Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and 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, formerly referred to as Division I-AA.
The SWAC is widely considered the premier HBCU conference and ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni affiliated with professional sports teams, particularly in football. 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 every year except one since FCS has been in existence. 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.
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 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 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 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. Most of the former SWAC members that have left the conference are currently a part of the Red River Athletic Conference of the NAIA.
Competitions
The SWAC is one of three conferences - the others being the Ivy League and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - that does not participate in the FCS football playoffs. The SWAC instead splits its schools into two divisions, and plays a conference championship game. Three of the SWAC's teams, Alabama State in the Turkey Day Classic and Grambling and Southern in the Bayou Classic, play their last games of the regular season on Thanksgiving weekend, preventing the SWAC Championship from being decided until the first weekend of December, long after the tournament is underway. The SWAC has occasionally been a participant in bowl games, the most recent being the Celebration Bowl, which features the SWAC as one of its tie-ins.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.
Member schools
Current full members
The SWAC comprises ten schools.Note:
UAPB – 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.
Associate members
Future members
Former members
Note- - Upon the closure of Bishop College, Paul Quinn College relocated from Waco to Dallas and re-established itself at the Bishop College campus.
- - Huston–Tillotson University was formerly known as Samuel Huston College.
Divisional realignment
| East Division | West Division |
| Alabama A&M | Alcorn State |
| Alabama State | Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
| Bethune-Cookman | Grambling State |
| Florida A&M | Prairie View A&M |
| Jackson State | Southern |
| Mississippi Valley State | Texas Southern |
Membership timeline
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id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
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id:AssocOS value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all
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bar:4 color:Full from:1920 till:1959 text:Samuel Huston
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bar:6 color:Full from:1920 till:1968 text:Wiley
bar:7 color:Full from:1931 till:1957 text:Langston
bar:8 color:Full from:1934 till:end text:Southern
bar:9 color:Full from:1936 till:1970 text:Arkansas AM&N/Arkansas–Pine Bluff
bar:9 color:AssocF from:1997 till:1998
bar:9 color:Full from:1998 till:end
bar:10 color:Full from:1954 till:end text:Texas Southern
bar:11 color:Full from:1958 till:end text:Grambling State
bar:12 color:Full from:1958 till:end text:Jackson State
bar:13 color:Full from:1962 till:end text:Alcorn State
bar:14 color:Full from:1968 till:end text:Mississippi Valley State
bar:15 color:Full from:1982 till:end text:Alabama State
bar:16 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Alabama A&M
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Sports
The SWAC sponsors championship competitions in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:| Sport | Men's | Women's |
| Baseball | ||
| Basketball | ||
| Bowling | ||
| Cross Country | ||
| Football | ||
| Golf | ||
| Soccer | ||
| Softball | ||
| Tennis | ||
| Track and Field | ||
| Track and Field | ||
| Volleyball |
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, although some other sources including Michael Hurd's Black College Football, 1892–1992: One Hundred Years of History, Education, and Pride 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 its 1941 championship. No championship was awarded in 1943 due to World War II. Grambling State vacated its 1975 championship due to a violation of SWAC rules for scheduling opponents.
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 2019, the game will officially be played at the first place team's home. Since 2015, the winner of the SWAC plays the winner of the MEAC conference in an overall HBCU championship bowl game called the Celebration Bowl in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 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.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
| 1999 | 31-30 | ||
| 2000 | Grambling State | 14-6 | |
| 2001 | 38-31 | ||
| 2002 | 31-19 | ||
| 2003 | 20-9 | ||
| 2004 | 40-35 | ||
| 2005 | 45-6 | ||
| 2006 | 22–13 | ||
| 2007 | 42–31 | ||
| 2008 | 41-9 | ||
| 2009 | 30-24 | ||
| 2010 | 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 |
| 2016 | Grambling State | Alcorn State | 27-20 |
| 2017 | Grambling State | Alcorn State | 40-32 |
| 2018 | Alcorn State | Southern | 37-28 |
| 2019 | Alcorn State | Southern | 39-24 |
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.
Texas Southern vacated its 2010 division championship due to violations of NCAA rules.
| Year | Western Division Champion | Eastern Division Champion |
| 1999 | ||
| 2000 | Grambling State | * |
| 2001 | ||
| 2002 | ||
| 2003 | * | * |
| 2004 | ||
| 2005 | ||
| 2006 | ||
| 2007 | ||
| 2008 | ||
| 2009 | ||
| 2010 | * | * 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 |
| 2016 | Grambling State | Alcorn State |
| 2017 | Grambling State | Alcorn State |
| 2018 | Southern | 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 to 2014 concerning APR scores.
Starting with the 2021 season with the additions of both Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M, the football schedule is as follows:
- Each school plays eight conference games and rotates three teams from the opposite division every two years.
- The SWAC Championship Game rotates between the two division champions at campus sites. The East Division champion hosts in even-number years, and the West Division Champion hosts in odd-number years.
- The SWAC champion advances to the Celebration Bowl versus the MEAC champion. The loser ends its season.
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 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 | Alabama State | Rob Spivery | 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 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | George Ivory | 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 | Southern | Roman Banks | Southern | Roman Banks |
| 2013–2014 | Southern | Roman Banks | Texas Southern | Mike Davis |
| 2014–2015 | Texas Southern | Mike Davis | Texas Southern | Mike Davis |
| 2015–2016 | Texas Southern | Mike Davis | Southern | Roman Banks |
| 2016–2017 | Texas Southern | Mike Davis | Texas Southern | Mike Davis |
| 2017–2018 | Grambling State | Donte Jackson | Texas Southern | Mike Davis |
| 2018–2019 | Prairie View A&M | Byron Smith | Prairie View A&M | Byron Smith |
Men's basketball tournament performance by school
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 | Alabama State | Freda Freeman-Jackson | Alabama State | Freda Freeman-Jackson |
| 2015-2016 | Alabama State | Freda Freeman-Jackson | Alabama State | Freda Freeman-Jackson |
| 2016-2017 | Texas Southern | Johnetta Hayes-Perry | Texas Southern | Johnetta Hayes-Perry |
| 2017-2018 | Southern | Sandy Pugh | Grambling State | Freddie Murray |
| 2018-2019 | Southern | Carlos Funchess | Southern | Carlos Funchess |
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 |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Southern |
SWAC marching bands
Marching bands have a rich tradition being a centerpiece of pride and school spirit for each institution in the conference. Furthermore, the competitiveness, prestige, pageantry, and showmanship of SWAC marching bands significantly add to the unique identity and culture of the conference.| School | Band | Dance Auxiliary |
| Southern | Human Jukebox | Fabulous Dancing Dolls |
| Jackson State | Sonic Boom of the South | Prancing J-Settes |
| Texas Southern | Ocean of Soul | Motion of the Ocean |
| Prairie View A&M | Marching Storm | Black Foxes |
| Alabama State | Mighty Marching Hornets | Sensational Stingettes |
| Alcorn State | Sounds of Dynomite | Golden Girls |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South | Golden Girls |
| Grambling State | GSU Tiger Marching Band | Orchesis Dance Company |
| Alabama A&M | Marching Maroon and White | Dancin' Divas |
| Mississippi Valley State | Mean Green Marching Machine | Satin Dolls |