League History

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- Today we celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). On this date in 1920, eight men representing six colleges from across the state of Texas convened for a meeting in Houston, Texas to discuss collegiate athletics and the many challenges that faced their respective institutions.
 
The historic meeting concluded with the founding of an athletic league that has steadily become one of the leading sports associations in the world of collegiate athletics. 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, D.C. Fuller of Texas College and G. Whitte Jordan of Wiley College were the original founding fathers of the conference.
 
Considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country, the SWAC ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams. The league continues to set the bar for college football attendance leading all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences for 42 of the past 43 seasons as of 2019. 
 
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.

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.