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MEAC/SWAC Challenge

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This article is about the Labor Day weekend game between MEAC and SWAC teams. For their postseason contest, see Celebration Bowl.
MEAC/SWAC Challenge
Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge
StadiumCenter Parc Stadium
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
Previous stadiums
Previous locations
Operated2005–present
Conference tie-insMid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
Sponsors
Former names
  • Ford MEAC/SWAC Challenge (2005–2006)[3]
  • MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (2008–2015)[4][5]

The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is an annual historically black college (HBCU) football game showcasing a team from each of the two NCAA Division I conferences made up entirely of HBCUs—the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).[a][6] The series began in 2005[7] and initially paired the defending conference champions,[8] although the selection process was broadened in 2007 to include non-champions as well. The series record currently stands at 11 wins for the MEAC to the SWAC's seven (along with a "no contest" game in 2016,[9] and a cancellation in 2020). The Challenge is televised nationally on ESPN and is owned by ESPN Events. It was historically associated with the Labor Day weekend, but starting in 2021 has instead taken place a week earlier during college football's Week 0.[4][7]

History

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South Carolina State beat Alabama State in the first Challenge in 2005, and for its first three years the event was held in Birmingham, Alabama (home of the SWAC's offices[10]), at Legion Field. In 2007, the event attracted its largest crowd—over 30,000—as Southern beat Florida A&M and earned the SWAC's first victory in the series. In 2008, the Challenge moved to Orlando, Florida after a new sponsorship was announced;[4] Walt Disney World Resort would sponsor the event for eight years until 2015.[5] From 2008 to 2013, as well as in 2015, it was held in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl, now called Camping World Stadium. In 2014, the game was played at Spectrum Stadium, now known as FBC Mortgage Stadium, as Camping World Stadium underwent renovations.

In April 2016, it was announced that the game would move to campus sites for 2016 and 2017 (on September 4, 2016, Bethune–Cookman attempted to host Alcorn State in Daytona Beach, Florida, but the game was halted before halftime due to lightning associated with feeder bands from Hurricane Hermine;[2] on September 3, 2017, Southern hosted South Carolina State in Baton Rouge, Louisiana). The event moved to a non-HBCU campus venue in 2018—this time at Center Parc Stadium on the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta.[b][11]

Nine future NFL Draft picks have played in the Challenge. They are Phillip Adams (South Carolina State), Michael Coe (Alabama State), Johnny Culbreath (South Carolina State), Justin Durant (Hampton), Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State), Temarrick Hemingway (South Carolina State), Curtis Holcomb (Florida A&M), Tarvaris Jackson (Alabama State), and Kendall Langford (Hampton).[12]

The 2020 game, as well as the Celebration Bowl, were both canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic (in particular, due to a decision by the MEAC to cancel all fall sports for the 2020 season).[13]

Game results

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Year MEAC representative SWAC representative Attendance Location
2005 South Carolina State Bulldogs 27 Alabama State Hornets 14 18,452 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama)[14][15]
2006 No. 13 Hampton Pirates 27 No. 23 Grambling State Tigers 26 OT 19,175 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama)[16]
2007 Florida A&M Rattlers 27 Southern Jaguars 33 30,106 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama)
2008 Hampton Pirates 17 Jackson State Tigers 13 10,723 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)
2009 No. 16 South Carolina State Bulldogs 34 No. 25 Grambling State Tigers 31 21,367 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)
2010 Delaware State Hornets 27 Southern Jaguars 37 16,327 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)
2011 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats 63 Prairie View A&M Panthers 14 17,337 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)
2012 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats 38 Alabama State Hornets 28 17,410 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)
2013 Florida A&M Rattlers 27 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 10 24,376 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)[17]
2014 North Carolina A&T Aggies 47 Alabama A&M Bulldogs 13 8,210 Spectrum Stadium (Orlando, Florida)[18]
2015 South Carolina State Bulldogs 35 Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions 7 7,257 Orlando Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)
2016[#] Bethune–Cookman Wildcats 7 Alcorn State Braves 13 6,000 Municipal Stadium (Daytona Beach, Florida)[2]
2017 South Carolina State Bulldogs 8 Southern Jaguars 14 10,006 A. W. Mumford Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)[19]
2018 North Carolina Central Eagles 24 Prairie View A&M Panthers 40 10,274 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)
2019 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats 36 Jackson State Tigers 15 23,333 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)[20]
2020 Game canceled due to COVID-19. Originally South Carolina State v Grambling State.[21] Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)[22]
2021 North Carolina Central Eagles 23 Alcorn State Braves 14 15,215 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)
2022 Howard Bison 13 Alabama State Hornets 23 21,088 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)[23]
2023 South Carolina State Bulldogs 7 Jackson State Tigers 37 24,238 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)[24]
2024 Norfolk State Spartans 23 Florida A&M Rattlers 24 22,210 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)
2025 North Carolina Central Eagles Southern Jaguars Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)
2026 Howard Bison Alabama A&M Bulldogs Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)

^ #: Score is unofficial. With 7:14 remaining in the 2nd Quarter (22:46 point of game), the game was delayed due to lightning for nearly three hours. After several unsuccessful attempts to restart the game, the game was called no contest because the game had not yet reached official status.[2]

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ All full members of both conferences are HBCUs, but the MEAC has non-HBCU affiliate members in select non-football sports.
  2. ^ The legal definition of an HBCU is an institution founded before the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 primarily to educate African Americans. Georgia State was founded in 1913, but did not admit its first African-American students until 1962. GSU is now classified by the U.S. federal government as a "Predominantly Black Institution", defined as an institution that does not meet the legal definition of an HBCU, but with a majority of undergraduates receiving need-based financial aid and at least 40% African-American undergraduate enrollment.

References

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  1. ^ "MEAC/SWAC Challenge set". Baton Rouge Advocate (sec. D, p. 3). October 1, 2004.
  2. ^ a b c d Butler, Andreas (September 8, 2016). "Not one for the record books: The unfinished MEAC/SWAC Challenge will have no negative financial implications for the universities, conferences or ESPN". Daytona Times. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "ESPN Announces 2006 MEAC / SWAC Challenge Game". onnidan.com. February 27, 2006. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "Tickets for the 2008 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney Go on Sale June 1". meacsports.com. 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Matchups Announced for 2015 MEAC/SWAC Challenge". swac.org. March 16, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  6. ^ MEAC/SWAC Challenge – ESPN Events. Archived 2016-06-25 at the Wayback Machine ESPN.
  7. ^ a b "MEAC/SWAC Challenge: About". meacswacchallenge.com. 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  8. ^ "State Capsules: Hampton vs. Grambling". Baton Rouge Advocate (sec. C, p. 16). September 2, 2006.
  9. ^ A'Leaka Brown (September 5, 2016). "MEAC/SWAC Challenge Ruled a 'No Contest'". thecampuschronicleasu.com. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  10. ^ Stu McCann (June 3, 2016). "City of Houston wants to be new home of SWAC headquarters". abc3340.com. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  11. ^ /humans.txt (22 April 2016). "2016 & 2017 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Matchups Announced - MEAC / SWAC | ESPN Events". espnevents.com. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  12. ^ /humans.txt. "2 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Alumni Selected in 2016 NFL Draft - MEAC / SWAC | ESPN Events". espnevents.com. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  13. ^ "MEAC-SWAC 2020 football matchups in Atlanta canceled". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  14. ^ Grant, Thomas Jr. (September 4, 2005). "S.C. State Posts impressive win over Alabama St". The Times and Democrat. Orangeburg, South Carolina. p. 1B. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  15. ^ Grant, Thomas Jr. (September 4, 2005). "SCSU (continued)". The Times and Democrat. Orangeburg, South Carolina. p. 2B. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  16. ^ "MEAC/SWAC Challenge: History". .meacswacchallenge.com. 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  17. ^ "HBCU Attendance Numbers: MEAC/SWAC Paces Week One ~ HBCU GAMEDAY". Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  18. ^ "North Carolina A&T rolls to win over Alabama A&M in Orlando's MEAC/SWAC Challenge - Orlando Sentinel". September 2014.
  19. ^ "South Carolina State vs. Southern - Game Summary - September 3, 2017 - ESPN".
  20. ^ Kevin Kelley (December 17, 2018). "Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman to play in 2019 MEAC/SWAC Challenge". fbschedules.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  21. ^ "2020 MEAC/SWAC and Celebration Bowl canceled". 16 July 2020.
  22. ^ "2020 MEAC/SWAC Challenge matchup is set". 30 July 2019.
  23. ^ "MEAC/SWAC Matchups through 2024 announced". 20 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Jackson State 37-7 South Carolina State (Aug 26, 2023) Box Score".
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