The List: HBCU Athletic Programs

A Comprehensive List of HBCU Colleges Sponsoring Athletics, The Sports They Sponsor, and Their Athletic Affiliations

Welcome to “The List!” This page provides a comprehensive resource of HBCU athletic programs. The opportunity to study and compete at an HBCU is an invitation to join the incredibly rich athletic tradition central to the culture of these schools for the past century! From the football “classics” that have drawn millions of fans dating back to the 1920’s to rivalries like the “Battle of the Firsts” between Cheyney (PA) State and Lincoln (PA) University, or the “BoomBox Classic” between Southern University and Jackson State, competing at an HBCU means participating in historically significant competitions central to the identities of these schools and communities.

There are 5 traditional HBCU conferences. In Division 1, the SWAC is original article. Along with the Ivy and the MEAC, its teams do not compete in the NCAA Football Championship, rather the East and West Divisions play for an opportunity to face the MEAC Champion in the Celebration Bowl. The SWAC’s membership is entirely made up of southern public institutions.

The MEAC encompasses Division 1 HBCU’s along the eastern seaboard, from Delaware to South Carolina, including Howard University in Washington, D.C. One of its biggest rivalries is outside the conference now, the “Real HU” competition between Howard and Hampton University (Hampton left the MEAC and is a member of the Big South Conference) continues to be one of the social events of year, even when both teams are struggling on the field.

The CIAA is the oldest HBCU circuit and competes in Division 2. Its men’s basketball conference tournament draws over 100,000 fans annually. The SIAC is the CIAA’s long standing southern rival and traditionally leads NCAA Division 2 in football attendance. In the NAIA, the GCAC is the only all-HBCU conference, although the Red River Athletic Conference is home to several former SWAC institutions.

The List: HBCU Athletic Programs

Generated by wpDataTables

* - one program is cross country only, see the school's website for details

Note: The conference listed for each institution is the primary affiliation of the athletic program. An individual sport program may compete as an affiliate in another conference based on any number of factors.

Find an error or omission? Sports sponsorship and conference affiliation is ever changing, please help keep this up to date by emailing corrections or changes to dave@collegeathleticadvisor.com!


 

A Guide to Opportunities in HBCU Baseball

Historically Black Colleges and Universities have sponsored vibrant and successful baseball programs for over a century, and much like at the professional level, the history of these programs is one of incredible achievement. In the modern era, the strength of HBCU baseball is concentrated in the SWAC, SIAC, and in the NAIA, the Red River Athletic Conference. The SWAC champions get an automatic bid to the NCAA championships in Division 1, while the SIAC champion earns a spot in the Division 2 championship. The MEAC baseball schools compete in the NEC for baseball, where they have had limited success competitively.

For more information on HBCU baseball across all divisions, Black College Nines is our suggested "go-to" source with coverage from members of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. BCN also sponsors the HBCU Small College World Series.

Full disclosure: BCN writer Michael Coker was instrumental in advising College Athletic Advisor on developing and improving this list of programs.

These HBCU baseball programs provide exceptional student-athlete experiences, care for the whole student and consistently achieve success on and off the field.

Division 1:

Jackson State University (SWAC)

Coach: Omar Johnson (18th year, 4 NCAA regional appearances)

Coach Johnson is a proven winner at Jackson State is a consistent 30 game winner who also has a record of consistently inspiring high level academic achievement. The Tigers recruit diversity and talent from around the world.

Bethune-Cookman University (SWAC)

Coach: Jonathan Hernandez (6th year, 1 NCAA Regional)

The program has moved from strength to strength, is recruiting at a high level and is a perennial SWAC contender. This spring, the program returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.

Division 2:

Edward Waters (FL) University (SIAC)

Coach: Reginald Johnson II (12th year)

2022 Black World Series Champions and now perennial SIAC contenders after transitioning from the NAIA, Coach Johnson has the Tigers competing successfully in D2 and also consistently producing in the classroom.

Albany State (GA) University (SIAC)

Coach: Scott Hemmings (9th year)

Coach Hemmings took over the Albany State program when Dalton State's team was merged into Albany athletic department in 2017. He had lead Dalton to its first ever NJCAA World Series in 2016 and the program has since moved from strength to strength. The Golden Rams earned a SIAC regular season title and back-to-back championship game appearances prior to covid-19 shutting down competition.

Virginia State University (independent in baseball, CIAA in all other sports)

Coach: Merrill Morgan (22nd year, 4 NCAA Regional appearances)

The Trojans continue to field a talented team and play at a highly competitive level despite the CIAA dropping the baseball as a conference sport. Without the automatic bid, it is difficult for them to qualify for the NCAA tournament, but they still have a number of post-season opportunities to play for and compete all over the southeast under Coach Morgan’s leadership.

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