Alcorn State Braves | |
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Founded | 1959 |
University | Alcorn State University |
Athletic director | Derek Horne |
Head coach | Carlton Hardy (1st season) |
Conference | Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division |
Location | Lorman, Mississippi |
Home stadium | Foster Baseball Field at McGowan Stadium (Capacity: 500) |
Nickname | Braves |
Colors | Purple and gold [1] |
NCAA Tournament appearances | |
2011 | |
Conference tournament champions | |
2002, 2011 | |
Regular season conference champions | |
2002 |
The Alcorn State Braves baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, United States. The program's first season was in 1959, and it has been a member of the NCAA Division I Southwestern Athletic Conference since the start of the 1963 season. Its home venue is the Foster Baseball Field at McGowan Stadium, located on Alcorn State's campus. Carlton Hardy has been the team's head coach since the 2025 season. The program has appeared in 1 NCAA Tournament. It has won one conference tournament championship and 0 regular season conference titles. As of the start of the 2021 Major League Baseball season, 1 former Brave has appeared in Major League Baseball.
The program's first season of play was 1959.
Alcorn State has participated in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament once.
Year | Region | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Rice Regional | First Round Lower Round 1 | Rice California | L 2–14 L 6–10 |
The stadium is named for Willie McGowan, head baseball coach from 1972 to 2009. [2] [3] In 38 years as Alcorn State's coach, McGowan won over 700 games. [4] The field and stadium were officially dedicated on September 4, 2010. Plaques commemorating the dedications were added on May 6, 2011. [2]
Alcorn State's longest tenured head coach was Willie E. "Rat" McGowan, who has coached the team from 1972 to 2009.
Year(s) | Coach | Seasons | W-L-T | Pct |
---|---|---|---|---|
1959 | Louis Crews | 1 | 7–7 | .500 |
1960–1969 | William H. Foster | 8 | 82–84–1 | .494 |
1971 | Davey Whitney | 1 | 14–8–1 | .630 |
1972–2009 | Willie E. "Rat" McGowan | 38 | 720–663–7 | .521 |
2010–2015 | Barret Rey | 6 | 115–218 | .345 |
2016–2021 | Bretton Richardson | 6 | 66–166 | .284 |
2022–2024 | Reggie Williams | 3 | 17–120 | .124 |
2025–present | Carlton Hardy | 1 | 0–0 | – |
Totals | 7 coaches | 64 | 1,021–1,266–9 | .447 |
Below is a list of notable former Braves and the seasons in which they played for Alcorn State.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for most sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA.
William Hendrick Foster was an American left-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues in the 1920s and 1930s. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Foster was the much-younger half-brother of Rube Foster, a Negro league player, pioneer, and fellow Hall of Famer.
The Texas Southern Tigers represent Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate athletics. They field sixteen teams including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field; women's-only bowling, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball; and men's-only baseball and football. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I and are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Marino H. "The Godfather" Casem was an American college football coach and athletic administrator. He served as the head coach at Alabama State University (1963), Alcorn State University (1964–1985), and Southern University, compiling a career record of 159–93–8. Casem's Alcorn State Braves teams won four black college national championships and seven Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) titles. Casem also served as the athletic director at Alcorn State from 1966 to 1986 and at Southern from 1986 to 1999. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
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The Alcorn State Braves are the college football team of Alcorn State University. The Braves play in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
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Davey Lee Whitney Sr., also known as "The Wiz", was an American college basketball coach and the head basketball coach at Texas Southern University from 1964 to 1969 and Alcorn State University from 1969 to 1989 and 1996 to 2003. He amassed a total record of 566 wins and 356 losses in 33 seasons of coaching at both institutions.
The Old Dominion Monarchs baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. The team is a member of the Sun Belt Conference, which is part of NCAA Division I. Old Dominion's first baseball team was fielded in 1931 as the William and Mary College – Norfolk Division Braves. ODU joined Division I in 1977. The team plays its home games at Bud Metheny Baseball Complex in Norfolk, Virginia, where it has played since 1982. ODU has won six conference tournament titles and have been to the NCAA tournament nine times. The Monarchs are coached by Chris Finwood, a native of Hampton, Virginia, who is in his eleventh year at the helm. The Monarchs have had eleven players reach the Major Leagues and two, Justin Verlander and Daniel Hudson, have played in the World Series.
The 2011 Alcorn State Braves football team represented Alcorn State University as a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference during then 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Melvin Spears, the Braves compiled an overall record of 2–8 with a mark of 1–8 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the SWAC's East Division. The team played their home games at Casem-Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi.
William "Bill" Foster Baseball Field at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium is a baseball venue in Lorman, Mississippi, United States. It is home to the Alcorn State Braves baseball team of the NCAA Division I Southwestern Athletic Conference. The field is named for Bill Foster, former Negro leagues baseball player, member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and Alcorn State head baseball coach from 1960 to 1971. The stadium is named for Willie McGowan, head baseball coach from 1972 to 2009. In 38 years as Alcorn State's coach, McGowan won over 700 games. The field and stadium were officially dedicated on September 4, 2010. Plaques commemorating the dedications were added on May 6, 2011.
The Alcorn State Braves and Lady Braves represent Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi in intercollegiate athletics. They field 15 teams including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field; women's-only soccer, softball, and volleyball; and men's-only baseball and football. The Braves compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The 2015–16 Alcorn State Braves basketball team represented Alcorn State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves, led by first year head coach Montez Robinson, played their home games at the Davey Whitney Complex in Lorman, Mississippi and were members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Braves finished the season 15–15, 13–5 in SWAC play to finish in second place. They lost to Mississippi Valley State in the quarterfinals of the SWAC tournament.
The 2017 Alcorn State Braves football team represented Alcorn State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Braves were led by second-year head coach Fred McNair and played their home games at Casem-Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi as members of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They finished the season 7–5, 5–2 in SWAC play to win the East Division. They lost the SWAC Championship Game to Grambling State.
The 2019–20 Alcorn State Braves basketball team represented Alcorn State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves, led by fifth-year head coach Montez Robinson, played their home games at the Davey Whitney Complex in Lorman, Mississippi as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 15–15, 11–7 in SWAC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. They lost in the first round of the SWAC tournament to Jackson State.
The 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began on February 19, 2021. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament and 2021 College World Series. The College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA tournament and held annually in Omaha, Nebraska, at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, ended on June 30, 2021. The Mississippi State Bulldogs won the tournament, and were named national champions.
The 2020–21 Alcorn State Braves basketball team represented Alcorn State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Braves, led by first-year head coach Landon Bussie, played their home games at the Davey Whitney Complex in Lorman, Mississippi as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
The 2021 Alcorn State Braves football team represented Alcorn State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Braves played their home games at Casem-Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi, and competed in the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They were led by fifth-year head coach Fred McNair.
The 2022 Alcorn State Braves football team represented Alcorn State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by head coach Fred McNair, who was coaching his sixth season with the program. The Braves played their home games at Casem-Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi.
The 2023 Alcorn State Braves football team represented Alcorn State University as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by head coach Fred McNair, who is coaching in his seventh season with the program. The Braves played home games at Casem-Spinks Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi. The Alcorn State Braves football team drew an average home attendance of 12,018 in 2023.