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The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a 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-AA for football and its Division I for all other sports.
The SWAC is one of three conferences (the others being the Ivy League and the Pioneer Football League) which do not participate in postseason play in the I-AA football tournament—and is the only one of the three whose members offer scholarships for football. (The Ivy League does not award athletic scholarships at all; Pioneer League members may offer scholarships in other sports, but do not award football scholarships.) The SWAC splits its schools into two divisions (which the Pioneer League also did from 2001 through 2005), 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.
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 I-AA tournament.
Current member schools
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M University | Normal, Alabama | 1875 | Public | 6,323 |
| Alabama State University | Montgomery, Alabama | 1867 | Public | 7,134 |
| Alcorn State University | Claiborne County, Mississippi | 1871 | Public | 2,705 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | 1873 | Public | 3,303 |
| Grambling State University | Grambling, Louisiana | 1901 | Public | 4,999 |
| Jackson State University | Jackson, Mississippi | 1877 | Public | 6,820 |
| Mississippi Valley State University | Itta Bena, Mississippi | 1950 | Public | 3,621 |
| Prairie View A&M University | Prairie View, Texas | 1876 | Public | 8,100 |
| Southern University | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 1880 | Public | 9,438 |
| Texas Southern University | Houston, Texas | 1947 | Public | 11,365 |
Former members (and years of membership)
- Arkansas AM&N (from 1936 to 1970; later returned as Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
- Bishop College (from 1920 to 1956)
- Langston University (from 1931 to 1957)
- Paul Quinn College (from 1920 to 1929)
- Sam Houston College (from 1920 to 1959)
- Texas College (from 1920 to 1968)
- Wiley College (from 1920 to 1968)
Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Stadium capacity | Basketball arena | Arena capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M | Louis Crews Stadium | 21,000 | Elmore Gymnasium | 6,000 |
| Alabama State | Crampton Bowl | 21,800 | Joe L. Reed 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 | 19,800 | Memorial Gym | 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 | 28,400 | F.G. Clark Center | 7,500 |
| Texas Southern | Robertson Stadium (primary) Reliant Stadium (secondary) | 33,000 68,000 | Health and Physical Education Arena | 8,100 |
External link
"Southwestern Athletic Conference"