SWAC Announces 2019 Hall of Fame Class
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced the 2019 SWAC Hall of Fame Class set to be enshrined on Friday, December 20
th at 6:00 pm (CST) at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alabama State’s Freda Freeman-Jackson, Alcorn State’s Teresa Hooker, Grambling State’s Autrey Lane Howell and Patricia Cage-Bibbs, Jackson State’s Richard Caster (Legend), Mississippi Valley State’s George Ivory, Prairie View A&M’s Dr. John Grandville (Legends), and Texas Southern’s John “Doc” Harvey have all been tabbed for induction into the SWAC Hall of Fame.
“The Southwestern Athletic Conference is pleased to welcome the newest members set for enshrinement into the SWAC Hall of Fame,” said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland.
“The 2019 class honors eight individuals that have played significant roles in helping shape the storied history and legacies of the conference as student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. We look forward to formally recognizing each of them at the upcoming SWAC Hall of Fame Reception and Gala in Atlanta.”
The newest members of the Hall of Fame were selected from a list of nominees who were submitted by their respective institutions. The nominees were then elected for induction by the SWAC Hall of Fame selection committee.
Below is a listing of the honorees slated for induction:
2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Class
Freda-Freeman Jackson - Alabama State University
Teresa Hooker - Alcorn State University
Autrey Lane Howell, Legends - Grambling State University
Patricia Cage-Bibbs - Grambling State University
Richard Caster, Legends - Jackson State University
George Ivory - Mississippi Valley State University
Dr. John Grandville Osborne, Legends - Prairie View A&M University
John Harvey - Texas Southern University
Freda-Freeman Jackson
Freeman-Jackson enters her 22
nd season as the head coach of the Alabama State University women’s basketball program. During the 2018-19 season, Jackson joined an elite group when she recorded her 300
th career coaching victory at Alabama State.
Additionally, she has produced some of Alabama State’s best student-athletes. She coached the second leading all-time scorer Shameka Jackson; one of ASU’s all-time leading rebounders Crystal Kitt; as well as 1,000-plus point scorers Chrishutta Lewis, Nichole Miller and Tanika Jackson. Britney Wright was the latest ASU student-athlete to join the 1,000-point club as a student-athlete under coach Freeman-Jackson in the 2015-16 season.
The 2015-2016 campaign marked Freeman-Jackson and the Lady Hornets’ third SWAC Tournament title in over a decade and qualified them for their third NCAA tournament appearance since 2003. The Lady Hornets finished the season 19-12 overall and 14-4 in the SWAC.
Teresa Hooker
Undoubtedly one of the top student-athletes in the history of the program Hooker joins a talented group of former women’s basketball student-athletes currently in the SWAC Hall of Fame.
She was a four-year starter at Alcorn State University and is a member of the 1,000 point club at the university. She ranks sixth in points per game average (19.4 ppg) and also led the team in rebounds and field goals while a member of the program.
In 1987 Hooker was drafted to play professional women’s basketball in South America playing for team Club de Regatas Lima.
Autrey Lane Howell
Howell was a standout member of the Grambling State Tigers football team as a three-year starter at the center position. He was named team captain from 1960-62 along with being selected to the All-SWAC team in 1962 and 1963.
He was drafted in the 15
th round of the 1963 NFL Draft by the New York Giants as he went on to become a starting left tackle. Additionally he spent time as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1964-69
Patricia Cage-Bibbs
Cage-Bibbs is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. In 2012 she became the 51
st NCAA Division I Head Coach to join the 500 victory club.
While head coach at North Carolina A&T she tallied multiple Coach of the Year Awards while also coaching the 5
th student-athlete at North Carolina A&T to reach the 1,000 point mark.
In 2010 she was inducted into the Grambling State Sports Hall of Fame. She was the first head coach in HBCU history to win two games in a postseason NCAA tournament. In 1997 she led GSU to an undefeated mark in league play (14-0), and was also named SWAC Coach of the Year.
Richard Caster
Caster, a native of Mobile, Alabama played tight end for the Jackson State Tigers from 1966-70. He was an extraordinary student-athlete who excelled as a pass catcher and blocker.
Caster was drafted in the second round by the New York Jets in 1970. He went on to have an impressive 13-year NFL career where he tallied 332 receptions for 5,515 yards and 45 touchdowns.
He was named to the Pro Bowl on three occasion and also was crowned Super Bowl Champion before retiring from the game.
George Ivory
To this day Ivory remains one of the top student-athletes in the storied history of Mississippi Valley State Athletics. As a freshmen (1983-84) he helped lead MVSU to an overall winning season at 15-13 where he averaged 11.4 points per game along with 5.1 assists.
That same season he was tabbed SWAC Freshman of the Year. In 1984-85 he led MVSU to an 18-11 record. In 1985-86 he etched his name among the list of all-time MVSU greats as he helped guide Mississippi Valley State to a SWAC Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
That season MVSU would go on to face Duke in the first round on the NCAA Tournament nearly pulling off an upset with an 85-78 loss.
As a coach he led Arkansas-Pine Bluff to a SWAC Tournament Championship in 2010. The Golden Lions would go on to defeat Winthrop in Dayton, Ohio before falling to eventual tournament champion Duke in the next round of competition.
Dr. John Grandville Osborne
Osborne was born in Graball, Texas. Following graduation he completed his internship in Douglas Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. He returned to Texas and began to practice General Medicine while also becoming the Principal of the Public (Negro) School while still practicing medicine.
In 1920 as institutional and public interest increased in Athletics and as problems arose it soon became evident that there was a need for a governing body to give direction to institutions involved in intercollegiate athletics in Texas at black colleges.
Osborne was instrumental in spearheading the formation of “The Big Five” which consisted of Bishop College, Samuel Huston College, Wiley College, Paul Quinn, and Prairie View A&M. The Big Five sent representatives to Houston, Texas on September 10, 1920 and before the meeting was adjourned the Southwestern Athletic Conference was formed.
John Harvey
Harvey served as head trainer for the Texas Southern Tigers from 1974 to 2015. He was responsible for providing clinical and administrative supervision of the 16 intercollegiate athletics teams, and the formulation of accountability of the athletic training budget.
Harvey started his career as a student at Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas. He followed his career path to Wiley College where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1966. He later received his master’s degree from Prairie View A&M University in 1975.
Harvey was a certified and licensed trainer for 44 years, and was always involved in sports. He worked with the Houston Texans of the World League of American Football in 1974, and was a member of the Houston Oilers game staff. He has served on the National Athletic Trainers Association’s Ethnic Minority Advisory Council and the Board of Certification.
The awards Harvey has received during his distinguished career include Black Sports Media Athletic Trainer of the Year (1996), NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award (2002), NAT Bill Chisolm Professional Service Award 2003, and induction into the SWATA Hall of Fame (2003).
He also holds distinction as the namesake of the “John Harvey Humanitarian Award” presented by the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association which he was the inaugural recipient in 2001. In 2005, Harvey was honored with the Touchdown Club of Houston Service Award.
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.