Jackson State homecoming lives up to its Thee Greatest Show theme from the parade route to a fourth-quarter win

Jackson State promised Thee Greatest Show for homecoming. On Saturday the Tigers and their people delivered it from sunrise to the final whistle.

Candy and dancing on the parade route

Fans lined the streets around the Jackson State campus early Saturday morning for the annual homecoming parade. Grand marshal Dr. Hillard Lackey led the way as school bands and local groups marched past families who spent the morning catching candy and dancing along the curb.

Everybody knew how the parade would end. The Sonic Boom of the South closed it out and the crowd jumped to its feet. "Everybody was just performing so well," alumna Cynthia Lowe said. "We really enjoyed it this morning."

A message for the cymbal line

Plenty of fans showed up a day early. Tailgaters spent Friday night turning the stadium parking lot into a small town. Alumna Connie Mallory set up her RV and hoped the wind would not carry anything off. "We know everybody," she said. "It's like a neighborhood when we tailgate."

Debra Davis had her ticket in hand and a message for her son, who plays cymbals in the Sonic Boom. "Jacquavius, I love you, baby," she said with a smile. Then she told him to play those cymbals like he knows his momma is watching because she planned to be yelling.

Even the airport tailgated

By Saturday afternoon the grills were hot and blue and white covered the grounds at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Even the city's airport hosted its own tailgate to cheer on the Tigers. An airport spokesperson said the day feels like home and the airport wanted to be in the mix welcoming folks back to Jackson.

Recent graduate Richard Mays put it best. "You can't make this up," he said. "You got to be here to be here."

A comeback to close the show

Then came the football. A crowd of 44,173 watched Jackson State trail Florida A&M 17-12 heading into the fourth quarter. The Tigers answered with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jared Lockhart to Jabari Jones and a short scoring run by Nate Blount IV. The defense forced four turnovers and Jackson State won 27-17 to move to 6-1.

Homecoming in Jackson is part reunion and part concert and part block party. This year the Tigers made sure it ended with a win too.