Dr. Ken Bodiford Announces Retirement After 32 Years as Jax State's Director of Bands

Jacksonville, AL (09/28/2025) — Dr. Kenneth G. Bodiford, the longtime Director of Bands whose leadership and vision helped make Jacksonville State University's Marching Southerners a global standard-bearer, has announced he will retire at the end of the current season, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

When Bodiford returned to Jacksonville State in 1994 to lead the bands, he took over a program of about 120 members and guided it through three decades of steady growth, innovation, and once-in-a-lifetime stages for thousands of Gamecocks. Today, the Marching Southerners have grown to more than 500 members, making them one of the largest collegiate marching ensembles in the nation.

"Over three decades, this has been the honor of my life," Dr. Bodiford told students and alumni as he shared the news. "We've shared some incredible shows, but the real magic has always been the family bond we build year after year Creating a place where every single person feels like they belong-that is what makes the Southerners truly special."

His Jax State story began in 1983, when he arrived from Odenville, Alabama, as a freshman. After earning his bachelor's degree in music education in 1988, he went on to earn a master's degree at East Carolina University and begin his teaching career directing the band at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia, before returning home to Jax State. He later earned his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Alabama in 2012.

Under Bodiford's direction, the Marching Southerners have grown in size and reputation while elevating the entire Jax State Bands program. Their stages became world maps: leading London's New Year's Day Parade in 2012 as part of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee celebration, performing at the 75th anniversary commemoration of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 2016, appearing in Rome and at the Vatican for World Peace Day in 2019, and taking part in solemn commemorations across Normandy, France, for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in June 2024.

Along the way, the Southerners earned what many call the "Heisman of college marching bands": the Sudler Trophy, awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation to one collegiate band every two years (presented to Jax State on Nov. 12, 2022)-with Jax State recognized as the smallest university ever to receive the honor.

The program's national footprint continues to grow. Most recently, the Marching Southerners were invited to perform in the 138th Rose Parade Presented by Honda on Jan. 1, 2027-an audience of tens of millions and a fitting showcase for the band's trademark power and precision.

President Don C. Killingsworth, Jr., praised Bodiford's impact on campus culture and generations of music educators and performers nationwide.

"On behalf of the entire university, I would like to thank Dr. Bodiford for more than three decades of extraordinary service and for representing Jax State with excellence on every stage," said President Killingsworth. "The Marching Southerners are synonymous with Jacksonville State University, inspiring pride in our alumni and community wherever they go. His influence is seen in band rooms nationwide-in the many directors who learned from him and marched for him here-and in the lives of students he's mentored. He has showcased Jax State and the Southerners to the world, and our university is stronger because of his leadership."

In addition to directing the Southerners, Bodiford has led the Jax State Chamber Winds, the university's top wind ensemble, and taught advanced conducting classes. He also served as director of the Spirit Drum and Bugle Corps from 2001 to 2007 and was appointed to lead the United States Army All-American Marching Band in 2016-17.

Widely respected in the band world, Bodiford has been in demand as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the country, including for Winter Guard International. His teaching excellence was recognized most recently with the McWhorter Outstanding Teacher Award.

Bodiford emphasized that the program's future is bright and that this season should be a celebration, not a farewell tour. "My dream has always been to see this program continue to grow stronger each year My biggest hope is that you will give your new director the same respect, loyalty, and support that you have given me," he wrote, adding a charge to students to "go into the world and 'be the light.'"

As the Southerners approach their 70th anniversary in 2026, Bodiford is only the sixth person to serve as director. Since 1948, the Marching Southerners have carried Jax State's spirit to iconic venues around the world. Under Dr. Bodiford's leadership, that spirit became a signature sound-and a family-recognized far beyond Alabama.

A Legacy of Milestones (Selected Highlights)

About Jacksonville State University: Founded in 1883 as a state teachers' college, Jacksonville State University has grown from humble beginnings into the Alabama regional university with the highest percentage of accredited programs. Located in the Appalachian foothills midway between Birmingham and Atlanta, Jax State offers more than 150 courses of study, including over 40 online programs, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To learn more, visit www.jsu.edu, call 1-800-231-JAX1, or e-mail jaxfacts@jsu.edu.

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