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Jackson State could win its second SWAC football championship in the last three years.

Judging by recent attendance numbers, the Tiger fans don’t care.

Jackson State (3-5, 3-2 SWAC) has averaged a paltry 9,697 for its first three home games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium this season, according to The Clarion-Ledger. The Tigers’ last home game against Alabama State on Nov. 7 drew only 18,500.

That’s a far cry from the 1990s when the late James “Big Daddy’’ Carson coached Jackson State.

The Tigers were always among the Division I-AA attendance leaders for their home games, producing crowds between 50,000 and 64,000 at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Those days are long gone, as Jackson State is headed toward its worst attended home schedule in school history.

Southern University moved its contest to Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, hoping for a huge crowd.

Jaguar Nation was disappointed that the Tigers’ 22-14 victory produced a crowd of 33,977, the worst attended JSU-SU contest in Jackson.

Even the Tigers’ annual “Soul Bowl’’ contest against Alcorn State has dropped on hard times. Usually producing crowds over 60,000, the renamed Capital City Classic now lands somewhere between 35,000 and 45,000 since 2003.

Jackson State officials can’t blame the economic recession for its attendance issues.

The problem started in 2002 when Jackson State fired coach Robert Hughes and hired James Bell.

The hiring of Bell did not sit well with some Jackson State alumni, which slowly caused its fan base to dwindle. Old-school Jackson State fans loved Hughes, who was a Tiger alumnus, where Bell wasn’t.

Things became so sad that Tiger fans would often leave games at halftime.

I couldn’t believe my eyes in 2004 when the Tigers were playing Alabama State at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Fans left Memorial Stadium at halftime, which is a no-no in SWAC country. Fans usually leave until after the game when both bands have played.

Rick Comegy has stepped in and rebuilt the Tigers’ program, but the fans continued to stay away.

Jackson State must revamp its marketing scheme to find a way to bring the fans back. If not, they’ll continue to lose revenue.

James Jones, can be reached at 896-2320.