Southwestern Athletic Conference
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| Southwestern Athletic Conference | |
|---|---|
| Southwestern Athletic Conference logo | |
| 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 | www |
| Locations | |
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The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate 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 widely considered the premier HBCU conference and ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni playing with professional sports teams, particularly in football.[1] On the gridiron, the conference has been the biggest draw on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level of the NCAA, leading the nation in average home attendance for 36 of the 37 years the FCS has been in existence.[2] 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.
Contents
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 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.[3] Most of the former SWAC members that have left the conference are currently a part of the Red River Athletic Conference of the NAIA.
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.[4] 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 historically played Division II rival Tuskegee annually on Thanksgiving Day (The Turkey Day Classic), but the two colleges ended that contest after 2012 so that Tuskegee could participate in the NCAA playoffs.
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.[3]
Member schools
Current full members
The SWAC comprises ten schools.
- 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) | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Nickname | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop College | Marshall, Texas (23,523) Dallas, Texas (1,197,816) |
1881 | Private | n/a | 1920 | 1956 | Tigers | Closed in 19881 |
| Langston University | Langston, Oklahoma (1,724) |
1897 | Public | 3,922 | 1931 | 1957 | Lions | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
| Paul Quinn College | Dallas, Texas (1,197,816) |
1872 | Private | 1,020 | 1920 | 1929 | Tigers | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
| Huston–Tillotson University2 | Austin, Texas (820,611) |
1881 | Private | 900 | 1920 | 1959 | Rams | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
| Texas College | Tyler, Texas (96,900) |
1894 | Private | 600 | 1920 | 1961 | Steers | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) CSFL (football) |
| Wiley College | Marshall, Texas (23,523) |
1873 | Private | 1,200 | 1920 | 1968 | Wildcats | RRAC/Red River (NAIA) |
Note
- - Bishop College is now part of Paul Quinn College as a site campus.
- - Huston–Tillotson University 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:[8]
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |
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| Basketball |
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| Bowling |
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| Cross Country |
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| Football |
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| Golf |
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| Soccer |
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| Softball |
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| Tennis |
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| Track and Field (Indoor) |
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| Track and Field (Outdoor) |
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| Volleyball |
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Facilities
SWAC Championships
Football
Prior to splitting into divisions and using a postseason championship game to decide its overall champion, the SWAC determined its champions by winning-percentage against conference opponents in regular season play.
In 1933 Langston appeared to win the title outright with a 4-0 conference record after the regular season, while Wiley finished 4-1, and Prairie View A&M finished 3-1. Langston was invited to the Prairie View Bowl, which was won by Prairie View. The Panthers subsequently declared themselves SWAC champions even though their claim was based on a postseason game. The SWAC seems to acknowledge both schools' claims to the title in the conference's football media guide,[10] although some other sources[11] including Michael Hurd's Black College Football, 1892–1992: One Hundred Years of History, Education, and Pride (1993) also list Wiley as an additional co-champion, apparently since all three schools had 4-1 records against conference opponents if the postseason game is incorporated into the regular season conference standings.
Prairie View vacated[11] its 1941 championship.[12] No championship was awarded in 1943 due to World War II.[11] Grambling State vacated its 1975 championship[13] due to a violation of SWAC rules for scheduling opponents.[14]
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Games from 1999–2012 were played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The conference moved the game in 2013 to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Starting in 2015, the winner of the SWAC will play the winner of the MEAC conference in an overall championship bowl game called the Celebration Bowl in the Georgia Dome. The MEAC gave up its automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs for this game.
Texas Southern vacated its 2010 championship due to violations of NCAA rules.[15]
| Year | Champion | 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 (vacated) | Alabama State | 11-6 |
| 2011 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M | 16-15 |
| 2012 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Jackson State | 24-21 |
| 2013 | Southern | Jackson State | 34-27 |
| 2014 | Alcorn State | Southern | 38-24 |
| 2015 | Alcorn State | Grambling State | 49-21[16] |
Since splitting into western and eastern divisions and using a postseason championship game to decide its overall champion, the SWAC determines its division champions by winning-percentage against conference opponents in regular season play. For the 1999 season only, inter-divisional conference games did not count in the conference standings. Each division's outright champion or top-seeded co-champion advances to the championship game.[10]
Texas Southern vacated its 2010 division championship due to violations of NCAA rules.[15]
| Year | Western Division Champion(s) | Eastern Division Champion(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Southern | Jackson State |
| 2000 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M* Alabama State |
| 2001 | Grambling State | Alabama State |
| 2002 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M |
| 2003 | Southern* Grambling State |
Alabama State* Alcorn State |
| 2004 | Southern | Alabama State |
| 2005 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M |
| 2006 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Alabama A&M |
| 2007 | Grambling State | Jackson State |
| 2008 | Grambling State | Jackson State |
| 2009 | Prairie View A&M | Alabama A&M |
| 2010 | Texas Southern* (vacated) Grambling State |
Alabama State* Jackson State |
| 2011 | Grambling State | Alabama A&M* Alabama State Jackson State** |
| 2012 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Jackson State* Alabama State |
| 2013 | Southern | Jackson State |
| 2014 | Southern | Alcorn State |
| 2015 | Grambling State | Alcorn State |
Note: an asterisk denotes the division's top-seeded co-champion and representative in the SWAC Championship Game; a double-asterisk denotes that the division's co-champion was ineligible for the SWAC Championship Game due to a violation of SWAC rules that were in effect from 2011[17] to 2014[18] concerning APR scores
Men's basketball
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The SWAC Basketball Tournament is held at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston, Texas for the 2014 - 2016 seasons. The SWAC tournament span over five-days and attracts tens of thousands in attendance, Saturday's championship game is nationally televised live on the ESPN network.
| 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 State | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1959–1960 | Grambling State | 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 State | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1963–1964 | Grambling State Jackson State |
Fred Hobdy Harrison Wilson |
not held | |
| 1964–1965 | Southern | Richard Mack | not held | |
| 1965–1966 | Alcorn State Grambling State |
E.E. Simmons Fred Hobby |
not held | |
| 1966–1967 | Alcorn State Arkansas-Pine Bluff Grambling State |
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 State | Fred Hobdy | not held | |
| 1971–1972 | Grambling State | 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 State | Bob Hopkins | Southern | Ben Jobe |
| 1987–1988 | Southern | Ben Jobe | Southern | Ben Jobe |
| 1988–1989 | Grambling State 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 |
| 2012–2013 | Texas Southern | Mike Davis | Southern | Roman Banks |
| 2013–2014 | Southern | Roman Banks | Texas Southern | Mike Davis |
| 2014–2015 | Texas Southern | Mike Davis | Texas Southern | Mike Davis |
Men's basketball tournament performance by school
| School | Championships | Championship Years |
|---|---|---|
| Southern |
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1981, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2006, 2013 |
| Alcorn State |
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1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1999, 2002 |
| Texas Southern |
|
1990, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2014, 2015 |
| Jackson State |
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1978, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2007 |
| Mississippi Valley State |
|
1986, 1992, 1996, 2008, 2012 |
| 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 State | Patricia Bibbs | Mississippi Valley State | Jessie Harris |
| 1987–1988 | Mississippi Valley State | Jessie Harris | Grambling State | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1988–1989 | Grambling State | Patricia Bibbs | Alabama State | Ron Mitchell |
| 1989–1990 | Grambling State | Patricia Bibbs | 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 State | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1994–1995 | Alcorn State Grambling State Jackson State |
Shirley Walker Patricia Bibbs Andrew Pennington |
Jackson State | Andrew Pennington |
| 1995–1996 | Alcorn State Jackson State |
Shirley Walker Andrew Pennington |
Grambling State | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1996–1997 | Grambling State | Patricia Bibbs | Grambling State | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1997–1998 | Grambling State | David Ponton | Grambling State | David Ponton |
| 1998–1999 | Grambling State | David Ponton | Grambling State | David Ponton |
| 1999–2000 | Grambling State | David Ponton | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 2000–2001 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 2001–2002 | Southern | Sandy Pugh | Southern | Sandy 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 | Sandy Pugh |
| 2004–2005 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker |
| 2005–2006 | Jackson State Southern |
Denise Taylor Sandy Pugh |
Southern | Sandy Pugh |
| 2006–2007 | Prairie View A&M Jackson State |
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke Denise Taylor |
Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper-Dyke |
| 2007–2008 | Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper-Dyke | Jackson State | Denise Taylor |
| 2008–2009 | Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper-Dyke | Prairie View A&M | Cynthia Cooper-Dyke |
| 2009–2010 | Southern | Sandy Pugh | Southern | Sandy Pugh |
| 2010–2011 | Southern | Sandy Pugh | Prairie View A&M | Toyelle Wilson |
| 2011-2012 | Mississippi Valley State | Nate Kilbert | Prairie View A&M | Toyelle Wilson |
| 2012-2013 | Texas Southern | Cynthia Cooper-Dyke | Prairie View A&M | Toyelle Wilson |
| 2013-2014 | Southern | Sandy Pugh | Prairie View A&M | Dawn Brown |
| 2014-2015 | Texas Southern | Johnetta Hayes-Perry | Alabama State | Freda Freeman-Jackson |
Baseball
This is a list of the last 10 SWAC Baseball Tournament champions. For the full history, see Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament.
| Year | Program |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Prairie View |
| 2007 | Prairie View |
| 2008 | Texas Southern |
| 2009 | Southern |
| 2010 | Grambling State |
| 2011 | Alcorn State |
| 2012 | Prairie View |
| 2013 | Jackson State |
| 2014 | Jackson State |
| 2015 | Texas Southern |
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 [1] Archived December 24, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ The Ivy League does not award athletic scholarships at all. One other FCS conference does not award football scholarships, namely the football-only Pioneer Football League (PFL). The Patriot League (which offers scholarships in other sports) also prohibited football scholarships until the 2013 season, when it will begin phasing in scholarship football over a four-year period. Nonetheless, the Patriot League has long accepted an 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] Archived December 13, 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ [3] Archived December 13, 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ [4] Archived January 5, 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://issuu.com/swac/docs/covers_swac-2015fbmg
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 http://gsutigers.com/documents/2010/9/7/2010__GSU_FB_Media_Guide_Final.pdf
- ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1532&dat=19411213&id=R6w7AAAAIBAJ&sjid=6SkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1800,21068718&hl=en
- ↑ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/image/v2%3A138F0D9908AC8D5F%40EANX-NB-13B0F7C92BC6DE4C%402442760-13B04A0A446F624B%4038-13B12F961B6A1100%40?p=EANX-NB
- ↑ http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/image/v2%3A138FFE8785E79426%40EANX-NB-13F67832504C071F%402442743-13F63B6D2549FB64%4026-13F7275F669CD788%40?p=EANX-NB
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://mobile.businessinsider.com/texas-southern-faces-2013-and-2014-postseason-ban-2012-10
- ↑ http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/gsu/2015/12/05/turnovers-kill-grambling-alcorn-captures-swac-title/76841814/
- ↑ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2011-07-19-3185056941_x.htm
- ↑ http://pbcommercial.com/sports/uapb/despite-apr-golden-lions-still-eligible-swac-football-title
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Southwestern Athletic Conference
- Organizations based in Birmingham, Alabama
- Organizations established in 1920
- College sports in Alabama
- College sports in Arkansas
- College sports in Louisiana
- College sports in Mississippi
- College sports in Texas
- Articles which contain graphical timelines
