In 1920, eight men representing six colleges from the state of Texas met to discuss collegiate athletics and the many challenges that faced their respective institutions. By the time the session in Houston had concluded, they had founded an athletic league that has slowly became one of the leading sports associations in the world of collegiate athletics, the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The founding fathers of the original "Super Six" were C.H. Fuller of Bishop College, Red Randolph and C.H. Patterson of Paul Quinn, 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.
The 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. The league continues to set the bar for college football attendance leading all Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conferences for 44 of the past 45 seasons as of 2023.
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.
| Member Institutions |
| Alabama A&M University |
Hunstville, Ala. |
| Alabama State University |
Montgomery, Ala. |
| Alcorn State University |
Lorman, Miss. |
| Bethune-Cookman University |
Daytona Beach, Fla. |
| Florida A&M University |
Tallahassee, Fla. |
| Grambling State University |
Grambling, La. |
| Jackson State University |
Jackson, Miss. |
| Mississippi Valley State University |
Itta Bena, Miss. |
| Prairie View A&M University |
Prairie View, Texas |
| Southern University |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| Texas Southern University |
Houston, Texas |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff |
Pine Bluff, Ark. |
| Membership Timeline |
| * Bishop College |
1920-56 |
| * Paul Quinn College |
1920-29 |
| * Samuel Huston College |
1920-59 |
| * Texas College |
1920-68 |
| * Wiley College |
1920-68 |
| * Prairie View A&M University |
1920-present |
| Langston University |
1931-57 |
| Southern University |
1934-present |
| Arkansas AM&N University |
1936-70 |
| Texas Southern University |
1954-present |
| Grambling State University |
1958-present |
| Jackson State University |
1958-present |
| Alcorn State University |
1962-present |
| Mississippi Valley State University |
1968-present |
| Alabama State University |
1982-present |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff |
1997-present |
| Alabama A&M University |
1999-present |
| Florida A&M |
2021-present |
| Bethune-Cookman |
2021-present |
| * Indicates Charter Member |
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