Alcorn State Braves football
| Alcorn State Braves football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1921; 103 years ago | ||
| Head coach | Cedric Thomas 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Stadium | Casem-Spinks Stadium (capacity: 22,500) | ||
| Field surface | Natural grass | ||
| Location | Lorman, Mississippi | ||
| Conference | Southwestern Athletic Conference | ||
| Division | East | ||
| All-time record | 497–389–38 (.558) | ||
| Conference titles | 13 (SWAC: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1992, 1994, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) | ||
| Division titles | 6 (SWAC East: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) | ||
| Colors | Purple and gold[1] | ||
| Website | alcornsports.com | ||
The Alcorn State Braves are the college football team of Alcorn State University. The Braves play in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
History
[edit]Classifications
[edit]- 1964–1969: NAIA
- 1970–1983: NAIA Division I
- 1965–1972: NCAA College Division
- 1973–1976: NCAA Division II
- 1977: NCAA Division I
- 1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference memberships
[edit]- 1921–1935: Independent
- 1935–1962: South Central Athletic Conference
- 1962–present: Southwestern Athletic Conference
Championships
[edit]Black college national championships
[edit]Alcorn State has won five Black college football national championships.
| Year | Championship | Coach | Overall record | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Black College National Champions | Marino Casem | 9–1 | SWAC |
| 1969 | Black College National Champions | Marino Casem | 8–0–1 | SWAC |
| 1974 | Black College National co-champions | Marino Casem | 9–2 | SWAC |
| 1984 | Black College National Champions | Marino Casem | 9–1 | SWAC |
| 2014 | Black College National Champions | Jay Hopson | 10–3 | SWAC |
SWAC championships
[edit]Alcorn joined the Southwestern Athletic Conference SWAC in 1962. Since then, the Braves have won thirteen conference championships, nine outright and four shared.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968* | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Marino Casem | 9–1 | 6–1 |
| 1969 | 8–0–1 | 6–0–1 | ||
| 1970 | 8–1 | 6–0 | ||
| 1974* | 9–2 | 5–1 | ||
| 1976 | 8–2 | 5–1 | ||
| 1979* | 8–2 | 5–1 | ||
| 1984 | 9–1 | 7–0 | ||
| 1992 | Cardell Jones | 7–4 | 7–0 | |
| 1994* | Cardell Jones | 8–3–1 | 6–1 | |
| 2014 | Jay Hopson | 10–3 | 7–2 | |
| 2015 | Jay Hopson | 9–4 | 7–2 | |
| 2018 | Fred McNair | 9–4 | 6–1 | |
| 2019 | Fred McNair | 9–4 | 6–1 |
Playoff appearances
[edit]NCAA Division I FCS
[edit]The Braves have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs three times with an overall record of 0–3.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Quarterfinals | Louisiana Tech | L 21–44 |
| 1992 | First Round | Northeast Louisiana | L 27–78 |
| 1994 | First Round | Youngstown State | L 20–63 |
NCAA Division II
[edit]The Braves appeared in the Division II playoffs one time, with an overall record of 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Quarterfinals | UNLV | L 22–35 |
Rivalry game
[edit]The Alcorn State Braves biggest rival is against the Jackson State Tigers in the Soul Bowl. The rivalry was previously named the Capital City Classic, but Alcorn ended the Classic in 2012 so that it could be brought back to Lorman, Mississippi.[2]
College Football Hall of Fame members
[edit]Alumni in the NFL
[edit]Over 50 Alcorn State alumni have played in the NFL,[4] including:
|
Head coaches
[edit]Alcorn State has seen 21 head football coaches over its history. The program was most recently led by Fred McNair.[5]
| Coach | Seasons | Record | Win Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octavius T. Henderson | 1921 | 4–0 | 1.000 |
| O.A. Ross | 1922–1933 | 44–15–11 | 0.629 |
| W. Morton | 1934–1935 | 1–7–1 | 0.125 |
| A. A. Abraham | 1936, 1938, 1941–1942 | 14–8–7 | 0.483 |
| L. Harris | 1937, 1939–1940 | 10–10–1 | 0.476 |
| J. Anderson | 1945 | 0.2 | 0.000 |
| Reuben Alba | 1946 | 1–8 | 0.111 |
| W. Felix "Lerroy" Harris | 1947 | 9–1 | 0.900 |
| Dwight Fisher | 1948–1956 | 52–35–7 | 0.553 |
| W. Broadus | 1957 | 0–5 | 0.000 |
| E. E. Simmons | 1958–1959 | 3–14 | 0.176 |
| Franklin Purnell | 1960–1963 | 14–20 | 0.412 |
| Marino Casem | 1964–1985 | 138–71–8 | 0.636 |
| Theo Danzy | 1986–1990 | 26–22 | 0.542 |
| Cardell Jones | 1991–1997 | 41–32–3 | 0.539 |
| Johnny Thomas | 1998–2007 | 48–61 | 0.440 |
| Ernest T. Jones | 2008 | 2–10 | 0.167 |
| Earnest Collins | 2009–2010 | 8–12 | 0.400 |
| Melvin Spears | 2011 | 2–8 | 0.200 |
| Jay Hopson | 2012–2015 | 19–17a | 0.528 |
| Fred McNair | 2016–2023 | 48–33 | 0.593 |
Notes
[edit]- ^a Hopson went 4–7 and 9–3 in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, respectively, but the school's wins from these seasons were vacated due to NCAA violations[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Alcorn State University Identity Standards and Editorial Stylebook (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "ASU ends Capital City Classic". July 4, 2012.
- ^ "Dennis Thomas". footballfoundation.org. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ "Alcorn St. Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ 2020-2021 Record Book Retrieved March 10, 2023
- ^ "Alcorn State sanctioned for NCAA violations". October 19, 2016.
External links
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| Historic district |
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| Sports | |
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