# 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](/source/Celebration_Bowl).

The **MEAC/SWAC Challenge** is an annual [historically black college](/source/Historically_black_colleges_and_universities) (HBCU) [football](/source/College_football) game showcasing a team from each of the two [NCAA Division I](/source/NCAA_Division_I) conferences made up entirely of HBCUs—the [Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference](/source/Mid-Eastern_Athletic_Conference) (MEAC) and [Southwestern Athletic Conference](/source/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](/source/ESPN) and is owned by [ESPN Events](/source/ESPN_Events). It was historically associated with the [Labor Day](/source/Labor_Day) weekend, but starting in 2021 has instead taken place a week earlier during college football's [Week 0](/source/Week_0).[2][7]

## History

[South Carolina State](/source/South_Carolina_State_Bulldogs_football) beat [Alabama State](/source/Alabama_State_Hornets_football) in the first Challenge in 2005, and for its first three years the event was held in [Birmingham, Alabama](/source/Birmingham,_Alabama) (home of the SWAC's offices[10]), at [Legion Field](/source/Legion_Field). In 2007, the event attracted its largest crowd—over 30,000—as [Southern](/source/Southern_Jaguars_football) beat [Florida A&M](/source/Florida_A%26M_Rattlers_football) and earned the SWAC's first victory in the series. In 2008, the Challenge moved to [Orlando, Florida](/source/Orlando,_Florida) after a new sponsorship was announced;[2] [Walt Disney World Resort](/source/Walt_Disney_World) would sponsor the event for eight years until 2015.[3] From 2008 to 2013, as well as in 2015, it was held in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl, now called [Camping World Stadium](/source/Camping_World_Stadium). In 2014, the game was played at Spectrum Stadium, now known as [FBC Mortgage Stadium](/source/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](/source/2016_Bethune%E2%80%93Cookman_Wildcats_football_team) attempted to host [Alcorn State](/source/2016_Alcorn_State_Braves_football_team) in [Daytona Beach, Florida](/source/Daytona_Beach,_Florida), but the game was halted before halftime due to lightning associated with feeder bands from [Hurricane Hermine](/source/Hurricane_Hermine);[5] on September 3, 2017, [Southern](/source/2017_Southern_Jaguars_football_team) hosted [South Carolina State](/source/2017_South_Carolina_State_Bulldogs_football_team) in [Baton Rouge, Louisiana](/source/Baton_Rouge,_Louisiana)). The event moved to a non-HBCU campus venue in 2018—this time at [Center Parc Stadium](/source/Center_Parc_Stadium) on the campus of [Georgia State University](/source/Georgia_State_University) in [Atlanta](/source/Atlanta).[b][11]

Nine future [NFL draft](/source/NFL_draft) picks have played in the Challenge. They are [Phillip Adams](/source/Phillip_Adams_(American_football)) (South Carolina State), [Michael Coe](/source/Michael_Coe_(gridiron_football)) (Alabama State), Johnny Culbreath (South Carolina State), [Justin Durant](/source/Justin_Durant) ([Hampton](/source/Hampton_Pirates_football)), [Javon Hargrave](/source/Javon_Hargrave) (South Carolina State), [Temarrick Hemingway](/source/Temarrick_Hemingway) (South Carolina State), Curtis Holcomb (Florida A&M), [Tarvaris Jackson](/source/Tarvaris_Jackson) (Alabama State), and [Kendall Langford](/source/Kendall_Langford) (Hampton).[12]

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

## Game results

Year MEAC representative SWAC representative Attendance Location 2005 South Carolina State Bulldogs football 27 ' 14 18,452 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama)[14][15] 2006 No. 13 2006 Hampton Pirates football team 27 No. 23 26 OT 19,175 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama)[16] 2007 Florida A&M Rattlers football 27 ' 33 30,106 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama) 2008 Hampton Pirates football 17 2008 Jackson State Tigers football team 13 10,723 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2009 No. 16 2009 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team 34 No. 25 31 21,367 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2010 Delaware State Hornets 27 ' 37 16,327 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2011 ' 63 ' 14 17,337 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2012 ' 38 ' 28 17,410 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2013 2013 Florida A&M Rattlers football team 27 2013 Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football team 10 24,376 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida)[17] 2014 ' 47 2014 Alabama A&M Bulldogs football team 13 8,210 Spectrum Stadium (Orlando, Florida)[18] 2015 2015 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team 35 ' 7 7,257 Orlando Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2016 ''''' 7 2016 Alcorn State Braves football team 13 6,000 Municipal Stadium (Daytona Beach, Florida)[5] 2017 2017 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team 8 ' 14 10,006 A. W. Mumford Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)[19] 2018 2018 North Carolina Central Eagles football team 24 ' 40 10,274 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2019 ' 36 2019 Jackson State Tigers football team 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 2021 North Carolina Central Eagles football team 23 2021 Alcorn State Braves football team 14 15,215 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2022 2022 Howard Bison football team 13 ' 23 21,088 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)[23] 2023 2023 South Carolina State Bulldogs football team 7 2023 Jackson State Tigers football team 37 24,238 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)[24] 2024 2024 Norfolk State Spartans football team 23 2024 Florida A&M Rattlers football team 24 22,210 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2025 2025 North Carolina Central Eagles football team 31 ' 14 16,191 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2026 Howard Bison football Alabama A&M Bulldogs football Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2027 South Carolina State Bulldogs football ' Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2028 Norfolk State Spartans football Jackson State Tigers football Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)

## See also

- [List of black college football classics](/source/List_of_black_college_football_classics)

## Footnotes

1. All full members of both conferences are HBCUs, but the MEAC has non-HBCU affiliate members in select non-football sports.

1. The legal definition of an HBCU is an institution founded before the enactment of the [Civil Rights Act of 1964](/source/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](/source/Minority-serving_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

1. ["ESPN Announces 2006 MEAC / SWAC Challenge Game"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060318083002/http://www.onnidan.com/05-06/news/feb/espnrt0227.htm). *onnidan.com*. February 27, 2006. Archived from [the original](http://www.onnidan.com/05-06/news/feb/espnrt0227.htm) on March 18, 2006. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

1. ["Tickets for the 2008 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Presented by Disney Go on Sale June 1"](http://www.meacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=20800&ATCLID=1475247). *meacsports.com*. 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

1. ["Matchups Announced for 2015 MEAC/SWAC Challenge"](http://www.swac.org/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209958291). *swac.org*. March 16, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

1. ["MEAC/SWAC Challenge set"](http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/image/v2%3A138F0D9908AC8D5F%40EANX-1523D277A1AB5093%402453280-152291B9CC11F4B2%4066-1523DFE65A9943E0%40?p=AMNEWS). *Baton Rouge Advocate (sec. D, p. 3)*. October 1, 2004.

1. 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"](http://daytonatimes.com/2016/09/not-one-for-the-record-books/). *Daytona Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190115083604/http://daytonatimes.com/2016/09/not-one-for-the-record-books/) January 15, 2019 at the Wayback Machine.

1. [MEAC/SWAC Challenge – ESPN Events.](http://espnevents.com/meac-swac/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160625100819/http://espnevents.com/meac-swac/) 2016-06-25 at the Wayback Machine [ESPN](/source/ESPN).

1. ["MEAC/SWAC Challenge: About"](http://www.meacswacchallenge.com/about-us/). *meacswacchallenge.com*. 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

1. ["State Capsules: Hampton vs. Grambling"](http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/image/v2%3A138F0D9908AC8D5F%40EANX-1523C7EA08E6ADE7%402453981-152215292DBF5250%4051-1523D2782323A2D0%40?p=AMNEWS). *Baton Rouge Advocate (sec. C, p. 16)*. September 2, 2006.

1. A'Leaka Brown (September 5, 2016). ["MEAC/SWAC Challenge Ruled a 'No Contest'"](http://thecampuschronicleasu.com/meacswac-challenge-ruled-a-no-contest/). *thecampuschronicleasu.com*. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

1. Stu McCann (June 3, 2016). ["City of Houston wants to be new home of SWAC headquarters"](http://abc3340.com/sports/more-sports/city-of-houston-wants-to-be-new-home-of-swac-headquarters). *abc3340.com*. Retrieved April 24, 2017.

1. /humans.txt (22 April 2016). ["2016 & 2017 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Matchups Announced - MEAC / SWAC | ESPN Events"](http://espnevents.com/meac-swac/press/2016-2017-meacswac-challenge-matchups-announced/). *espnevents.com*. Retrieved May 5, 2016.

1. /humans.txt. ["2 MEAC/SWAC Challenge Alumni Selected in 2016 NFL Draft - MEAC / SWAC | ESPN Events"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160513034158/http://espnevents.com/meac-swac/top-stories/2-meacswac-challenge-alumni-selected-in-2016-nfl-draft/). *espnevents.com*. Archived from [the original](http://espnevents.com/meac-swac/top-stories/2-meacswac-challenge-alumni-selected-in-2016-nfl-draft/) on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.

1. ["MEAC-SWAC 2020 football matchups in Atlanta canceled"](https://www.ajc.com/sports/meac-swac-2020-football-matchups-in-atlanta-canceled/TSNUIF3BUFFR3FE5F34K6EQVQA/). *Atlanta Journal-Constitution*. Retrieved 2020-07-18.

1. Grant, Thomas Jr. (September 4, 2005). ["S.C. State Posts impressive win over Alabama St."](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84729969/the-times-and-democrat/). *[The Times and Democrat](/source/The_Times_and_Democrat)*. p. 1B. Retrieved September 4, 2021. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Grant, Thomas Jr. (September 4, 2005). ["SCSU (continued)"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84729987/the-times-and-democrat/). *[The Times and Democrat](/source/The_Times_and_Democrat)*. p. 2B. Retrieved September 4, 2021. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["MEAC/SWAC Challenge: History"](http://www.meacswacchallenge.com/history/). *.meacswacchallenge.com*. 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2017.

1. ["HBCU Attendance Numbers: MEAC/SWAC Paces Week One ~ HBCU GAMEDAY"](http://www.hbcugameday.com/2013/09/hbcu-attendance-numbers-meacswac-paces.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232809/http://www.hbcugameday.com/2013/09/hbcu-attendance-numbers-meacswac-paces.html) 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-12-29.

1. ["North Carolina A&T rolls to win over Alabama A&M in Orlando's MEAC/SWAC Challenge - Orlando Sentinel"](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-meac-swac-challenge-0901-20140831-story.html). September 2014.

1. ["South Carolina State vs. Southern - Game Summary - September 3, 2017 - ESPN"](http://www.espn.com/college-football/game?gameId=400952251)

1. Kevin Kelley (December 17, 2018). ["Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman to play in 2019 MEAC/SWAC Challenge"](https://fbschedules.com/jackson-state-bethune-cookman-2019-meac-swac-challenge/). *fbschedules.com*. Retrieved January 18, 2019.

1. ["2020 MEAC/SWAC and Celebration Bowl canceled"](https://hbcugameday.com/2020/07/16/2020-meac-swac-and-celebration-bowl-canceled/). 16 July 2020.

1. ["2020 MEAC/SWAC Challenge matchup is set"](https://hbcugameday.com/2019/07/29/2020-meac-swac-challenge-sc-state-vs-grambling-state/). 30 July 2019.

1. ["MEAC/SWAC Matchups through 2024 announced"](https://hbcugameday.com/2021/08/20/meac-swac-matchups-through-2024-announced/). 20 August 2021.

1. ["Jackson State 37-7 South Carolina State (Aug 26, 2023) Box Score"](https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/401539999)

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.meacswacchallenge.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [MEAC/SWAC Challenge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEAC%2FSWAC_Challenge) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEAC%2FSWAC_Challenge?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.