# Black college football national championship

The Black college football national championship, also named the HBCU football championship, is a national championship honor that, since 1920, has been regularly bestowed upon the best College football teams among historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) within the United States. The 2024 HBCU football champions are the Jackson State Tigers.

## History
### Background

In college football's early years, HBCUs generally lacked the opportunity to compete against predominantly white schools due to segregation, which was practiced in much of the U.S. at the time—leaving HBCUs with few scheduling options other than to play games among themselves only and sponsor their own championships.
The first football game between HBCU schools was played on December 27, 1892. On that day Johnson C. Smith defeated Livingstone College. As it was the only game played by HBCU schools that year, Johnson C. Smith's team could no doubt claim to be that season's HBCU national champions by default. However, the earliest documented claim to such a title was Livingstone's 1906 team, led by captain Benjamin Butler "Ben" Church. It is not immediately clear who exactly determined that Livingstone was the best team—or if they simply declared themselves champions.
Initially, starting in 1920, HBCU national champions were designated by the Pittsburgh Courier at the end of the season. The champions were credited to compilations generated by Courier managing editor William Goldwyn "Bill" Nunn, Jr., Courier sports writer Eric "Ric" Roberts, and Grambling State sports information director Collie "Nick" Nicholson (the Courier was also known to tabulate weekly HBCU rankings in later decades—first by borrowing the Dickinson System, from 1941 to 1950, before abandoning it due to controversy and replacing it with the newspaper's own "Courier Double-rating System" from 1951 onward, into the 1970s).
In 1921, others more directly associated with the schools themselves made their own attempts to crown a champion, coordinating their efforts under the auspices of the Champion Aggregation of All Conferences (CAAC). The CAAC's initiative was fostered by Paul Jones, who reported the champion annually in his column in Spalding's Intercollegiate Football Guide.
The first prominent game between an HBCU and predominantly white institution occurred in the 1948 Fruit Bowl when Southern defeated San Francisco State, 30–0. Five years later, HBCUs began to gravitate over to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) because it offered numerous athletic competition options, was oriented primarily toward smaller institutions, and had also begun openly welcoming schools of varying demographic backgrounds as members.
At present, most HBCUs are now members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). However, designating an annual black national champion has remained a popular tradition, even as HBCUs have successfully challenged majority white schools for football championships for decades now, within the framework of both NCAA and NAIA competition; this includes Associated Press, United Press International, NCAA, and NAIA-sponsored titles for the 1962, 1973, 1978, 1990, 1992, and 1995 seasons, as well as runner-up finishes in 1963, 1983, 1991, 1994, and 2012.
Noteworthy team accomplishments include the 16 HBCU championships won all-time by Florida A&M (under five different coaches) and Tennessee State (also under five different coaches) and the five won consecutively by Central State from 1986 to 1990 (all five under coach Billy Joe). Florida A&M has also won titles in nine different decades. Southern (1948), Prairie View A&M (1953), Tuskegee (2000 and 2007), and North Carolina A&T (2017) have each achieved the best single-season won–loss record of 12–0. Winston–Salem State (2012) has achieved the best single-season win total of 14 (with their only loss being in the NCAA Division II national championship game).
Noteworthy coaching accomplishments include the nine HBCU championships won by Billy Joe (seven at Central State and two at Florida A&M), John Merritt (one at Jackson State and eight at Tennessee State), and Eddie Robinson (all nine at Grambling State). Rod Broadway is the only coach to have won titles at three different schools (two at North Carolina Central, one at Grambling, and two at North Carolina A&T). Jay Hopson is the only white coach to have won a title (in 2014, at Alcorn State).

### Championship bowl games

Attempts have been made over the years to determine a non-mythical national champion with an actual football game contested by leading teams among HBCUs throughout the United States. The Orange Blossom Classic was often billed as such a game, but Florida A&M, as its annual host, was guaranteed a spot in this game and was not necessarily national championship-caliber each and every year that it was played (indeed, the Rattlers were even accused of taking advantage of a system where most selectors—at the time—named their national champions before postseason bowl games; if the Rattlers were not named champs by any selector after the regular season, then they still got a second chance at the claim by winning the Orange Blossom Classic).
Contests including the Colored Championship games of 1920 and 1923 (which happened to feature members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, although the games were not played for the conference title), the Chocolate Bowl (1935), the Steel and Vulcan bowls (1940s), the National Bowl (1947), and the National Football Classic (1954) were attempted periodically but without any sustained success.
The Pelican Bowl, a bowl game that tried to match up the conference champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), was another such example—and actually did manage to last several seasons—but even this venture failed to draw enough attendance and lasted only a few years in the 1970s. Similarly, the Heritage Bowl was played in the 1990s featuring teams from the MEAC and SWAC, but this bowl game has not been held since 1999 and was often snubbed by the conference champions in lieu of the NCAA's Division I-AA playoffs; indeed, five teams of the Heritage Bowl era were still able to claim black national titles from various selectors after declining their bids to the bowl game.

#### Celebration Bowl

The MEAC and SWAC began negotiations in 2010 to create a successor called the "Legacy Bowl"—not to be confused with a like-named 2015 exhibition game—to begin during the 2011 postseason, but it was voted down by MEAC officials. Several seasons later, in 2015, the first Celebration Bowl was played, pitting the champions of the two conferences. While the Celebration Bowl's trophy itself only includes the inscription "Celebration Bowl Champions," the bowl's creator (ESPN), a former title sponsor (Air Force Reserve), and other prominent sponsors, have indicated that it is for the HBCU national title—as have coaches of participating teams, the two competing conferences, and even the NCAA's website.
However, with Tennessee State being a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), the Celebration Bowl could not fully represent all HBCUs within the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision. Further, Hampton and North Carolina A&T later withdrew from the MEAC (after the 2017 and 2019 seasons, respectively) to join the Big South Conference (both programs later joined CAA Football). Despite watching Tennessee State struggle to a losing record in games played since joining the OVC in 1988, these teams exited the MEAC primarily because of revenue sharing and the opportunity to play in the NCAA Division I championship tournament. This is not the first time that some individual schools have been isolated from the HBCU championship process; in 1960, the Associated Negro Press stated: "A total of 76 Negro colleges played football during the past season. Cheyney State and Langston were not considered in (our) rating because most of their games were against non-Negro colleges."

### In other sports

Black national champions have been crowned regularly in football for more than a century, and the concept has also caught on with other sports, including HBCU baseball and HBCU men and women's basketball teams. There are also HBCU tournaments for golf and tennis.

## Selectors

Not all black national championships are determined the same way. Early poll rankings were for the best overall HBCU, while bowl games often matched champions of only two specific HBCU conferences. However, the NCAA and NAIA later split into divisions, and newer selectors have tended to rank HBCU members by division only (e.g., the FCS level of NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II). The variations between how champions have been selected over the years has not been completely without controversy—partly because of the issue of NCAA Division II and NAIA schools being ranked higher than FCS schools and partly because of the concern that the voters in the polls may not necessarily be well-informed about so many different schools. However, the issue may have been somewhat ameliorated when American Sports Wire began limiting HBCU champions to FCS-level schools only in an era when an NAIA school (Central State) held a stranglehold over the overall HBCU championship—possibly in part because NAIA schools were not effected by the NCAA's Proposition 48, a then-new rule that had concerned some educators about its impact on black student-athletes.
The impact of the Pelican, Heritage, and Celebration bowls cannot be overstated, however. In the 16 seasons (through 2018) that those bowl games were held, MEAC or SWAC schools were named overall HBCU champions almost exclusively; only in 1992 did a school with no ties to the MEAC or SWAC even earn a share of the overall HBCU championship—two selectors still chose a SWAC school as the overall champion but one selector did choose Central State (which had won the NAIA Division I national championship). Also, in 1994 soon-to-be MEAC member Hampton was named HBCU overall champ by a single selector while five other selectors gave the title to full MEAC member South Carolina State.
| Selector | Name | Seasons | Eligible teams |
| ADW | Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992, 2010); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009) | 1953–2010 (2010 champion is not available) | all HBCU teams |
| AHSR-I | Add's HBCU Sports Report (Add Seymour, Jr.) for NCAA Division I FCS teams | 2013–2016 | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| AHSR-II | Add's HBCU Sports Report (Add Seymour, Jr.) for NCAA Division II teams | 2013–2016 | NCAA Division II HBCU teams only |
| ANP | Associated Negro Press (Luix Virgil Overbea) | 1948–1960 (1957 champion is not available) | HBCU teams that played a majority of their games against other HBCU teams only |
| ASW | American Sports Wire (Dick Simpson) | 1990–2013 | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| B-CP | BOXTOROW (& formerly Black Athlete Sports Network)–Coaches Poll | 2009–present | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| B-MP | BOXTOROW (& formerly Black Athlete Sports Network)–Media Poll | 2007–present | all HBCU teams |
| BAA | Baltimore Afro-American | 1947–1948, 1953 | all HBCU teams |
| BCASB | Black College All Star Bowl—Eddie Hurt National Championship Trophy | 1978–1979 | all HBCU teams |
| BCNC-I | Black College National Championship for NCAA Division I FCS teams | 2016–present | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| BCNC-II&N | Black College National Championship for NCAA Division II and NAIA teams | 2016–present | NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only |
| BCSN-I | Black College Sports Network for NCAA Division I FCS teams | 2019 | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| BCSN-II&N | Black College Sports Network for NCAA Division II and NAIA teams | 2019 | NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only |
| BCSP | Black College Sports Page (Carl "Lut" Williams & formerly Major Broadcasting Cable) | 1994–2020 (1995–1999 champions are not available) | all HBCU teams |
| BCSP-I | Black College Sports Page (Carl "Lut" Williams) for NCAA Division I FCS teams | 2021–present | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| BCSP-II | Black College Sports Page (Carl "Lut" Williams) for NCAA Division II teams | 2021–present | NCAA Division II HBCU teams only |
| BCSR | Black College Sports Report (Edd Hayes) | 1993 | all HBCU teams |
| CAAC | Champion Aggregation of All Conferences (William Lawrence "Paul" Jones) | 1921–1949 (1927–1928, 1930–1932, and 1936–1949 champions are not available) | all HBCU teams |
| CC | Colored Championship | 1920, 1923 | all HBCU teams |
| "Celebration Bowl" AFRCB CeB CCB | Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Celebration Bowl Cricket Celebration Bowl | 2015–2019, 2021–present 2015–2016, 2018 2017, 2019 2021–present | MEAC and SWAC champions only |
| ChB | Chocolate Bowl | 1935 | all HBCU teams |
| DCCC-M | Dr. Cavil's Classic Cuts (Jafus Kenyatta Cavil & formerly SWAC Page Network)–Major Division Poll | 2002–present | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| DCCC-MM | Dr. Cavil's Classic Cuts (Jafus Kenyatta Cavil & formerly SWAC Page Network)–Mid-Major Division Poll | 2002–2019, 2021–present | NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only |
| "Heritage Bowl" AHB HB | Alamo Heritage Bowl I Heritage Bowl IV | 1991, 1994* 1991 1994 | MEAC and SWAC champions only |
| HBCUS-PFP | HBCU Sports–Playoff Fan Poll | 2014 | all HBCU teams |
| HBCUS-UP | HBCU Sports–Ultimate Poll | 2015, 2019, 2021–present | all HBCU teams |
| HSRN-I | Heritage Sports Radio Network–HSRN Conaway Cup for NCAA Division I FCS teams | 2011–2016 | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| HSRN-II&N | Heritage Sports Radio Network–HSRN Conaway Cup for NCAA Division II and NAIA teams | 2011–2016 | NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only |
| J | Jet (Frank T. Bannister, Jr.)—Paul Robeson Perpetual Trophy | 1973–1987, 1990–1992 | all HBCU teams |
| JBM | John B. "Johnny" McLendon, Jr. based on the Dickinson System | 1953 | all HBCU teams |
| LAFCF | Los Angeles Football Classic Foundation (Fred H. Cooper)–Eddie G. Robinson Trophy | 1988 | all HBCU teams |
| MBN | Mutual Black Network | 1972–1978 | all HBCU teams |
| NB | National Bowl | 1947 | all HBCU teams |
| NBN | National Black Network (Frank T. Bannister, Jr.) | 1975–1978 (1976 champion is not available) | all HBCU teams |
| NBT | National Black Television | 2011 | all HBCU teams |
| NCAAC | ncaa.com—HBCU Football Power Rankings (Stan Becton) | 2021–present | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| NFC | National Football Classic | 1954 | CIAA and Midwestern Conference champions only |
| PB | Pelican Bowl | 1972, 1974–1975* | MEAC and SWAC champions only |
| PCWDC | Pigskin Club of Washington, DC—William G. "Billy" Coward Award | 2006–2013 | all HBCU teams |
| "Sheridan Poll" PC NPC SBN AURN PNRN | Jake Gaither National Championship Trophy Pittsburgh Courier New Pittsburgh Courier Sheridan Broadcasting Network American Urban Radio Networks Power News Radio Network | 1920–present 1920–1965 1966–1978 1979–1990 1991–2016 2017–present | all HBCU teams |
| SIC | si.com—HBCU Legends Top 5 Power Rankings | 2021–present | NCAA Division I FCS HBCU teams only |
| TAJTT | T. A. Jones' Talented 10th (Trevin A. "T. A." Jones) | 2014 | all HBCU teams |
| UMTC | UrbanMediaToday.com (Trevin A. "T. A." Jones) | 2017–present | all HBCU teams |
| "Vulcan Bowl" SB VB | Steel Bowl Vulcan Bowl | 1940–1941** 1940 1941 | all HBCU teams (but with the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion holding an automatic bid) |
Notes: *—the Pelican Bowl (played 1972 and 1974–75) and Heritage Bowl (played 1991–99) were intended as black national championship games matching the outright champions or top-seeded co-champions of the MEAC and SWAC conferences, but in practice the top seeds often declined their automatic bids to participate in the NCAA playoffs instead—only the 1972, 1975, and 1994 games matched the top seeds of both conferences as originally intended, although the Pelican Bowl is known to have been promoted as a black national championship game all three seasons (in 1991, however, the Heritage Bowl's committee intentionally issued the MEAC's bid to its second-seeded co-champion, because one of the top-seeded co-champion's conference wins had been determined by a forfeit, instead of on the field); **—the Steel Bowl/Vulcan Bowl (played after the 1940–48 and 1951 seasons) is known to have been promoted as a black national championship game after the 1940 and 1941 seasons

## Yearly national championship selections

| Season | Champion(s) | Record(s) | Coach(es) | Selector(s) | Note(s) |
| 1920 | Howard | 7–0 | Edward Morrison | CC, PC | |
| 1920 | Talladega | 5–0–1 | Jubie Bragg | PC | |
| 1921 | Lincoln (PA) | 8–1 | John A. Shelburne | CAAC | record includes forfeited game (was 8–0) |
| 1921 | Talladega | 6–0–1 | Jubie Bragg | PC | |
| 1921 | Wiley | 7–0–1 | Jason Grant | PC | |
| 1922 | Hampton | 6–1 | Gideon Smith | PC | record includes forfeited game (was 5–1) |
| 1922 | West Virginia Collegiate | 3–0–1 | Adolph Hamblin | CAAC | |
| 1923 | Howard | 7–0–1 | Louis L. Watson | CAAC, CC | tied Lincoln (PA) in the Colored Championship game, 6–6 |
| 1923 | Lincoln (PA) | 5–1–2 | Ulysses S. Young | CC | tied Howard in the Colored Championship game, 6–6 |
| 1923 | Virginia Union | 6–0–1 | Harold D. Martin | PC | |
| 1924 | Lincoln (PA) | 7–1–1 | Ulysses S. Young | CAAC | record includes forfeited game (was 8–0–1) |
| 1924 | Wiley | 8–0–1 | Jason Grant | PC | |
| 1924 | Tuskegee | 9–0–1 | Cleveland Abbott | PC | |
| 1925 | Howard | 6–0–2 | Louis L. Watson | PC | |
| 1925 | Tuskegee | 8–0–1 | Cleveland Abbott | CAAC, PC | |
| 1926 | Howard | 7–0 | Louis L. Watson | CAAC, PC | |
| 1926 | Tuskegee | 10–0 | Cleveland Abbott | PC | |
| 1927 | Bluefield | 8–0–1 | Harry R. Jefferson | PC | |
| 1927 | Tuskegee | 10–0–1 | Cleveland Abbott | PC | |
| 1928 | Bluefield | 8–0–1 | Harry R. Jefferson | PC | |
| 1928 | Wiley | 10–0–1 | Fred T. Long | PC | |
| 1929 | Tuskegee | 9–0 | Cleveland Abbott | CAAC, PC | |
| 1930 | Tuskegee | 11–0–1 | Cleveland Abbott | PC | Southern (5–1–1) was also named HBCU champions by an unspecified source with an unknown degree of credibility |
| 1931 | Wilberforce | 9–0 | Harry C. Graves | PC | |
| 1932 | Wiley | 9–0 | Fred T. Long | PC | |
| 1933 | Kentucky State | 4–3 | Henry Kean | CAAC | |
| 1933 | Morgan | 9–0 | Edward P. Hurt | PC | |
| 1934 | Kentucky State | 9–0 | Henry Kean | CAAC, PC | |
| 1935 | Kentucky State | 9–1 | Henry Kean | CAAC | |
| 1935 | Texas College | 9–0–2 | Ace Mumford | ChB, PC | |
| 1936 | Virginia State | 9–0–2 | Harry R. Jefferson | PC | |
| 1936 | West Virginia State | 8–0 | Adolph Hamblin | PC | |
| 1937 | Morgan | 7–0 | Edward P. Hurt | PC | |
| 1938 | Florida A&M | 8–0 | William M. Bell | PC | |
| 1939 | Langston | 9–0 | Caesar Felton Gayles | PC | |
| 1940 | Morris Brown | 9–1 | Artis P. Graves | PC, SB | |
| 1941 | Langston | 10–1 | Caesar Felton Gayles | VB | record includes forfeited game (was 9–1–1) Beat Morris Brown 13-0 in Vulcan Bowl |
| 1941 | Morris Brown | 10–1 | Billy Nicks | PC | |
| 1942 | Florida A&M | 9–0 | William M. Bell | PC | |
| 1943 | Morgan State | 5–0 | Edward P. Hurt | PC | |
| 1944 | Morgan State | 6–1 | Edward P. Hurt | PC | |
| 1945 | Wiley | 10–0 | Fred T. Long | PC | |
| 1946 | Morgan State | 8–0 | Edward P. Hurt | PC | |
| 1946 | Tennessee A&I | 10–1 | Henry Kean | PC | |
| 1947 | Shaw | 10–0 | Howard K. Wilson | NB, PC | |
| 1947 | Tennessee A&I | 10–0 | Henry Kean | BAA, PC | |
| 1948 | Southern | 12–0 | Ace Mumford | ANP, BAA, PC | |
| 1948 | Wilberforce State | 9–1–1 | Gaston F. Lewis | BAA | |
| 1949 | Morgan State | 8–0 | Edward P. Hurt | PC | |
| 1949 | Southern | 10–0–1 | Ace Mumford | ANP, PC | |
| 1950 | Florida A&M | 8–1–1 | Jake Gaither | PC | |
| 1950 | Southern | 10–0–1 | Ace Mumford | ANP, PC | |
| 1951 | Morris Brown | 10–1 | Edward Clemons | PC | |
| 1951 | North Carolina A&T | 7–1–1 | William M. Bell | ANP | |
| 1952 | Florida A&M | 8–2 | Jake Gaither | ANP, PC | |
| 1953 | Florida A&M | 10–1 | Jake Gaither | BAA | |
| 1953 | Prairie View A&M | 12–0 | Billy Nicks | ADW, ANP, PC | |
| 1953 | Tennessee A&I | 8–0–1 | Henry Kean | JBM | |
| 1954 | Florida A&M | 8–1 | Jake Gaither | ADW, PC | |
| 1954 | North Carolina College | 7–1–1 | Herman Riddick | NFC, PC | |
| 1954 | Prairie View A&M | 10–1 | Billy Nicks | ADW, PC | |
| 1954 | Southern | 10–1 | Ace Mumford | ADW, PC | |
| 1954 | Tennessee A&I | 10–1 | Henry Kean | ADW, ANP, PC | |
| 1955 | Grambling | 10–0 | Eddie Robinson | ADW, ANP, PC | |
| 1956 | Tennessee A&I | 10–0 | Howard C. Gentry | ADW, ANP, PC | |
| 1957 | Florida A&M | 9–0 | Jake Gaither | ADW, PC | |
| 1958 | Prairie View A&M | 10–0–1 | Billy Nicks | ADW, ANP, PC | retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner |
| 1959 | Florida A&M | 10–0 | Jake Gaither | ADW, ANP, PC | |
| 1960 | Southern | 9–1 | Ace Mumford | ADW, ANP, PC | Prairie View A&M (10–1) was also named HBCU champions by an unspecified source with an unknown degree of credibility |
| 1961 | Florida A&M | 10–0 | Jake Gaither | ADW, PC | |
| 1962 | Florida A&M | 9–1 | Jake Gaither | ADW | retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner since the previous trophy had been retired; won AP small college national championship |
| 1962 | Jackson State | 10–1 | John Merritt | PC | |
| 1963 | Prairie View A&M | 10–1 | Billy Nicks | ADW, PC | |
| 1964 | Prairie View A&M | 9–0 | Billy Nicks | ADW, PC | |
| 1965 | Tennessee A&I | 9–0–1 | John Merritt | ADW, PC | |
| 1966 | Tennessee A&I | 10–0 | John Merritt | ADW, NPC | |
| 1967 | Grambling | 9–1 | Eddie Robinson | ADW, NPC | |
| 1967 | Morgan State | 8–0 | Earl Banks | NPC | |
| 1968 | Alcorn A&M | 9–1 | Marino Casem | ADW, NPC | |
| 1968 | North Carolina A&T | 8–1 | Hornsby Howell | NPC | |
| 1969 | Alcorn A&M | 8–0–1 | Marino Casem | ADW, NPC | |
| 1970 | Tennessee State | 11–0 | John Merritt | ADW, NPC | |
| 1971 | Tennessee State | 9–1 | John Merritt | ADW, NPC | |
| 1972 | Grambling | 11–2 | Eddie Robinson | ADW, MBN, NPC, PB | record includes forfeited game (was 10–2); won Pelican Bowl |
| 1973 | Tennessee State | 10–0 | John Merritt | ADW, J, MBN, NPC | retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner (actually five-time winner by this point) since the previous trophy had been retired; won AP and UPI small college national championships; had players ruled ineligible for NCAA Division II Playoffs and declined bid |
| 1974 | Alcorn State | 9–2 | Marino Casem | NPC | declined automatic bid to Pelican Bowl to participate in NCAA Division II playoffs |
| 1974 | Grambling State | 11–1 | Eddie Robinson | ADW, J, MBN, NPC, PB | won Pelican Bowl |
| 1975 | Grambling State | 10–2 | Eddie Robinson | ADW, J, MBN, NBN, NPC | record includes forfeited game (was 10–1); had SWAC championship ruled vacated and, by extension, not eligible for automatic bid to Pelican Bowl |
| 1975 | Southern | 9–3 | Charles Bates | PB | won Pelican Bowl |
| 1976 | South Carolina State | 10–1 | Willie Jeffries | ADW, J, MBN, NPC | |
| 1977 | Florida A&M | 11–0 | Rudy Hubbard | ADW, J, MBN, NBN, NPC | Winston–Salem State initially won the NBN championship, due to the reporting of an incorrect game result |
| 1977 | Grambling State | 10–1 | Eddie Robinson | NPC | |
| 1977 | South Carolina State | 9–1–1 | Willie Jeffries | NPC | |
| 1978 | Florida A&M | 12–1 | Rudy Hubbard | ADW, BCASB, J, MBN, NBN, NPC | won NCAA Division I-AA Pioneer Bowl National Championship |
| 1979 | Tennessee State | 8–3 | John Merritt | ADW, BCASB, J, SBN | |
| 1980 | Grambling State | 10–2 | Eddie Robinson | ADW, J, SBN | retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner since the previous trophy had been retired |
| 1981 | South Carolina State | 10–3 | Bill Davis | ADW, SBN | |
| 1981 | Virginia Union | 11–1 | Willard Bailey | J | NCAA Division II |
| 1982 | South Carolina State | 9–3 | Bill Davis | ADW | |
| 1982 | Tennessee State | 9–0–1 | John Merritt | J, SBN | record does not include voided games (was 10–1–1) |
| 1983 | Central State | 12–1 | Billy Joe | J | NCAA Division II |
| 1983 | Grambling State | 8–1–2 | Eddie Robinson | SBN | |
| 1983 | Tennessee State | 8–2–1 | John Merritt | ADW | |
| 1984 | Alcorn State | 9–1 | Marino Casem | ADW, SBN | |
| 1984 | Tennessee State | 11–0 | William A. Thomas | J | |
| 1985 | Hampton | 10–2 | Fred Freeman | J | NCAA Division II |
| 1985 | Jackson State | 8–3 | W. C. Gorden | ADW, SBN | |
| 1986 | Central State | 10–1–1 | Billy Joe | ADW, J, SBN | NCAA Division II |
| 1987 | Central State | 10–1–1 | Billy Joe | J, SBN | NAIA |
| 1987 | Howard | 0–10 | Willie Jeffries | ADW | record includes forfeited games (was 9–1) |
| 1988 | Central State | 11–2 | Billy Joe | ADW, LAFCF, SBN | NAIA |
| 1989 | Central State | 10–3 | Billy Joe | ADW, SBN | NAIA |
| 1990 | Central State | 11–1 | Billy Joe | ADW, J, SBN | won NAIA Division I Champion Bowl National Championship |
| 1990 | North Carolina A&T | 9–2 | Bill Hayes | ASW | |
| 1991 | Alabama State | 11–0–1 | Houston Markham | ADW, AHB, ASW, AURN, J | won Alamo Heritage Bowl I |
| 1992 | Central State | 12–1 | Billy Joe | ADW | won NAIA Division I Champion Bowl National Championship |
| 1992 | Grambling State | 10–2 | Eddie Robinson | ASW, AURN, J | won Heritage Bowl II |
| 1993 | Howard | 11–1 | Steve Wilson | ADW, AURN | declined automatic bid to Heritage Bowl III to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs |
| 1993 | Southern | 11–1 | Pete Richardson | ASW, BCSR | won Heritage Bowl III |
| 1994 | Hampton | 10–1 | Joe Taylor | AURN | NCAA Division II |
| 1994 | South Carolina State | 10–2 | Willie Jeffries | ADW, ASW, BCSP, HB | won Heritage Bowl IV |
| 1995 | Southern | 11–1 | Pete Richardson | ADW, ASW, AURN | won Jim Walter Homes Heritage Bowl V |
| 1996 | Howard | 10–2 | Steve Wilson | ADW, AURN | won McDonald's Heritage Bowl VI |
| 1996 | Jackson State | 10–2 | James Carson | ASW | declined automatic bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl VI to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs |
| 1997 | Hampton | 10–2 | Joe Taylor | AURN | declined automatic bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl VII to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs |
| 1997 | Southern | 11–1 | Pete Richardson | ADW, ASW | won McDonald's Heritage Bowl VII |
| 1998 | Florida A&M | 11–2 | Billy Joe | ASW, AURN | declined bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl VIII (after MEAC's top seed also declined it) to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs |
| 1998 | Southern | 9–3 | Pete Richardson | ADW | won McDonald's Heritage Bowl VIII; may have retired Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award as first three-time winner since the previous trophy had been retired (it is not immediately clear if this was done, however) |
| 1999 | North Carolina A&T | 11–2 | Bill Hayes | ADW, ASW, AURN | declined automatic bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl IX to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs |
| 2000 | Grambling State | 10–2 | Doug Williams | ASW | |
| 2000 | Tuskegee | 12–0 | Rick Comegy | ADW, AURN, BCSP | NCAA Division II |
| 2001 | Florida A&M | 7–4 | Billy Joe | ADW | |
| 2001 | Grambling State | 11–0 | Doug Williams | ASW, AURN, BCSP | record includes forfeited game (was 10–1) |
| 2001 | Tuskegee | 11–1 | Rick Comegy | BCSP | NCAA Division II |
| 2002 | Bethune–Cookman | 11–2 | Alvin Wyatt | BCSP | |
| 2002 | Fayetteville State | 10–2 | Kenny Phillips | DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2002 | Grambling State | 11–2 | Doug Williams | ADW, ASW, AURN, BCSP, DCCC-M | |
| 2003 | Albany State | 10–2 | Mike White | DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2003 | Southern | 12–1 | Pete Richardson | ADW, ASW, AURN, BCSP, DCCC-M | |
| 2004 | Albany State | 11–1 | Mike White | ADW, BCSP, DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2004 | Hampton | 10–2 | Joe Taylor | ASW, AURN, DCCC-M | |
| 2005 | Grambling State | 11–1 | Melvin Spears | AURN, BCSP, DCCC-M | |
| 2005 | Hampton | 11–1 | Joe Taylor | ADW, ASW | |
| 2005 | North Carolina Central | 10–2 | Rod Broadway | DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2006 | Hampton | 10–2 | Joe Taylor | ASW, BCSP, DCCC-M | |
| 2006 | North Carolina Central | 11–1 | Rod Broadway | ADW, AURN, BCSP, DCCC-MM, PCWDC | NCAA Division II |
| 2007 | Delaware State | 10–2 | Al Lavan | ASW, DCCC-M | |
| 2007 | Tuskegee | 12–0 | Willie J. Slater | ADW, AURN, B-MP, BCSP, DCCC-MM, PCWDC | NCAA Division II |
| 2008 | Grambling State | 11–2 | Rod Broadway | ADW, ASW, AURN, B-MP, BCSP, DCCC-M, PCWDC | |
| 2008 | South Carolina State | 10–3 | Oliver Pough | BCSP | |
| 2008 | Tuskegee | 10–1 | Willie J. Slater | DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2009 | Prairie View A&M | 9–1 | Henry Frazier III | ASW, BCSP, DCCC-M | |
| 2009 | South Carolina State | 10–2 | Oliver Pough | ADW, AURN, B-CP, B-MP, BCSP, PCWDC | |
| 2009 | Tuskegee | 10–2 | Willie J. Slater | DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2010 | Albany State | 11–1 | Mike White | AURN, BCSP, DCCC-MM, PCWDC | NCAA Division II |
| 2010 | Bethune–Cookman | 10–2 | Brian Jenkins | ASW, B-CP, B-MP | |
| 2010 | Texas Southern | 0–3 | Johnnie Cole | DCCC-M | record does not include vacated games (was 9–3) |
| 2011 | Alabama State | 8–3 | Reggie Barlow | DCCC-M | |
| 2011 | Norfolk State | 0–3 | Pete Adrian | ASW, B-CP, HSRN-I | record does not include vacated games (was 9–3) |
| 2011 | Winston–Salem State | 13–1 | Connell Maynor | AURN, B-MP, BCSP, DCCC-MM, HSRN-II&N, NBT, PCWDC | NCAA Division II |
| 2012 | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 10–2 | Monte Coleman | ASW, B-CP, HSRN-I | |
| 2012 | Bethune–Cookman | 9–3 | Brian Jenkins | AURN | |
| 2012 | Tennessee State | 8–3 | Rod Reed | DCCC-M | |
| 2012 | Winston–Salem State | 14–1 | Connell Maynor | B-MP, BCSP, DCCC-MM, HSRN-II&N, PCWDC | NCAA Division II |
| 2013 | Bethune–Cookman | 10–3 | Brian Jenkins | AHSR-I, B-CP, B-MP, DCCC-M, PCWDC | |
| 2013 | Tennessee State | 10–4 | Rod Reed | ASW, AURN, BCSP, HSRN-I | |
| 2013 | Winston–Salem State | 10–2 | Connell Maynor | AHSR-II, DCCC-MM, HSRN-II&N | NCAA Division II |
| 2014 | Alcorn State | 10–3 | Jay Hopson | AHSR-I, AURN, B-CP, B-MP, BCSP, DCCC-M, HSRN-I, TAJTT | |
| 2014 | Virginia State | 10–2 | Latrell Scott | AHSR-II, DCCC-MM, HBCUS-PFP HSRN-II&N | NCAA Division II |
| 2015 | North Carolina A&T | 10–2 | Rod Broadway | AFRCB, AHSR-I, AURN, B-CP, B-MP, BCSP, DCCC-M, HBCUS-UP, HSRN-I | |
| 2015 | Tuskegee | 10–3 | Willie J. Slater | AHSR-II, DCCC-MM, HSRN-II&N | NCAA Division II |
| 2016 | Grambling State | 12–1 | Broderick Fobbs | AFRCB, AHSR-I, AURN, B-CP, B-MP, BCNC-I, BCSP, DCCC-M, HSRN-I | |
| 2016 | Tuskegee | 9–3 | Willie J. Slater | AHSR-II | NCAA Division II |
| 2016 | Winston–Salem State | 9–3 | Kienus Boulware | BCNC-II&N, DCCC-MM, HSRN-II&N | NCAA Division II |
| 2017 | North Carolina A&T | 12–0 | Rod Broadway | B-CP, B-MP, BCNC-I, BCSP, CeB, DCCC-M, PNRN, UMTC | |
| 2017 | Langston | 10–1 | Quinton Morgan | DCCC-MM | NAIA |
| 2017 | Virginia State | 10–1 | Reggie Barlow | BCNC-II&N, DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2018 | Bowie State | 9–3 | Damon Wilson | BCNC-II&N, DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2018 | North Carolina A&T | 10–2 | Sam Washington | AFRCB, B-CP, B-MP, BCNC-I, BCSP, DCCC-M, PNRN, UMTC | |
| 2019 | Bowie State | 11–1 | Damon Wilson | BCNC-II&N, BCSN-II&N, DCCC-MM | NCAA Division II |
| 2019 | Florida A&M | 9–2 | Willie Simmons | BCSN-I | ruled ineligible for MEAC championship and postseason play and, by extension, not eligible for automatic bid to Celebration Bowl |
| 2019 | North Carolina A&T | 9–3 | Sam Washington | B-CP, B-MP, BCNC-I, BCSP, CeB, DCCC-M, HBCUS-UP, UMTC | |
| 2020 | Alabama A&M | 5–0 | Connell Maynor | PNRN, B-CP, B-MP, BCSP, DCCC-M | |
| 2021 | Bowie State | 12–2 | Damon Wilson | B-MP, BCNC-II&N, BCSN-II&N, BCSP-II, DCCC-MM, UMTC | NCAA Division II |
| 2021 | Jackson State | 11–2 | Deion Sanders | BCNC-I, BCSN-I | |
| 2021 | South Carolina State | 7–5 | Oliver Pough | B-CP, BCSP-I, CCB, DCCC-M, HBCUS-UP, SIC | |
| 2022 | Benedict | 11–1 | Chennis Berry | B-CP, BCNC-II&N, BCSN-II&N, DCCC-MM, HBCUS-UP | NCAA Division II |
| 2022 | North Carolina Central | 10–2 | Trei Oliver | B-CP, B-MP, BCNC-I, BCSN-I, CCB, DCCC-M, HBCUS-UP | |
| 2023 | Benedict | 11–1 | Chennis Berry | B-CP | NCAA Division II |
| 2023 | Florida A&M | 12–1 | Willie Simmons | CCB | |
| 2024 | Jackson State | 11–2 | T. C. Taylor | CCB | |

## National championships by school

| School | National champion­ships | Season(s) |
| Florida A&M | 16 | 1938, 1942, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1998, 2001, 2019, 2023 |
| Tennessee State | 16 | 1946, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2012, 2013 |
| Grambling State | 15 | 1955, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2016 |
| Tuskegee | 13 | 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016 |
| Southern | 11 | 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1960, 1975, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2003 |
| Central State | 8 | 1948, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 |
| North Carolina A&T | 8 | 1951, 1968, 1990, 1999, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| South Carolina State | 8 | 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1994, 2008, 2009, 2021 |
| Hampton | 7 | 1922, 1985, 1994, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006 |
| Howard | 7 | 1920, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1987, 1993, 1996 |
| Morgan State | 7 | 1933, 1937, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1967 |
| Prairie View A&M | 6 | 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, 1964, 2009 |
| Alcorn State | 5 | 1968, 1969, 1974, 1984, 2014 |
| Jackson State | 4 | 1962, 1985, 1996, 2024 |
| Bethune–Cookman | 4 | 2002, 2010, 2012, 2013 |
| North Carolina Central | 4 | 1954, 2005, 2006, 2022 |
| Virginia State | 4 | 1936, 1952, 2014, 2017 |
| Wiley | 4 | 1921, 1928, 1932, 1945 |
| Winston-Salem State | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 |
| Albany State | 3 | 2003, 2004, 2010 |
| Bowie State | 3 | 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Kentucky State | 3 | 1933, 1934, 1935 |
| Langston | 3 | 1939, 1941, 2017 |
| Lincoln (PA) | 3 | 1921, 1923, 1924 |
| Morris Brown | 3 | 1940, 1941, 1951 |
| Alabama State | 2 | 1991, 2011 |
| Bluefield State | 2 | 1927, 1928 |
| Talladega | 2 | 1920, 1921 |
| Texas Southern | 2 | 1952, 2010 |
| Virginia Union | 2 | 1923, 1981 |
| West Virginia State | 2 | 1922, 1936 |
| Alabama A&M | 1 | 2020 |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 1 | 2012 |
| Benedict | 1 | 2022 |
| Delaware State | 1 | 2007 |
| Fayetteville State | 1 | 2002 |
| Lincoln (MO) | 1 | 1952 |
| Norfolk State | 1 | 2011 |
| Paul Quinn | 1 | 1924 |
| Shaw | 1 | 1947 |
| Texas College | 1 | 1935 |
| Wilberforce | 1 | 1931 |