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 most sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly referred to as Division I-AA.
The SWAC is 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, now Wiley University — 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 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. Huston–Tillotson withdrew from the conference in 1954, Bishop in 1956, and Langston in 1957—one year before the admittance of two more state-supported schools: Grambling College and Jackson State College. The enter-exit cycle continued in 1962 when Texas College withdrew, followed by the admittance of Alcorn A&M that same year. 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 HBCU Athletic Conference of the NAIA.
On 3 September 2020, the SWAC had announced that there would be a division realignment with the additions of Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University beginning with the 2021–22 academic year; which both would compete in the SWAC East, while Alcorn State would be moving to the SWAC West.
Chronological timeline
- 1920 — The Southwestern Athletic Conference was founded. Charter members included Bishop College, Paul Quinn College, Prairie View State Normal & Industrial College, Samuel Huston College, Texas College and Wiley University, effective beginning the 1920–21 academic year.
- 1929 – Paul Quinn left the SWAC, effective after the 1928–29 academic year.
- 1932 – Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University joined the SWAC, effective in the 1932–33 academic year.
- 1935 – Southern University joined the SWAC, effective in the 1935–36 academic year.
- 1936 – Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College joined the SWAC, effective in the 1936–37 academic year.
- 1954 – Huston–Tillotson left the SWAC, effective after the 1953–54 academic year.
- 1954 – Texas Southern University joined the SWAC, effective in the 1954–55 academic year.
- 1956 – Bishop left the SWAC, effective after the 1955–56 academic year.
- 1957 – Langston left the SWAC, effective after the 1956–57 academic year.
- 1958 – Grambling College and Jackson College for Negro Teachers joined the SWAC, effective in the 1958–59 academic year.
- 1962 – Texas College left the SWAC, effective after the 1961–62 academic year.
- 1962 – Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College joined the SWAC, effective in the 1962–63 academic year.
- 1968 – Wiley left the SWAC, effective after the 1967–68 academic year.
- 1968 – Mississippi Valley State College joined the SWAC, effective in the 1968–69 academic year.
- 1970 – Arkansas–Pine Bluff left the SWAC, effective after the 1969–70 academic year.
- 1973 - Andrew "Wiggie" Brown became the first full-time Commissioner; SWAC headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana at the 1 Shell Square building.
- 1982 – Alabama State University joined the SWAC, effective in the 1982–83 academic year.
- 1997 – Arkansas–Pine Bluff re-joined back to the SWAC as an affiliate member, effective in the 1997–98 academic year.
- 1999 – Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University joined the SWAC, effective in the 1999–2000 academic year.
- 2021 – Bethune–Cookman University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University joined the SWAC, effective in the 2021–22 academic year.
Competitions
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 currently has 12 full members, all but one are public schools:;Notes:
Former members
The SWAC had six former full members, all but one were private schools:| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
| Bishop College | Marshall, Texas | 1881 | Baptist HMS | N/A | Tigers | 1920–21 | 1955–56 | N/A |
| Huston–Tillotson University | Austin, Texas | 1881 | Methodist, Church of Christ | 900 | Rams | 1920–21 | 1953–54 | HBCU |
| Langston University | Langston, Oklahoma | 1897 | Public | 3,922 | Lions | 1931–32 | 1956–57 | Sooner |
| Paul Quinn College | Dallas, Texas | 1872 | A.M.E. Church | 1,020 | Tigers | 1920–21 | 1928–29 | HBCU |
| Texas College | Tyler, Texas | 1894 | C.M.E. Church | 600 | Steers | 1920–21 | 1961–62 | Red River |
| Wiley University | Marshall, Texas | 1873 | United Methodist | 1,200 | Wildcats | 1920–21 | 1967–68 | HBCU |
;Notes:
Divisional realignment
Alcorn State moved to the West Division with the additions of both Bethune–Cookman and Florida A&M in 2021.| 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:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all
id:OtherC1 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
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bar:1 color:Full from:1920 till:1956 text:Bishop
bar:2 color:Full from:1920 till:1929 text:Paul Quinn
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bar:3 color:FullxF from:1990 till:1991
bar:3 color:Full from:1991 till:end
bar:4 color:Full from:1920 till:1952 text:Samuel Huston
bar:4 color:Full from:1952 till:1954 text:Huston-Tillotson
bar:5 color:Full from:1920 till:1962 text:Texas College
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
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1997 till:1998 text:Arkansas-Pine Bluff
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
bar:12 color:Full from:1958 till:end text:Jackson/Jackson State
bar:13 color:Full from:1962 till:end text:Alcorn A&M/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
bar:17 shift: color:Full from:2021 till:end text:Florida A&M
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