Fast Facts
Marion Military Institute Fast Facts
- MMI traces its origin back to 1842, as the original Howard College. Marion Military Institute was founded in 1887 and was granted a charter by the State of Alabama in 1889.
- The MMI Chapel is a national landmark, registered with the National Register of Historical Places.
- Historically, MMI was a private institution. In 2006, through an act of legislation, the Institute became a member of the Alabama Community College System.
- Today MMI is one of four junior military colleges in the nation authorized to commission qualified cadets as officers in the U.S. Army after only two years of college through the Early Commissioning Program. MMI is consistently one of the top U.S. Army ROTC commissioning programs in the nation.
- Woodrow Wilson is responsible for the current MMI colors and mascot. Wilson, then president of Princeton University, was the Government Day Speaker at the Institute in 1905. Following his speech, MMI’s colors were changed to orange and black and the athletic teams were called the “Tigers” in honor of Wilson and Princeton University.
- MMI Athletics consists of the following programs: Baseball, men’s Basketball, men’s & women’s Tennis, Softball, men’s and women’s Cross Country, and men’s and women’s golf.
- MMI has produced more than 205 Generals and Admirals for the U.S. Armed Forces.
- The General Bruce K. Holloway Service Academy Preparatory (SAP) Program instituted in 1910, is a designated preparatory program for the five U.S. Service Academies:
- U.S. Military Academy at West Point
- U.S. Naval Academy
- U.S. Air Force Academy
- U.S. Coast Guard Academy
- U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
- The MMI Corps has become a well known participant in Birmingham, Alabama’s Annual Veterans Day Parade (recognized nationwide as the oldest and largest Veterans Day celebration).