the final cut because they are capable of hosting major events right away. The City of Mobile is also the AHSAA’s current host of the bowling and tennis state championships.

“We are grateful to the cities of Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Opelika, Auburn University, the University of Alabama and their tourism bureaus for taking the Super 7 championships to the next level,” Harmon said. “We think we now have an outstanding plan in place and look forward to continue working with Birmingham and now Mobile while striving to keep our Super 7 the envy of many other states across the nation.”

Super 7 history

The AHSAA first crowned all classifications’ champions at one site in 1996 when Legion Field in Birmingham took center stage. The championships remained at that location until 2009 when they bounced between Alabama and Auburn at whichever site wasn’t hosting the Iron Bowl that year. UAB’s Protective Stadium joined the rotation in 2021 to make it a three-year rotation but remained the lone host when Alabama and Auburn withdrew.

With a Class 5A title in 2023, Gulf Shores marks the last Baldwin County team to win a state championship at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The Dolphins joined the 6A Daphne Trojans (2010) and 5A Spanish Fort Toros (2010 and 2012) in hoisting a Blue Map trophy in Tuscaloosa. Spanish Fort added a pair of championships at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2013 (5A) and 2015 (6A). Daphne marks the last local team to win at Legion Field in Birmingham with a 6A title in 2001.