The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, is a

college athletic conference In college athletics in the United States, institutions typically join in Athletic conference, conferences for regular play under different governing bodies. Varsity sports There are several national and regional associations governing the var ...

made up entirely of

historically black colleges and universities Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

(HBCUs) that is affiliated with the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA). Member institutions are located in the states of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

as well as the

U.S. territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...

of the

U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...

History

The HBCUAC was established in 1981 as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC), with the following charter institutions:

Belhaven University Belhaven University (Belhaven or BU) is a private evangelical Christian university in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1883, the university offers traditional majors, programs of general studies, and pre-professional programs in Christian Ministr ...

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of C ...

Louisiana College Louisiana Christian University (LC) is a private Baptist university in Pineville, Louisiana. It enrolls 1,100 to 1,200 students. It is affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). Louisiana Christian Univer ...

(now Louisiana Christian University),

Spring Hill College Spring Hill College is a private Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama. It was founded in 1830 by Bishop Michael Portier of Mobile. Along with being the oldest private college or university in the state of Alabama, it was the first Catholic college ...

Tougaloo College Tougaloo College is a private historically black college in the Tougaloo area of Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was established in 1869 by ...

William Carey University William Carey University (Carey, William Carey, or WCU) is a private Christian university in Mississippi, United States. The institution is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The main campus ...

, and

Xavier University of Louisiana Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Roman Catholic, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic Historically black c ...

. The first sports were men and women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and men's

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, with other sports soon following. The

University of Mobile The University of Mobile is a private Baptist university in Prichard, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History The university was founded in 1961 by the Alabama ...

was admitted in October 1985,

Southern University at New Orleans Southern University at New Orleans (also known as SUNO) is a public historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the Southern University System and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Southern Univer ...

was granted admission in May 1986,

Loyola University Loyola University is one of several Jesuit Universities named for St. Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola University may refer to: Democratic Republic of the Congo *Loyola University of Congo, Kinshasa, Congo Spain * Loyola University Andalusia, Sevilla ...

was admitted in April 1995, and

Louisiana State University in Shreveport Louisiana State University Shreveport (LSU Shreveport or LSUS) is a public university in Shreveport, Louisiana. It is part of the Louisiana State University System. Initially, a two-year college, LSUS has expanded into a university with 25 u ...

became a member in April 2000. In 2005,

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

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. Louisiana College left the GCAC to join the

American Southwest Conference The American Southwest Conference (ASC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference, founded in 1996, whose member schools compete in the NCAA's Division III. All member schools are located in the state of Texas. The conference competes in baseb ...

of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA)

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

in 2000. Belhaven also left in 2000, only to re-join in 2002; while

Talladega College Talladega College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black college in Talladega, Alabama. It is Alabama's oldest private historically black college and offers 17 degree programs. It is accred ...

, 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 The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The 13 member universities that compete in 19 sports are located in Alabama, Georgia, ...

(SSAC). In 2010 LSU–Shreveport left the conference to join the

Red River Athletic Conference The Red River Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference's 14 member institutions are located in Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. History ...

(RRAC).

Edward Waters College Edward Waters University is a private Christian historically Black university in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) as a school to educate freedmen and their childre ...

(now a university) and

Fisk University Fisk University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus i ...

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. On April 17, 2018, it was announced that

Rust College Rust College is a private historically black college in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Founded in 1866, it is the second-oldest private college in the state. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, it is one of ten historically black colleges ...

had joined the GCAC in the 2018–19 season. In 2019, Steve Martin resigned from the conference after 5 years to become commissioner of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges. In 2019, Southern University at New Orleans suspended its sports program. On September 14, 2020, it was also announced that Xavier (La.) would leave the GCAC for the RRAC and on December 18, Talladega was accepted by the SSAC as a new member. Both departures became effective after the 2020–21 season concluded, coinciding with Fisk's return to the GCAC as published on March 16, 2021. On July 19, it was reported that Edward Waters would leave the GCAC to join

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

for the first time in its history and re-join the

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Formed in 1913, it consists mostly of historically black col ...

the 2021–22 season. In October 2021, Southern at New Orleans began to offer sports again after adding a student fee to fund them. On January 20, 2022, the GCAC extended its membership to

Oakwood University Oakwood University is a private, historically black Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama. It is the only HBCU owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Oakwood University is accredited by the Southern Assoc ...

and

Wiley College Wiley University (formerly Wiley College) is a private historically black college in Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is one of the ...

, the conference's first Texas member, in addition to the returning Southern at New Orleans. Oakwood and Wiley joined the conference later in July. On November 3, the GCAC invited the

University of the Virgin Islands The University of the Virgin Islands (or UVI) is a public historically black land-grant university in the United States Virgin Islands. History UVI was founded as the College of the Virgin Islands on March 16, 1962. In 1986, it officially becam ...

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

Chronological timeline

* 1981 – The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) was founded. Charter members included Belhaven College (now Belhaven University),

(now Louisiana Christian University),

William Carey College William Carey University (Carey, William Carey, or WCU) is a private Christian university in Mississippi, United States. The institution is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The main campus ...

(now William Carey University), and

, beginning the 1981–82 academic year. * 1985 – Mobile College (now the University of Mobile) joined the GCAC in the 1985–86 academic year. * 1986 –

joined the GCAC in the 1986–87 academic year. * 1995 –

(now Loyola University New Orleans) joined the GCAC in the 1995–96 academic year. * 1999 –

joined the GCAC in the 1999–2000 academic year. * 2000 – Two institutions left the GCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 1999–2000 academic year: ** Belhaven to become an NAIA Independent ** and Louisiana College to join the

ranks of the

(NCAA) and the

* 2000 – Louisiana State University at Shreveport (a.k.a. Louisiana State–Shreveport or LSU Shreveport) joined the GCAC in the 2000–01 academic year. * 2002 – Talladega left the GCAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 2001–02 academic year. * 2002 – Belhaven rejoined the GCAC in the 2002–03 academic year. * 2005 – Dillard and Xavier (La.) cancelled all athletic competition while Loyola (La.) and Southern–New Orleans competed in partial competition due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina during the 2005–06 academic year. All of the mentioned member schools would resume full-time athletic competition for the conference on the following season (2006–07 academic year). * 2010 – Six institutions left the GCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2009–10 academic year: ** Loyola (La.), Mobile, Spring Hill and William Carey (with Belhaven for a second time) to join the

(SSAC) ** and Louisiana State–Shreveport (or LSU Shreveport) to join the

(RRAC) * 2010 –

(now Edward Waters University) and

joined the GCAC in the 2010–11 academic year. * 2011 –

Philander Smith College Philander Smith University (previously Philander Smith College) is a private historically black college in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNC ...

(now Philander Smith University) joined the GCAC (with Talladega rejoining) in the 2011–12 academic year. * 2013 –

Voorhees College Voorhees University (formerly Voorhees College) is a private historically black university in Denmark, South Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and School ...

(now Voorhees University) joined the GCAC in the 2013–14 academic year. * 2014 – Fisk left the GCAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 2013–14 academic year. * 2015 – Voorhees left the GCAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 2014–15 academic year. * 2018 –

joined the GCAC in the 2018–19 academic year. * 2019 – Southern–New Orleans (SUNO) left the GCAC due to suspending its athletic program until further notice after the 2018–19 academic year. * 2021 – Three institutions left the GCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2020–21 academic year: ** Talladega for a second time to join the SSAC ** Xavier (La.) to join the RRAC ** and Edward Waters to join the

ranks and rejoining the

(SIAC); although Edward Waters would remain in the GCAC to compete in conference tournaments for all sponsored sports during the provisional transition until the end of the 2021–22 school year * 2021 – Fisk rejoined the GCAC in the 2021–22 academic year. * 2022 – Southern–New Orleans (SUNO) announced that it would reinstate its athletics program and rejoin the GCAC, along with new members

and

(now Wiley University), beginning the 2022–23 academic year. * 2023 – The

(UVI) joined the GCAC in the 2023–24 academic year; thus making the first from a U.S. territory to join an NAIA or NCAA conference in the 21st century. Talladega also rejoined the GCAC for a third time. * 2024 –

Stillman College Stillman College is a Private college, private historically black colleges and universities, historically black Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian college in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees i ...

and

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University (WU) is a private university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is one of three historically black universities established before the American Civil War. Founded in 1856 by the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), it is named after ...

joined the GCAC (with Voorhees rejoining) in the 2024–25 academic year.Stillman College to become 13th member of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference - Stillman College
/ref> * 2024 – The GCAC was rebranded as the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) in the 2024–25 academic year. * 2025 –

Huston–Tillotson University Huston–Tillotson University (HT) is a private historically black university in Austin, Texas, United States. Established in 1875, it was the first institution of higher learning in Austin. The university is affiliated with the United Methodis ...

and

Paul Quinn College Paul Quinn College (PQC) is a private historically black Methodist college in Dallas, Texas. The college is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). It is the oldest historically black college west of the Mississippi River ...

will join the HBCUAC in the 2025–26 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

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

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

schools: ;Notes:

Future members

The HBCUAC will have two new full members; both are

schools: ;Notes:

Former members

The HBCUAC had 9 former full members, all but one were

schools: ;Notes:

Membership timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1981 till:2031 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.7,0.9,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.9,0.8,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.9,0.7,0.8) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.8,0.9,0.7) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:FullxF from:1981 till:2000 text: Belhaven (1981–2000) bar:1 shift:(-15) color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2002 text: NAIA Ind. bar:1 color:FullxF from:2002 till:2010 text:(2002–2010) bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:2015 text: SSAC bar:1 color:OtherC2 from:2015 till:2022 text: AmSW bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text: CCS bar:2 color:FullxF from:1981 till:end text:

Dillard Dillard may refer to: People * Dillard (name) Places in the United States * Dillard, Alabama * Dillard, Georgia * Dillard, New Orleans, Louisiana * Dillard, Missouri * Dillard, North Carolina * Dillard, Oklahoma * Dillard, Oregon Arts, entertai ...

(1981–present) bar:3 color:FullxF from:1981 till:2000 text: Louisiana Christian (1981–2000) bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2021 text: AmSW bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2021 till:end text:

RRAC The Red River Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference's 14 member institutions are located in Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. History ...

bar:4 color:FullxF from:1981 till:2010 text: Spring Hill (1981–2010) bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:2014 text: SSAC bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:end text: SIAC bar:5 color:FullxF from:1981 till:end text: Tougaloo (1981–present) bar:6 color:FullxF from:1981 till:2010 text: William Carey (1981–2010) bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:end text: SSAC bar:7 color:FullxF from:1981 till:2021 text: Xavier (La.) (1981–2021) bar:7 color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:end text:

bar:8 color:FullxF from:1985 till:2010 text: Mobile (1985–2010) bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:end text: SSAC bar:9 color:FullxF from:1986 till:2019 text: Southern–New Orleans (1986–2019) bar:9 color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:(2022–present) bar:10 color:FullxF from:1995 till:2010 text: Loyola (La.) (1995–2010) bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:end text: SSAC bar:11 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2002 text: Talladega (1999–2002) bar:11 shift:(65) color:OtherC1 from:2002 till:2011 text: NAIA Ind. bar:11 color:FullxF from:2011 till:2021 text:(2011–2021) bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2021 till:2023 text: SSAC bar:11 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:(2023–present) bar:12 color:FullxF from:2000 till:2010 text: LSU Shreveport (2000–2010) bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2010 till:end text:

bar:13 color:FullxF from:2010 till:2021 text: Edward Waters (2010–2021) bar:13 color:AssocOS from:2021 till:2022 text: SIAC bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2022 till:end text: bar:14 color:FullxF from:2010 till:2014 text: Fisk (2010–2014) bar:14 shift:(20) color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:2021 text: NAIA Ind. bar:14 color:FullxF from:2021 till:end text:(2021–present) bar:15 color:FullxF from:2011 till:end text:

Philander Smith Philander Smith (November 23, 1809 – February 24, 1882) was an American real estate agent and philanthropist. Philander Smith University is his namesake. Biography Philander Smith was the son of David Smith, whose 1801 sawmill in upstate ...

(2011–present) bar:16 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2015 text: Voorhees (2013–2015) bar:16 shift:(80) color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:2024 text: NAIA Ind. bar:16 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text:(2024–present) bar:17 color:FullxF from:2018 till:end text:

Rust Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish-brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the catalytic presence of water or air moisture. Rust consists of hydrous iron(III) oxides (Fe2O3·nH2O) and iron(III) oxide-hydroxide (FeO(OH) ...

(2018–present) bar:18 color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text: Oakwood (2022–present) bar:19 color:FullxF from:2022 till:end text:

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations *Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town *Wiley, Georgia, an U.S. unincorporated community * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People *Wiley (musician), ...

(2022–present) bar:20 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text:

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, Caribbean islands or West Indie ...

(2023–present) bar:21 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text: Stillman (2024–present) bar:22 color:FullxF from:2024 till:end text: Wilberforce (2024–present) bar:23 shift:(-50) color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text: Huston–Tillotson (2025–future) bar:24 shift:(-20) color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text: Paul Quinn (2025–future) bar:N color:skyblue from:1981 till:2024 text:Gulf Coast Athletic Conference bar:N color:blue from:2024 till:end text:HBCU Athletic Conference ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1982 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(0,25) tabs:(400-center) text:^"HBCU Athletic Conference membership history" #> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <#

Conference sports

Women's sponsored sports by school

Men's sponsored sports by school

Women's sports not sponsored by the HBCUAC which are played by its members

Men's sports not sponsored by the HBCUAC which are played by its members

Conference champions

Baseball

References

External links

* {{Authority control College sports in Alabama College sports in Arkansas College sports in Louisiana College sports in Mississippi College sports in Texas Sports in the United States Virgin Islands