Gather 'round, kiddies, and let me tell you a story about the Old West. The Southwest Athletic Conference to be exact. It was the cream of the rich Black College Football crop, churning out first round draft picks and Hall-of-Famers like like gin-and-juice at a fish fry. There was Sweetness from Jackson State, a kid named Rice from Mississippi Valley and a quarterback who threw a ball so pretty, they just called the guy "Air."
Okay, that was a little over the top, but you get the picture. From the days of all-white SEC teams all the way until the 1990s, the SWAC was head of the class as far as HBCU football went. Eddie Robinson's Grambling machine dominated the headlines, but even schools like Texas Southern and Mississippi Valley had talent in abundance.
Looking at all of that glorious history makes it even harder to watch what SWAC football has become. Since the turn of the century, the SWAC has seen its football stock fall dramatically. Early this September, an editorial on Foxnews.com called the SWAC out for its lackluster performance, stating that it makes the right decision to not participate in the FCS Championships.
