| Southwestern Athletic Conference | |
| Established | 1920 |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division I FCS |
| Members | 10 |
| Sports fielded | 18 (men's: 8; women's: 10) |
| Region | Southern |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Commissioner | Duer Sharp |
| Website | swac.org |
| Locations | |
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), still frequently referred to by its former designation of Division I-AA.
The SWAC is one of two conferences – the other being the Ivy League – that does not participate in the FCS football playoffs, and is the only one of the two whose members offer a full complement of scholarships for football.[1] The SWAC instead splits its schools into two divisions, and plays a conference championship game. Furthermore, one SWAC game, the Bayou Classic between Southern and Grambling State, is positioned on the schedule after the NCAA tournament has begun. In addition, Alabama State plays Division II rival Tuskegee annually on Thanksgiving Day (The Turkey Day Classic). These moves have been criticized by other conferences containing historically black universities,[citation needed] especially the only other Division I conference made up entirely of such schools, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which annually places its champion into the FCS tournament.
History[]
In 1920, athletic officials from six Texas HBCUs — C.H. Fuller of Bishop College, Red Randolph and C.H. Patterson of Paul Quinn College, E.G. Evans, H.J. Evans and H.J. Starns of Prairie View A&M, D.C. Fuller of Texas College and G. Whitte Jordan of Wiley College — met in Houston, Texas, to discuss common interests. At this meeting, they agreed to form a new league, the SWAC.
Paul Quinn became the first of the original members to withdraw from the league when it did so in 1929. When Langston University of Oklahoma was admitted into the conference two years later, it began the migration of state-supported institutions into the SWAC. Southern University entered the ranks in 1934, followed by Arkansas AM&N (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) in 1936 and Texas Southern University in 1954.
Rapid growth in enrollment of the state-supported schools made it difficult for the church-supported schools to finance their athletics programs and one by one they fell victim to the growing prowess of the state-supported colleges. Bishop withdrew from the conference in 1956, Langston in 1957 and Huston-Tillotson (formerly Samuel Huston) in 1959, one year after the admittance of two more state-supported schools: Grambling College and Jackson State College. The enter-exit cycle continued in 1961 when Texas College withdrew, followed by the admittance of Alcorn A&M (now Alcorn State University) in 1962. Wiley left in 1968, the same year Mississippi Valley State College entered. Arkansas AM&N exited in 1970 and Alabama State University entered in 1982. Arkansas–Pine Bluff (formerly Arkansas AM&N) rejoined the SWAC on July 1, 1997, regaining full-member status one year later. Alabama A&M University became the conference’s tenth member when it became a full member in September, 1999 after a one year period as an affiliate SWAC member.[2] Most of the former SWAC members that have left the conference are currently a part of the Red River Athletic Conference of the NAIA.
Today, the SWAC, considered the premier HBCU conference, ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni playing with professional sports teams, particularly in the sport of football.[citation needed] On the gridiron, the conference has been the biggest draw on the Football Championship Subdivision level of the NCAA, leading the nation in average home attendance for 19 of the 20 years the FCS has been in existence.[citation needed] In 1994, the SWAC fell just 40,000 fans short of becoming the first non-Football Bowl Subdivision conference to attract one million fans to its home games.[citation needed]
Current championship competition offered by the SWAC includes competition for men in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track, outdoor track & field and tennis. Women’s competition is offered in the sports of basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, indoor track, outdoor track & field, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.[2]
Member schools[]
Current full members[]
Considered the premier HBCU athletic conference, the SWAC comprises ten schools.
| Institution | Location (Population) |
Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Nickname | U.S. News HBCU Ranking[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Division | |||||||
| Alabama A&M University | Huntsville, Alabama (176,645) |
1875 | Public | 6,000 | 1999 | Bulldogs | 22 |
| Alabama State University | Montgomery, Alabama (204,086) |
1867 | Public | 6,000 | 1982 | Hornets | 40–72 |
| Alcorn State University | Lorman, Mississippi | 1871 | Public | 3,200 | 1962 | Braves | 27 |
| Jackson State University | Jackson, Mississippi (156,382) |
1877 | Public | 8,300 | 1958 | Tigers | 27 |
| Mississippi Valley State University | Itta Bena, Mississippi (2,208) |
1950 | Public | 2,500 | 1968 | Delta Devils | 40–72 |
| West Division | |||||||
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff, Arkansas (50,667) |
1873 | Public | 3,200 | 1936, 1997* |
Golden Lions | 40–72 |
| Grambling State University | Grambling, Louisiana (4,693) |
1901 | Public | 6,900 | 1958 | Tigers | 36 |
| Prairie View A&M University | Prairie View, Texas (4,410) |
1876 | Public | 8,300 | 1920 | Panthers | 35 |
| Southern University and A&M College | Baton Rouge, Louisiana (227,017) |
1880 | Public | 7,300 | 1935 | Jaguars | 40–72 |
| Texas Southern University | Houston, Texas (2,242,193) |
1947 | Public | 11,000 | 1954 | Tigers | 40–72 |
- Note
- Arkansas–Pine Bluff was a member of the SWAC from 1936 to 1970 as Arkansas AM&N before re-joining in the 1997-98 academic season, and to gain full member status a year later.
Former members[]
| Institution | Location (Population) | Joined | Left | Nickname | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop College | Marshall, Texas (23,523) Dallas, Texas (1,197,816) |
1920 | 1956 | Tigers | Closed in 1988, now part of Paul Quinn College as a site campus. |
| Langston University | Langston, Oklahoma (1,724) |
1931 | 1957 | Lions | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
| Paul Quinn College | Dallas, Texas (1,197,816) |
1920 | 1929 | Tigers | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
| Huston–Tillotson University* | Austin, Texas (820,611) |
1920 | 1959 | Rams | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
| Texas College | Tyler, Texas (96,900) |
1920 | 1961 | Steers | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) CSFL (football) |
| Wiley College | Marshall, Texas (23,523) |
1920 | 1968 | Wildcats | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
Note
* Huston–Tillotson was formerly known as Samuel Huston College.
Membership timeline[]
Sports[]
The SWAC sponsors championship competitions in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports[4]:
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Bowling | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Football | ||
| Golf | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track and Field (Indoor) | ||
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | ||
| Volleyball |
Facilities[]
| School | Football stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity | Baseball stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M | Louis Crews Stadium | 21,000 | Elmore Gymnasium | 6,000 | Bulldog Field | N/A |
| Alabama State | Cramton Bowl Hornet Stadium |
25,000 30,000 |
ASU Acadome | 7,400 | Wheeler–Watkins Baseball Complex | 500 |
| Alcorn State | Jack Spinks Stadium | 22,500 | Davey Whitney Complex | 7,000 | Foster Baseball Field at McGowan Stadium | N/A |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Golden Lion Stadium | 12,500 | K. L. Johnson Complex | 4,500 | Torii Hunter Baseball/Softball Complex | N/A |
| Grambling State | Eddie Robinson Stadium | 19,600 | Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center | 7,500 | Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones Park and Wilbert Ellis Field | N/A |
| Jackson State | Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium | 62,000 | Williams Assembly Center | 8,000 | Braddy Field | 800 |
| Mississippi Valley | Rice–Totten Field | 10,000 | Harrison HPER Complex | 5,000 | Magnolia Field | N/A |
| Prairie View A&M | Edward L. Blackshear Field | 6,000 | William Nicks Building | 5,520 | Panther Baseball Field | N/A |
| Southern | Ace W. Mumford Stadium | 29,000 | F. G. Clark Center | 7,500 | Lee–Hines Field | N/A |
| Texas Southern | BBVA Compass Stadium (primary) Reliant Stadium (secondary) |
22,000 68,000 |
Health and Physical Education Arena | 8,100 | MacGregor Park | N/A |
- Alabama State will open its new stadium in November 2012. Early-season home games will remain at the Cramton Bowl.
SWAC Championships[]
Football[]
All games have been played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Southern | Jackson State | 31-30 |
| 2000 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M | 14-6 |
| 2001 | Grambling State | Alabama State | 38-31 |
| 2002 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M | 31-19 |
| 2003 | Southern | Alabama State | 20-9 |
| 2004 | Alabama State | Southern | 40-35 |
| 2005 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M | 45-6 |
| 2006 | Alabama A&M | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 22–13 |
| 2007 | Jackson State | Grambling State | 42–31 |
| 2008 | Grambling State | Jackson State | 41-9 |
| 2009 | Prairie View A&M | Alabama A&M | 30-24 |
| 2010 | Texas Southern | Alabama State | 11-6 |
| 2011 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M | 16-15 |
Men's basketball[]
| Year | Regular Season | Coach | Tournament | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–1957 | Texas Southern | Ed Adams | not held | |
| 1957–1958 | Texas Southern | Ed Adams | not held | |
| 1958–1959 | Grambling | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1959–1960 | Grambling | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1960–1961 | Prairie View A&M | Leroy Moore, Jr. | not held | |
| 1961–1962 | Prairie View A&M | Leroy Moore, Jr. | not held | |
| 1962–1963 | Grambling | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1963–1964 | Grambling Jackson State |
Fred Hobdy Harrison Wilson |
not held | |
| 1964–1965 | Southern | Richard Mack | not held | |
| 1965–1966 | Alcorn State Grambling |
E.E. Simmons Fred Hobby |
not held | |
| 1966–1967 | Alcorn State Arkansas AM&N Grambling |
E.E. Simmons Hubert Clemens Fred Hobby |
not held | |
| 1967–1968 | Alcorn State Jackson State |
Bob Hopkins Paul Covington |
not held | |
| 1968–1969 | Alcorn State | Bob Hopkins | not held | |
| 1969–1970 | Jackson State | Paul Covington | not held | |
| 1970–1971 | Grambling | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1971–1972 | Grambling | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1972–1973 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | not held | |
| 1973–1974 | Jackson State | Paul Covington | not held | |
| 1974–1975 | Jackson State | Paul Covington | not held | |
| 1975–1976 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | not held | |
| 1976–1977 | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland | not held | |
| 1977–1978 | Southern | Carl Stewart | Jackson State | Paul Covington |
| 1978–1979 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney |
| 1979–1980 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney |
| 1980–1981 | Alcorn State Southern |
Davey L. Whitney Carl Stewart |
Southern | Carl Stewart |
| 1981–1982 | Alcorn State Jackson State |
Davey L. Whitney Paul Covington |
Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney |
| 1982–1983 | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney |
| 1983–1984 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney |
| 1984–1985 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | Southern | Bob Hopkins |
| 1985–1986 | Alcorn State Southern |
Davey L. Whitney Bob Hopkins |
Mississippi Valley State | Lafayette Stribling |
| 1986–1987 | Grambling | Bob Hopkins | Southern | Ben Jobe |
| 1987–1988 | Southern | Ben Jobe | Southern | Ben Jobe |
| 1988–1989 | Grambling Southern Texas Southern |
Bob Hopkins Ben Jobe Robert Moreland |
Southern | Ben Jobe |
| 1989–1990 | Southern | Ben Jobe | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland |
| 1990–1991 | Jackson State | Andy Stoglin | Jackson State | Andy Stoglin |
| 1991–1992 | Texas Southern Mississippi Valley State |
Robert Moreland Lafayette Stribling |
Mississippi Valley State | Lafayette Stribling |
| 1992–1993 | Jackson State | Andy Stoglin | Southern | Ben Jobe |
| 1993–1994 | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland |
| 1994–1995 | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland |
| 1995–1996 | Jackson State Mississippi Valley State |
Andy Stoglin Lafayette Stribling |
Mississippi Valley State | Lafayette Stribling |
| 1996–1997 | Mississippi Valley State | Lafayette Stribling | Jackson State | Andy Stoglin |
| 1997–1998 | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland | Prairie View A&M | Elwood Plummer |
| 1998–1999 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney |
| 1999–2000 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | Jackson State | Andy Stoglin |
| 2000–2001 | Alabama State | Rob Spivery | Alabama State | Rob Spivery |
| 2001–2002 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney |
| 2002–2003 | Prairie View A&M | Jerome Francis | Texas Southern | Ronnie Courtney |
| 2003–2004 | Mississippi Valley State | Lafayette Stribling | Alabama State | Rob Spivery |
| 2004–2005 | Alabama A&M | L. Vann Pettaway | Alabama A&M | L. Vann Pettaway |
| 2005–2006 | Southern | Rob Spivery | Southern | Rob Spivery |
| 2006–2007 | Mississippi Valley State | James Green | Jackson State | Tevester Anderson |
| 2007–2008 | Alabama State | Lewis Jackson | Mississippi Valley State | James Green |
| 2008–2009 | Alabama State | Lewis Jackson | Alabama State | Lewis Jackson |
| 2009–2010 | Jackson State | Tevester Anderson | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | George Ivory |
| 2010–2011 | Texas Southern | Tony Harvey | Alabama State | Lewis Jackson |
| 2011-2012 | Mississippi Valley State | Sean Woods | Mississippi Valley State | Sean Woods |
Men's basketball tournament performance by school[]
| School | Championships | Championship Years |
|---|---|---|
| Alcorn State | 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1999, 2002 | |
| Southern | 1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2006 | |
| Jackson State | 1978, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2007 | |
| Mississippi Valley State | 1986, 1992, 1996, 2008, 2012 | |
| Texas Southern | 1990, 1994, 1995, 2003 | |
| Alabama State | 2001, 2004, 2009, 2011 | |
| Prairie View A&M | 1998 | |
| Alabama A&M | 2005 | |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 2010 |
Women's basketball[]
| Year | Regular season | Coach | Tournament | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–1982 | Jackson State | Sadie Magee | Jackson State | Sadie Magee |
| 1982–1983 | Jackson State | Sadie Magee | Jackson State | Sadie Magee |
| 1983–1984 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Jackson State | Sadie Magee |
| 1984–1985 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Jackson State | Sadie Magee |
| 1985–1986 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 1986–1987 | Grambling | Patricia Bibbs | Mississippi Valley State | Jessie Harris |
| 1987–1988 | Mississippi Valley State | Jessie Harris | Grambling | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1988–1989 | Grambling | Patricia Bibbs | Alabama State | Ron Mitchell |
| 1989–1990 | Jackson State | Andrew Pennington | ||
| 1990–1991 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 1991–1992 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 1992–1993 | Alcorn State Southern |
Shirley Walker Herman Hartman |
Mississippi Valley State | Jessie Harris |
| 1993–1994 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Grambling | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1994–1995 | Alcorn State Grambling Jackson State |
Shirley Walker Patricia Bibbs Andrew Pennington |
Jackson State | Andrew Pennington |
| 1995–1996 | Alcorn State Jackson State |
Shirley Walker Andrew Pennington |
Grambling | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1996–1997 | Grambling | Patricia Bibbs | Grambling | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1997–1998 | Grambling | David Ponton | Grambling | David Ponton |
| 1998–1999 | Grambling | David Ponton | Grambling | David Ponton |
| 1999–2000 | Grambling | David Ponton | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 2000–2001 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 2001–2002 | Southern | Sandra Pugh | Southern | Sandra Pugh |
| 2002–2003 | Alabama State Jackson State |
Freda Freeman-Jackson Denise Taylor |
Alabama State | Freda Freeman-Jackson |
| 2003–2004 | Alabama State | Freda Freeman-Jackson | Southern | Sandra Pugh |
| 2004–2005 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 2005–2006 | Jackson State Southern |
Denise Taylor Sandy Pugh |
Southern | Sandra Pugh |
| 2006–2007 | Prairie View A&M Jackson State |
Cynthia Cooper Denise Taylor |
Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper |
| 2007–2008 | Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper | Jackson State | Denise Taylor |
| 2008–2009 | Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper | Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper |
| 2009–2010 | Southern | Southern | ||
| 2010–2011 | Southern | Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper | |
| 2011-12 |
References[]
Notes
- ↑ The Ivy League does not award athletic scholarships at all. Two other FCS conferences do not award football scholarships—the football-only Pioneer Football League (PFL) and the Patriot League (which offers scholarships in other sports). However, the Patriot League accepts its automatic berth in the FCS playoffs. Until 2013, PFL teams were eligible for the playoffs, but the league had no automatic berth and no team was ever selected for an at-large berth. Beginning in 2013, the PFL will receive an automatic berth into the FCS playoffs. Since the 2010 playoffs, all scholarship-awarding FCS conferences apart from the SWAC receive and accept playoff berths.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.swac.org/conference/history.htm
- ↑ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/hbcu/spp+50
- ↑ http://www.swac.org
External links[]
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