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HBCU Athletic Conference

The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference made up entirely of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well as the U.S. territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

History

HBCU Athletic Conference (Continental U.S.)
300km
200miles
Wilberforce
Voorhees
Stillman
Talladega
Wiley
Tougaloo
SUNO
Rust
Philander Smith
Oakwood
Fisk
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Dillard
  
Location of HBCUAC members: full member
HBCU Athletic Conference (U.S. Virgin Islands)
20km
12miles
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Virgin Islands
  
Location of HBCUAC members: full member
Previous logo

The HBCUAC was established in 1981 as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC), with the following charter institutions: Belhaven University, Dillard University, Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University), Spring Hill College, Tougaloo College, William Carey University, and Xavier University of Louisiana. The first sports were men and women's basketball and men's tennis, with other sports soon following.[1]

The University of Mobile was admitted in October 1985, Southern University at New Orleans was granted admission in May 1986, Loyola University was admitted in April 1995, and Louisiana State University in Shreveport became a member in April 2000. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina forced Dillard and Xavier (Louisiana) to cancel all athletic competition for the 2005–06 season and Loyola and Southern–New Orleans were able only to compete partially. All schools returned to competition in 2006–07, although in most cases with a reduced number of sports.[citation needed]

Louisiana College left the GCAC to join the American Southwest Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III in 2000. Belhaven also left in 2000, only to re-join in 2002; while Talladega College, which joined in 1999, left in 2002. In 2010, Belhaven, Loyola–New Orleans, Spring Hill, Mobile, and William Carey left the GCAC to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC).[2] In 2010 LSU–Shreveport left the conference to join the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). Edward Waters College (now a university) and Fisk University joined to replace the departed schools in 2010. Philander Smith College also joined the GCAC in 2011. Talladega College re-joined the conference starting in the 2011–12 academic year. Talladega had been a member of the GCAC from 1999–2000 to 2001–02.[3]

On April 17, 2018, it was announced that Rust College had joined the GCAC in the 2018–19 season.[4]

In 2019, Steve Martin resigned from the conference after 5 years to become commissioner of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges.[5]

In 2019, Southern University at New Orleans suspended its sports program.[6]

On September 14, 2020, it was also announced that Xavier (La.) would leave the GCAC for the RRAC[7] and on December 18, Talladega was accepted by the SSAC as a new member.[8] Both departures became effective after the 2020–21 season concluded, coinciding with Fisk's return to the GCAC as published on March 16, 2021.[9] On July 19, it was reported that Edward Waters would leave the GCAC to join NCAA Division II for the first time in its history and re-join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference the 2021–22 season.[10]

In October 2021, Southern at New Orleans began to offer sports again after adding a student fee to fund them.[11] On January 20, 2022, the GCAC extended its membership to Oakwood University and Wiley College, the conference's first Texas member, in addition to the returning Southern at New Orleans. Oakwood and Wiley joined the conference later in July.[12] On November 3, the GCAC invited the University of the Virgin Islands to become its member in 2023–24, becoming the first four-year institution in a U.S. territory to join an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA or NCAA in more than a century.[13]

On February 29, 2024, the conference announced that it would rebrand as the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), effective on July 1.[14]

Chronological timeline

Member schools

Current members

The HBCUAC currently has thirteen full members; all but two are private schools:

Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Fisk left the HBCUAC after the 2013–14 school year; before rejoining in the 2021–22 school year.
  3. ^ Formerly known as Philander Smith College until 2023.
  4. ^ Southern–New Orleans (SUNO) suspended its athletic program after the 2018–19 school year; and rejoined the HBCUAC in the 2022–23 school year.
  5. ^ Tallaedga left the HBCUAC after the 2001–02 school year; then rejoined from 2011–12 to 2020–21; before rejoining in the 2023–24 school year.
  6. ^ Voorhees left the HBCUAC after the 2014–15 school year, before rejoining effective in the 2024–25 school year.
  7. ^ Formerly known as Wiley College until 2023.

Former members

The HBCUAC had 9 former full members, all but two were private schools:

Notes
  1. ^ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
  2. ^ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
  3. ^ Formerly known as Belhaven College until 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Currently an NCAA Division III athletic conference.
  5. ^ Belhaven had joined the following subsequent conferences: as an NAIA Independent from 2000–01 to 2001–02; the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) from 2010–11 to 2014–15; and the American Southwest Conference[d] from 2015–16 to 2021–22.
  6. ^ Currently known as Edward Waters University since 2021.
  7. ^ Edward Waters remained in the HBCUAC to compete in conference tournaments for all sponsored sports during the provisional transition until after the 2021–22 school year.
  8. ^ a b Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
  9. ^ Currently known as Louisiana Christian University since November 2021.
  10. ^ The LSU–Shreveport men's and women's basketball teams joined the HBCUAC three years after becoming a full member for other sports (2003–04).

Membership timeline

Wilberforce UniversityStillman CollegeUniversity of the Virgin IslandsWiley UniversityOakwood UniversityRust CollegeNAIA independent schoolsVoorhees UniversityPhilander Smith UniversityNAIA independent schoolsFisk UniversitySouthern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceEdward Waters UniversityRed River Athletic ConferenceLouisiana State University ShreveportSouthern States Athletic ConferenceNAIA independent schoolsTalladega CollegeSouthern States Athletic ConferenceLoyola University New OrleansSouthern University at New OrleansSouthern States Athletic ConferenceUniversity of MobileRed River Athletic ConferenceXavier University of LouisianaSouthern States Athletic ConferenceWilliam Carey UniversityTougaloo CollegeSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceSouthern States Athletic ConferenceSpring Hill CollegeRed River Athletic ConferenceAmerican Southwest ConferenceLouisiana Christian UniversityDillard UniversityCollegiate Conference of the SouthAmerican Southwest ConferenceSouthern States Athletic ConferenceNAIA independent schoolsBelhaven University

 Full member (non-football)  Associate member (sport) 

Conference sports

Old logo

Conference champions

Baseball

References

  1. ^ "Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Directory 1981–1982" (PDF). p. 2.
  2. ^ "SSAC To Expand And Restructure Conference In 2010-11". TheChattanoogan.com. September 29, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  3. ^ "Talladega College join the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference". Talladega College Tornadoes. January 9, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  4. ^ "Great 8: GCAC Welcomes Rust College As Newest Member". Victory Sports Network. April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "GCAC's Steve Martin named commissioner of Mississippi Junior College system". Crescent City Sports. March 11, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "SUNO to suspend athletic programs months after it was placed on probation over financial problems". nola.com. December 19, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "Xavier University of Louisiana to become RRAC's 13th member institution in 2021-22". Red River Athletic Conference. September 14, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Talladega College to join NAIA's Southern States Conference in 2021-22". Talladega College Tornadoes. December 18, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  9. ^ "GCAC To Welcome Fisk University Back To Conference In Fall 2021". Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  10. ^ "Edward Waters University Returns as SIAC Member Institution". Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. July 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Canicosa, JC (October 22, 2021). "At a cost to their students, SUNO's athletics program will return next year". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  12. ^ "GCAC Extends Membership To Oakwood University, Wiley College, Southern University at New Orleans". January 20, 2022. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "UVI Joins NAIA's Gulf Coast Athletic Conference". University of the Virgin Islands. November 3, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Mosley, Kyle (February 29, 2024). "The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Rebrands To The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) And Signs Partnership With HOPE Credit Union". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  15. ^ Wilberforce University Slated to Join Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 2024 - Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC)
  16. ^ Voorhees University Making Move to Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 2024 - Voorhees University
  17. ^ Stillman College to become 13th member of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference - Stillman College

External links