Southwestern Athletic Conference facts for kids
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a group of college sports teams. It is based in Birmingham, Alabama. The SWAC is made up of historically black universities in the southern United States. These schools were first set up to educate Black students. The SWAC teams play in the NCAA's top level, called Division I, for all sports. In football, they play in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
The SWAC is special because its football teams do not join the NCAA's FCS football tournament. Instead, the conference splits its schools into two groups. They then play a championship game within the conference. Also, a famous SWAC football game, the Bayou Classic, happens after the NCAA tournament starts. This game is between Southern and Grambling State. Another game, the Turkey Day Classic, is played by Alabama State against Division II rival Tuskegee on Thanksgiving Day.
Contents
History
The SWAC started in 1920. Sports leaders from six historically black colleges in Texas met in Houston, Texas. They wanted to create a new sports league. These colleges were Bishop College, Paul Quinn College, Prairie View A&M, Texas College, and Wiley College. They all agreed to form the SWAC.
Over the years, some schools left the SWAC and new ones joined. Paul Quinn College was the first to leave in 1929. Then, Langston University from Oklahoma joined in 1931. This started a trend of larger public schools joining the conference. Southern University joined in 1934. Arkansas AM&N joined in 1936, and Texas Southern University in 1954.
As the public schools grew, it became hard for the church-supported schools to keep up. Many church-supported schools left the conference. Bishop left in 1956, Langston in 1957, and Huston-Tillotson in 1959. Around the same time, new public schools joined. Grambling College and Jackson State College joined in 1958.
The changes continued. Texas College left in 1961, and Alcorn A&M joined in 1962. Wiley College left in 1968, the same year Mississippi Valley State College joined. Arkansas AM&N left in 1970 but rejoined as Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 1997. Alabama State University joined in 1982. Alabama A&M University became the tenth member in 1999.
Today, the SWAC offers many sports for men and women. Men compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track, outdoor track & field, and tennis. Women compete in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, indoor track, outdoor track & field, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.
Membership
The SWAC currently has 10 member schools.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Year Joined | Nickname | Endowment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Division | |||||||
| Alabama A&M | Huntsville, Alabama | 1875 | Public | 6,000 | 1999 | Bulldogs | $119M |
| Alabama State | Montgomery, Alabama | 1867 | Public | 5,600 | 1982 | Hornets | $51.6M |
| Alcorn State | Lorman, Mississippi | 1871 | Public | 3,250 | 1962 | Braves | $4.4M |
| Mississippi Valley State | Itta Bena, Mississippi | 1950 | Public | 2,500 | 1968 | Delta Devils | $1.4M |
| Jackson State | Jackson, Mississippi | 1877 | Public | 8,351 | 1958 | Tigers | $54.3M |
| West Division | |||||||
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | 1873 | Public | 3,232 | 1936-1970; 1998 | Golden Lions | $1.9M |
| Grambling State | Grambling, Louisiana | 1901 | Public | 4,988 | 1958 | Tigers | $1.9M |
| Southern | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 1880 | Public | 8,900 | 1935 | Jaguars | $9.6M |
| Prairie View A&M | Prairie View, Texas | 1876 | Public | 8,345 | 1920 | Panthers | $34M |
| Texas Southern | Houston, Texas | 1947 | Public | 11,550 | 1954 | Tigers | $6M |
Membership timeline
Former members
- Arkansas AM&N (1936 to 1970; returned as Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 1997)
- Bishop College (1920 to 1956)
- Langston University (1931 to 1957)
- Paul Quinn College (1920 to 1929)
- Samuel Huston College (later Huston-Tillotson College) (from 1920 to 1959)
- Texas College (1920 to 1961)
- Wiley College (1920 to 1968)
Conference facilities
Here are the stadiums and arenas where SWAC schools play their football and basketball games.
| 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 | 19,600 | 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 | 29,000 | F. G. Clark Center | 7,500 |
| Texas Southern | BBVA Compass Stadium (primary) Reliant Stadium (secondary) |
22,000 68,000 |
Health and Physical Education Arena | 8,100 |
SWAC Championships
Football
All football championship games were played at Legion Field in 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 |
| 2009 | Prairie View A&M | Alabama A&M | 30-24 |
Men's basketball tournament winners
Here are the schools that have won the SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament.
| 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 |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
|
2010 |
Images for kids
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A medal podium at the 2021 SWAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship
See also
In Spanish: Southwestern Athletic Conference para niños
