Southwestern Athletic Conference
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- "Southwestern Conference" redirects here. For the former major conference in Texas and Arkansas, see Southwest Conference; for the Ohio High School Conference abbreviated as the SWC, see Southwestern Conference (Ohio)
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | |
| Established: 1920 | |
| NCAA | Division I FCS |
|---|---|
| Members | 10 |
| Sports fielded | 18 (men's: 8; women's: 10) |
| Region | Southern |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Commissioner | Duer Sharp |
| Website | www.swac.org |
| Locations | |
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The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a mid-major 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) which do not participate in postseason play in the FCS football tournament—and is the only one of the two whose members offer a full complement of scholarships for football.[1] The SWAC splits its schools into two divisions, and instead plays a conference championship game. Furthermore, one SWAC match — the Southern (BR) vs Grambling State game — is positioned on the schedule after the NCAA tournament has begun. In addition to the Bayou Classic being played after the start of the NCAA Tournament, Alabama State University plays non-conference foe Tuskegee University (SIAC) annually on Thanksgiving Day (The Turkey Day Classic).
These moves have been criticized by other conferences containing historically black universities, 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.
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[edit] 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 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 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 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.
Today, the SWAC ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni playing with professional sports teams, particularly in the sport of football. On the gridiron, the conference as 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. In fact, 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.
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]
[edit] SWAC Divisions
[edit] Eastern Division
- Alabama A&M Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs
- Alabama State Hornets and Lady Hornets
- Alcorn State Braves and Lady Braves
- Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils and Devilettes
- Jackson State Tigers and Lady Tigers
[edit] Western Division
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions
- Grambling State Tigers and Lady Tigers
- Prairie View Panthers and Lady Panthers
- Southern Jaguars
- Texas Southern Tigers and Lady Tigers
[edit] Former members (and years of membership)
- Arkansas AM&N (from 1936 to 1970; returned as Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 1997)
- Bishop College (from 1920 to 1956)
- Langston University (from 1931 to 1957)
- Paul Quinn College (from 1920 to 1929)
- Samuel Huston College (later Huston-Tillotson College) (from 1920 to 1959)
- Texas College (from 1920 to 1961)
- Wiley College (from 1920 to 1968)
[edit] Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M | Louis Crews Stadium | 21,000 | Elmore Gymnasium | 6,000 |
| Alabama State | Cramton Bowl | 21,800 | ASU Acadome | 8,000 |
| Alcorn State | Jack Spinks Stadium | 22,500 | Davey Whitney Complex | 7,000 |
| Arkansas Pine Bluff | Lion Stadium | 12,500 | K.L. Johnson Complex | 4,500 |
| Grambling State | Eddie Robinson Stadium | 29,600 | Health & Physical Educational Building Memorial Gymnasium |
7,500 2,200 |
| Jackson State | Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium | 62,000 | Williams Assembly Center | 8,000 |
| Mississippi Valley State | Rice-Totten Field | 10,000 | Harrison HPER Complex | 5,000 |
| Prairie View A&M | Blackshear Stadium | 6,000 | William Nicks Building | 5,520 |
| Southern | Ace W. Mumford Stadium | 25,500 | F.G. Clark Center | 7,500 |
| Texas Southern | Alexander Durley Sports Complex (primary) Reliant Stadium (secondary) |
5,600 68,000 |
Health and Physical Education Arena | 8,100 |
[edit] SWAC Championships
[edit] Football
All games at Legion Field Birmingham, Alabama
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Southern | Jackson State | 31-30 |
| 2000 | Grambling | Alabama A&M | 14-6 |
| 2001 | Grambling | Alabama State | 38-31 |
| 2002 | Grambling | Alabama A&M | 31-19 |
| 2003 | Southern | Alabama State | 20-9 |
| 2004 | Alabama State | Southern | 40-35 |
| 2005 | Grambling | Alabama A&M | 45-6 |
| 2006 | Alabama A&M | Arkansas Pine Bluff | 22–13 |
| 2007 | Jackson State | Grambling | 42–31 |
| 2008 | Grambling | Jackson State | 41-9 |
[edit] Men's Basketball
| Year | Regular Season | Coach | Tournament | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-1957 | Texas Southern | Ed Adams | None Held | |
| 1957-1958 | Texas Southern | Ed Adams | None Held | |
| 1958-1959 | Grambling | Fred Hobby | None Held | |
| 1959-1960 | Grambling | Fred Hobby | None Held | |
| 1960-1961 | Prairie View A&M | Leroy Moore, Jr. | None Held | |
| 1961-1962 | Prairie View A&M | Leroy Moore, Jr. | None Held | |
| 1962-1963 | Grambling | Fred Hobby | None Held | |
| 1963-1964 | Grambling | Fred Hobby
Harrison Wilson |
None Held | |
| 1964-1965 | Southern | Richard Mack | None Held | |
| 1965-1966 | Alcorn State | E.E.Simmons
Fred Hobby |
None Held | |
| 1966-1967 | Alcorn State | E.E. Simmons
Hubert Clemens Fred Hobby |
None Held | |
| 1967-1968 | Alcorn State | Bob Hopkins
Paul Covington |
None Held | |
| 1968-1969 | Alcorn State | Bob Hopkins | None Held | |
| 1969-1970 | Jackson State | Paul Covington | None Held | |
| 1970-1971 | Grambling | Fred Hobby | None Held | |
| 1971-1972 | Grambling | Fred Hobby | None Held | |
| 1972-1973 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | None Held | |
| 1973-1974 | Jackson State | Paul Covington | None Held | |
| 1974-1975 | Jackson State | Paul Covington | None Held | |
| 1975-1976 | Alcorn State | Davey L. Whitney | None Held | |
| 1976-1977 | Texas Southern | Robert Moreland | None 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 | Davey L. Whitney
Carl Stewart |
Southern | Carl Stewart |
| 1981-1982 | Alcorn 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 | 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 | Bob Hopkins
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 | 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 | 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 |
[edit] Tournaments 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 |
| Texas Southern |
|
1990, 1994, 1995, 2003 |
| Mississippi Valley State |
|
1986, 1992, 1996, 2008 |
| Alabama State |
|
2001, 2004, 2009 |
| Prairie View A&M |
|
1998 |
| Alabama A&M |
|
2005 |
[edit] 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 | Shirley Walker
Herman Hartman |
Mississippi Valley State | Jessie Harris |
| 1993-1994 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker | Grambling | Patricia Bibbs |
| 1994-1995 | Alcorn State | Shirley Walker
Patricia Bibbs Andrew Pennington |
Jackson State | Andrew Pennington |
| 1995-1996 | Alcorn 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 | 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 | Denise Taylor
Sandy Pugh |
Southern | Sandra Pugh |
| 2006-2007 | Prairie View A&M | 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 |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
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| African American topics | |
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Political movements
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Sports
Negro league baseball |
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Ethnic sub-divisions
Black Indians · Gullah · Igbo |
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Diaspora
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| Category · Portal | |
- ^ The Ivy League does not award athletic scholarships at all. Northeast Conference members are limited to 30 football scholarships, less than half the FCS scholarship limit of 63. Pioneer League members may offer scholarships in other sports, but do not award football scholarships, and do not allow athletes receiving scholarships in other sports to play football.
- ^ http://www.swac.org/conference/history.htm
[edit] External links
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