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.
Jackson State University is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of student enrollment. The university is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium has been the home stadium of the Jackson State Tigers football team since 1970. Originally known as War Veterans Memorial Stadium, it was later known as Hinds County War Memorial Stadium. It was redesigned and enlarged in 1960 and Ole Miss vs. Arkansas dedicated Mississippi Memorial Stadium in 1961 before a capacity crowd of 46,000. With political support from Ole Miss and Mississippi State and leadership from Ole Miss Athletics Director Warner Alford, Mississippi Memorial Stadium was enlarged to 62,500 in 1981 and on September 26, 1981 Ole Miss and Arkansas again dedicated the facility before 63,522.
Edward Charles Payton Jr. is a former American football running back and kick returner who played five seasons in the NFL from 1977 to 1982 for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings. He also played in the Canadian Football League. He is the older brother of the late Chicago Bears player Walter Payton, the uncle of Brittney Payton and the uncle of the current WGN-TV sports anchor Jarrett Payton.
James "Big Daddy" Carson Jr. was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi from 1992 to 1998, compiling a record of 54–25–1. Carson's Jackson State Tigers won a black college football national championship in 1996 and back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) titles in 1995 and 1996. They appeared in the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs three consecutive years from 1995 to 1997.
The Southern Jaguars and Lady Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Southern University's 13 athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship Subdivision.
The Grambling State Tigers and Lady Tigers represent Grambling State University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Grambling's sports teams participate in Division I as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
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).
The Jackson State–Southern football rivalry, often informally called the BoomBox Classic, is a college football rivalry between the Tigers of Jackson State University (JSU) and the Jaguars of Southern University (SU). An annual conference game between two historically black universities in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), its location usually rotates between JSU's Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi and SU's A. W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but it has also been held at larger venues to accommodate the large crowds that the game draws. As of 2023, the Jaguars lead the series 35–33, not including two wins that Southern was ordered to vacate by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The Sonic Boom of the South is the marching band of Jackson State University (JSU) located in Jackson, Mississippi, US. Its unique style and showmanship include the J5 drum majors, Prancing J-Settes, floating JSU, Tiger Run-On, the “Get Ready” entrance, and “The Series.” Its musical approach can be traced to the early years, when a former arranger for Cab Calloway’s big band was the director (1948–1971). The band performs marches, Jazz, Gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Deep South Rap.
The Jackson State Tigers football team represents Jackson State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The Texas Southern Tigers is the college football team representing Texas Southern University, a historically black university (HBCU) in Houston. The Tigers play in the NCAA's Division I FCS as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), a conference whose members are all HBCUs. In 2012, the Tigers moved into the new Shell Energy Stadium in East Downtown, built for the city's Major League Soccer team, the Houston Dynamo. It replaced Delmar Stadium as the primary home of Tiger football.
J-Setting is a style of dance popularized by the Prancing J-Settes, the popular collegiate women's danceline of Jackson State University's Sonic Boom of the South marching band. It originated in the late 1970s from African-Americans in the Jackson, Mississippi, area of the United States.
The Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represents Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. The school's team currently competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They currently play their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center. They made their first ever appearance to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2024.
The Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Tennessee State University (TSU), located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The Tigers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes in the NCAA Division I, including the Football Championship Subdivision. The women's track team is also known as the Tigerbelles. As a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, Tennessee State is one of three HBCUs competing in Division I that is not a member of an athletic conference made up entirely of historically black institutions, the other two being Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University of the Colonial Athletic Association. The TSU mascot is Aristocat the Tiger, and the school colors are blue and white. TSU's main rival historically has been Kentucky State University, an HBCU located in the capital of Tennessee's northern neighbor.
The 2016–17 Jackson State Tigers basketball team represented Jackson State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by fourth-year head coach Wayne Brent, played their home games at the Williams Assembly Center in Jackson, Mississippi as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 14–18, 10–8 in SWAC play to finish in a four-way tie for third place. As the No. 6 seed in the SWAC tournament, they lost to Southern in the quarterfinals.
Donte Jackson is an American college basketball coach, currently head coach for the Grambling State Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). In 2024, he led the Tigers to their first SWAC tournament championship in program history and their first ever NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Robert L. Braddy Sr. is an American college baseball coach who spent 27 years as the coach for Jackson State University.
The 2019 Jackson State Tigers football team represented Jackson State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Tigers were led by first-year head coach John Hendrick and played their home games at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi as members of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
The 2019–20 Jackson State Tigers basketball team represented Jackson State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers were led by seventh-year head coach Wayne Brent, and played their home games at the Williams Assembly Center in Jackson, Mississippi as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 11–7 in SWAC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. They defeated Alcorn State in the quarterfinals of the SWAC tournament and were set to face Prairie View A&M in the semifinals until the tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
