SWAC Championship Game


The SWAC Championship Game is an American college football game that is held annually on the first Saturday in December by the Southwestern Athletic Conference to determine its football champion. The game pits the champion of the Eastern Division against the champion of the Western Division in a game that follows the conclusion of the regular season. From 2015 onward, the winner of the game has represented the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl. As of the 2019 season, the game is sponsored by Cricket Wireless.
The game was held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, from 1999 through 2012, and moved to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, for the 2013 through 2017 playings. Since 2018, the game has been played at a campus site, hosted by the participant with the higher ranking.

History

Following the 1998 season, the SWAC announced that the league would be split into two divisions with the divisional winners meeting in a championship game. At the time of the announcement, a site for the game had not been selected but the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, the Astrodome in Houston, the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile and Legion Field in Birmingham were each mentioned as potential locations for the event. Additionally, expansion of the league to twelve teams was also under consideration with Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Tuskegee and Morris Brown mentioned as possible additions. In February 1999, a championship game was officially approved by the SWAC Council of Presidents. Officials also stated the winner of the championship game would advance to play in the Heritage Bowl against an opponent from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The following May, SWAC officials announced the league offices would move from New Orleans to Birmingham and that the championship game would be played at Legion Field. Birmingham was selected over New Orleans, Houston, Baton Rouge and Memphis as the city guaranteed both free office space to house the league headquarters and free access to Legion Field to host the game. The inaugural game was played on December 11, with Southern defeating Jackson State 31–30 before 47,621 fans at Legion Field. The following week, Southern lost to Hampton in the Heritage Bowl; however, the meeting would be the only one for the SWAC champion following the championship game. In January 2000 the NCAA ruled schools cannot compete in two postseason games, effectively ending participation in the Heritage Bowl by the SWAC champion. With the SWAC left unable to compete, the Heritage Bowl folded in February 2000.
In July 2010, commissioner Duer Sharp announced the SWAC was interested in participating in the Legacy Bowl against the MEAC to determine the annual black college football national championship. Although a decision regarding the contest was postponed to 2011, SWAC participation in the event would potentially end the annual championship game in Birmingham. Ultimately, the SWAC championship game was retained, and in May 2013, SWAC officials announced a move from Legion Field to Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas starting with the December 2013 playing.
In June 2017, the SWAC announced that it would end its football championship game following that season's contest, and would send its regular season champion to the Celebration Bowl from 2018 onward. In June 2018, the league reversed course, announcing that a championship game would be played in Birmingham. In November 2018, the league further advised that the championship game would be played at the “SWAC institution with the highest ranking.” The December 2018 game was held at Jack Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi, home field of the Alcorn State Braves; the December 2019 game returns to the same venue.

Team selection

When the game was initially proposed, the teams playing in the championship game was to include those with the best record against seven conference opponents from each division. However in August 1999 league officials changed the rule. For the inaugural contest, participation in the championship game was based on the record against the four divisional opponents only, not all conference teams. This format was dropped by the SWAC following the 1999 championship game in favor of the original proposal based on all league games, not only the divisional opponents.

Divisions

Eastern Division
Western Division
† Texas Southern vacated its 2010 Championship victory, along with all its 2006 to 2010 wins, to avoid the NCAA imposing an athletics Death Penalty.

Results by team

Updated with 2019 championship game result.
AppearancesSchoolWinsLossesPctYears
10Grambling State Tigers football|822000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017
7Southern Jaguars football|341999, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019
6Alcorn State Braves football|422014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
6Alabama A&M Bulldogs football|152000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011
5Jackson State Tigers football|141999, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013
4Alabama State Hornets football|132001, 2003, 2004, 2010
2Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions football|112006, 2012
1Prairie View A&M Panthers football|102009
1Texas Southern Tigers football|00—2010
0Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football|00—
42Total2021—

Championship years appear in bold type.
Texas Southern vacated its 2010 championship game victory.

Previous SWAC champions

Prior to splitting into divisions and using a postseason championship game to decide its overall champion, the SWAC determined its champions by winning-percentage against conference opponents in regular season play.
In 1933 Langston appeared to win the title outright with a 4-0 conference record after the regular season, while Wiley finished 4-1, and Prairie View A&M finished 3-1. Langston was invited to the Prairie View Bowl, which was won by Prairie View. The Panthers subsequently declared themselves SWAC champions even though their claim was based on a postseason game. The SWAC seems to acknowledge both schools' claims to the title in the conference's football media guide, although some other sources including Michael Hurd's Black College Football, 1892–1992: One Hundred Years of History, Education, and Pride also list Wiley as an additional co-champion, apparently since all three schools had 4-1 records against conference opponents if the postseason game is incorporated into the regular season conference standings.
Prairie View vacated its 1941 championship. No championship was awarded in 1943 due to World War II. Grambling State vacated its 1975 championship due to a violation of SWAC rules for scheduling opponents.
YearChampion
1921Wiley
1922Paul Quinn
1923Wiley
1924Paul Quinn
1925Bishop
1926Samuel Huston
1927Wiley
1928Wiley
1929Wiley
1930Wiley
1931Prairie View A&M
1932Wiley
1933Langston
Prairie View A&M
1934Texas College
1935Texas College
1936Langston
Texas College
1937Langston
Southern
1938Langston
Southern
1939Langston
1940Langston
Southern
1941Prairie View A&M
1942Texas College
1943
1944Langston
Texas College
Wiley
1945Wiley
1946Southern
1947Southern
1948Southern
1949Langston
Southern
1950Southern
1951Prairie View A&M
1952Prairie View A&M
1953Prairie View A&M
1954Prairie View A&M
1955Southern
1956Texas Southern
Wiley
1957Wiley
1958Prairie View A&M
1959Southern
1960Grambling State
Prairie View A&M
Southern
1961Jackson State
1962Jackson State
1963Prairie View A&M
1964Prairie View A&M
1965Grambling State
1966Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Grambling State
Southern
Texas Southern
1967Grambling State
1968Alcorn State
Grambling State
Texas Southern
1969Alcorn State
1970Alcorn State
1971Grambling State
1972Grambling State
Jackson State
1973Grambling State
Jackson State
1974Alcorn State
Grambling State
1975Grambling State
Jackson State
Southern
1976Alcorn State
1977Grambling State
1978Grambling State
1979Alcorn State
Grambling State
1980Grambling State
Jackson State
1981Jackson State
1982Jackson State
1983Grambling State
1984Alcorn State
1985Grambling State
Jackson State
1986Jackson State
1987Jackson State
1988Jackson State
1989Grambling State
1990Jackson State
1991Alabama State
1992Alcorn State
1993Southern
1994Alcorn State
Grambling State
1995Jackson State
1996Jackson State
1997Southern
1998Southern