Southwestern Athletic Conference The Southwestern Athletic Conference ( SWAC ) is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham , Alabama , which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States . It participates in the NCAA ' s Division I for all sports ; in football , it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) , still frequently referred to by its former designation of Division I - AA . The SWAC is one of two conferences – the other being the Ivy League – that does not participate in the FCS football playoffs , and is the only one of the two whose members offer a full complement of scholarships for football . The SWAC instead splits its schools into two divisions , and plays a conference championship game . Furthermore , one SWAC game , the Bayou Classic between Southern and Grambling State , is positioned on the schedule after the NCAA tournament has begun . In addition , Alabama State plays Division II rival Tuskegee annually on Thanksgiving Day ( The Turkey Day Classic ) . These moves have been criticized by other conferences containing historically black universities , especially the only other Division I conference made up entirely of such schools , the Mid - Eastern Athletic Conference , which annually places its champion into the FCS tournament . History . In 1920 , athletic officials from six Texas HBCUs — 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 A & M , D . C . Fuller of Texas College and G . Whitte Jordan of Wiley College — met in Houston , Texas , to discuss common interests . At this meeting , they agreed to form a new league , the SWAC . Paul Quinn became the first of the original members to withdraw from the league when it did so in 1929 . When Langston University of Oklahoma was admitted into the conference two years later , it began the migration of state - supported institutions into the SWAC . Southern University entered the ranks in 1934 , followed by Arkansas AM & N ( now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ) in 1936 and Texas Southern University in 1954 . Rapid growth in enrollment of the state - supported schools made it difficult for the church - supported schools to finance their athletics programs and one by one they fell victim to the growing prowess of the state - supported colleges . Bishop withdrew from the conference in 1956 , Langston in 1957 and Huston - Tillotson ( formerly Samuel Huston ) in 1959 , one year after the admittance of two more state - supported schools : Grambling College and Jackson State College . The enter - exit cycle continued in 1961 when Texas College withdrew , followed by the admittance of Alcorn A & M ( now Alcorn State University ) in 1962 . Wiley left in 1968 , the same year Mississippi Valley State College entered . Arkansas AM & N exited in 1970 and Alabama State University entered in 1982 . Arkansas – Pine Bluff ( formerly Arkansas AM & N ) rejoined the SWAC on July 1 , 1997 , regaining full - member status one year later . Alabama A & M University became the conference ’ s tenth member when it became a full member in September , 1999 after a one year period as an affiliate SWAC member . Most of the former SWAC members that have left the conference are currently a part of the Red River Athletic Conference of the NAIA . Today , the SWAC , considered the premier HBCU conference , ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni playing with professional sports teams , particularly in the sport of football . On the gridiron , the conference has been the biggest draw on the Football Championship Subdivision level of the NCAA , leading the nation in average home attendance for 19 of the 20 years the FCS has been in existence . In 1994 , the SWAC fell just 40 , 000 fans short of becoming the first non - Football Bowl Subdivision conference to attract one million fans to its home games . Current championship competition offered by the SWAC includes competition for men in baseball , basketball , cross country , football , golf , indoor track , outdoor track & field and tennis . Women ’ s competition is offered in the sports of basketball , bowling , cross country , golf , indoor track , outdoor track & field , soccer , softball , tennis and volleyball . Member schools . Current full members . Considered the premier HBCU athletic conference , the SWAC comprises ten schools . Former members . Note < br > < nowiki > * < / nowiki > Huston – Tillotson was formerly known as Samuel Huston College . Sports . The SWAC sponsors championship competitions in eight men ' s and ten women ' s NCAA sanctioned sports : SWAC Championships . Football . All games have been played at Legion Field in Birmingham , Alabama . References . Notes