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Black college football national championship

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The black college football national championship is a national championship won by the best football teams among historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States.

History

In college football's early years, HBCUs generally lacked the opportunity to compete against predominantly white schools due to segregation, which was practiced in much of the U.S. at the time—leaving HBCUs with few scheduling options other than to play games among themselves only and sponsor their own championships.

The first football game between HBCU schools was played on December 27, 1892. On that day Johnson C. Smith defeated Livingstone College. As it was the only game played by HBCU schools that year, Johnson C. Smith's team could no doubt claim to be that season's HBCU national champions by default. However, the earliest documented claim to such a title was Livingstone's 1906 team, led by captain Benjamin Butler "Ben" Church.[1] It is not immediately clear who exactly determined that Livingstone was the best team—or if they simply declared themselves champions.

Initially, starting in 1920, HBCU national champions were designated by the Pittsburgh Courier at the end of the season. The following year others more directly associated with the schools themselves made their own attempts to crown a champion, coordinating their efforts under the auspices of the Champion Aggregation of All Conferences. The CAAC's initiative was fostered by Paul Jones, who reported the champion annually in his column in Spalding's Intercollegiate Football Guide.[2]

The first prominent game between an HBCU and predominantly white institution occurred in the 1948 Fruit Bowl when Southern defeated San Francisco State, 30–0.[3] Five years later HBCUs began to gravitate over to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics because it offered numerous athletic competition options, was oriented primarily toward smaller institutions, and had also begun openly welcoming schools of varying demographic backgrounds as members.[4] At present most HBCUs are now members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. However, designating an annual black national champion has remained a popular tradition, even as HBCUs have successfully challenged majority white schools for football championships for decades now, within the framework of both NCAA and NAIA competition; this includes Associated Press, United Press International, NCAA, and NAIA-sponsored titles for the 1962, 1973, 1978, 1990, 1992, and 1995 seasons, as well as runner-up finishes in 1963, 1983, 1991, 1994, and 2012.

Noteworthy team accomplishments include the sixteen HBCU championships won all-time by Tennessee State (under five different coaches) and the five won consecutively by Central State from 1986–90 (all five under coach Billy Joe). Florida A&M has won titles in eight different decades. Southern (1948), Prairie View A&M (1953), Tuskegee (2000 and 2007), and North Carolina A&T (2017) have each achieved the best single-season won–loss record of 12–0. Winston–Salem State (2012) has achieved the best single-season win total of 14 (with their only loss being in the NCAA Division II national championship game).

Noteworthy coaching accomplishments include the nine HBCU championships won by Joe (seven at Central State and two at Florida A&M), John Merritt (one at Jackson State and eight at Tennessee State), and Eddie Robinson (all nine at Grambling State). Rod Broadway is the only coach to have won titles at three different schools (two at North Carolina Central, one at Grambling, and two at North Carolina A&T). Jay Hopson is the only white coach to have won a title (in 2014, at Alcorn State).

Championship bowl games

Attempts have been made over the years to determine a non-mythical national champion with an actual football game contested by leading teams among HBCUs throughout the United States. The Orange Blossom Classic was often billed as such a game, but Florida A&M, as its annual host, was guaranteed a spot in this game and was not necessarily national championship-caliber each and every year that it was played (indeed, the Rattlers were even accused of taking advantage of a system where most selectors—at the time—named their national champions before postseason bowl games; if the Rattlers were not named champs by any selector after the regular season, then they still got a second chance at the claim by winning the Orange Blossom Classic).[5]

Contests including the Colored Championship games of 1920 and 1923 (which happened to feature members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, although the games were not played for the conference title), the Chocolate Bowl (1935), the Steel and Vulcan bowls (1940–41), the National Bowl (1947), and the National Football Classic (1954) were attempted periodically but without any sustained success.

The Pelican Bowl, a bowl game that tried to match up the conference champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), was another such example—and actually did manage to last several seasons—but even this venture failed to draw enough attendance and lasted only a few years in the 1970s. Similarly, the Heritage Bowl was played in the 1990s featuring teams from the MEAC and SWAC, but this bowl game has not been held since 1999 and was often snubbed by the conference champions in lieu of the NCAA's Division I-AA playoffs; indeed, five teams of the Heritage Bowl era were still able to claim black national titles from various selectors after declining their bids to the bowl game.

Celebration Bowl

The MEAC and SWAC began negotiations in 2010 to create a successor called the "Legacy Bowl"—not to be confused with the later exhibition game with the same name—to begin during the 2011 postseason, but it was voted down by MEAC officials.[6] However, in 2015, the first Celebration Bowl was played, pitting the champions of both conferences. While the Celebration Bowl's trophy itself only includes the inscription "Celebration Bowl Champions,"[7] the bowl's creator (ESPN),[8][9] as well as its title sponsor (Air Force Reserve)[10][11] and other prominent sponsors,[12][13][14] have indicated that it is for the HBCU national title—as have coaches of participating teams,[15][16] the two competing conferences,[17][18] and even the NCAA.[19] However, with Tennessee State being a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), the Celebration Bowl could not fully represent all HBCUs within the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision. Further more, Hampton has since withdrawn from the MEAC (after the 2017 season) to join the Big South Conference[20]—despite watching Tennessee State's program struggle to a losing record in games played since joining the OVC in 1988. This is not the first time that some individual schools have been isolated from the HBCU championship process; in 1960 the Associated Negro Press stated: "A total of 76 Negro colleges played football during the past season. Cheyney (University) and Langston were not considered in (our) rating because most of their games were against non-Negro colleges."[21]

In other sports

While black national champions have been crowned regularly in football for nearly a century now, the concept has only recently caught on with other sports. HBCU baseball and HBCU men and women's basketball teams now have their own respective ranking systems. There are also now HBCU tournaments for golf[22] and tennis.[23]

Selectors

Not all black national championships are determined the same way. Early poll rankings were for the best overall HBCU, while bowl games often matched champions of only two specific HBCU conferences. However, the NCAA and NAIA later split into divisions, and newer selectors have tended to rank HBCU members by division only (e.g., the FCS level of NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II).[24] The variations between how champions have been selected over the years has not been completely without controversy—partly because of the issue of NCAA Division II and NAIA schools being ranked higher than FCS schools[25] and partly because of the concern that the voters in the polls may not necessarily be well-informed about so many different schools.[26] However, the issue may have been somewhat ameliorated when American Sports Wire began limiting HBCU champions to FCS-level schools only[27] in an era when an NAIA school (Central State) held a stranglehold over the overall HBCU championship—possibly in part because NAIA schools were not effected by the NCAA's Proposition 48, a then-new rule that had concerned some educators about its impact on black student-athletes.[28]

The impact of the Pelican, Heritage, and Celebration bowls cannot be overstated, however. In the 16 seasons (through 2018) that those bowl games were held, MEAC or SWAC schools were named overall HBCU champions almost exclusively; only in 1992 did a school with no ties to the MEAC or SWAC even earn a share of the overall HBCU championship—two selectors still chose a SWAC school as the overall champion but one selector did choose Central State (which had won the NAIA Division I national championship). In 1994 soon-to-be MEAC member Hampton was named HBCU overall champ by a single selector while five other selectors gave the title to full MEAC member South Carolina State.

Selector Name Seasons Eligible teams
ADW Atlanta Daily World & 100% Wrong Club–W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy (1953–1992,[29] 2010[30]); Coca-Cola National Historical Black College Football Championship Award (1993–2009)[29] 1953[31]–2010[30]
(2010 champion is not available)
all HBCU teams
AHSR-I Add's HBCU Sports Report (Add Seymour, Jr.)
for Division I teams[32]
2013[33]–2016[32] NCAA Division I–FCS HBCU teams only
AHSR-II Add's HBCU Sports Report (Add Seymour, Jr.)
for Division II teams[34]
2013[33]–2016[34] NCAA Division II HBCU teams only
ANP Associated Negro Press (Luix Virgil Overbea[35]) 1948–1960
(1956–1957 champions are not available)
all HBCU teams
ASW American Sports Wire (Dick Simpson[36]) 1990–2013[37] NCAA Division I–FCS HBCU teams only[27]
B-CP BOXTOROW (& formerly Black Athlete Sports Network[38])–Coaches Poll 2009–present[39] all HBCU teams
B-MP BOXTOROW (& formerly Black Athlete Sports Network[38])–Media Poll 2007–present[39] all HBCU teams
BAA Baltimore Afro-American 1947[40]–1948,[41] 1953[5] all HBCU teams
BCASB Black College All Star Bowl—Eddie Hurt National Championship Trophy[42][43] 1978[42]–1979[43] all HBCU teams
BCNC-I Black College National Championship
for Division I teams[44]
2016–present[44] NCAA Division I–FCS HBCU teams only
BCNC-II&N Black College National Championship
for Division II and NAIA teams[45]
2016–present[44] NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only
BCSN-I Black College Sports Network
for Division I teams[46]
2019[46] NCAA Division I–FCS HBCU teams only
BCSN-II&N Black College Sports Network
for Division II and NAIA teams[47]
2019[47] NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only
BCSP Black College Sports Page (Carl "Lut" Williams & formerly Major Broadcasting Cable) 1994–present[48]
(1995–1999 champions are not available)
all HBCU teams
BCSR Black College Sports Report (Edd Hayes[49]) 1993[50] all HBCU teams[49]
CAAC Champion Aggregation of All Conferences (William Lawrence "Paul" Jones)[2] 1921–1949[48]
(1922–1923, 1925, 1927–1928, 1930–1932, and 1936–1949 champions are not available)
all HBCU teams
CC Colored Championship game 1920,[51] 1923[52] all HBCU teams
"Celebration Bowl"
  AFRCB
  CeB


  Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl
  Celebration Bowl

2015–present
  2015–2016,[53] 2018[54]
  2017,[53][55] 2019[56]

MEAC and SWAC champions only
ChB Chocolate Bowl 1935[57] all HBCU teams
DCCC-M Dr. Cavil's Classic Cuts (Jafus Kenyatta Cavil & formerly SWAC Page Network[58])–Major Division Poll 2002–present[59]
(2002 and 2017–2018 champions are not available)
NCAA Division I–FCS HBCU teams only
DCCC-MM Dr. Cavil's Classic Cuts (Jafus Kenyatta Cavil & formerly SWAC Page Network[60])–Mid-Major Division Poll 2002–present[59]
(2018 champions are not available)
NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only
"Heritage Bowl"
  AHB
  HB


  Alamo Heritage Bowl I
  Heritage Bowl IV

1991, 1994*
  1991
  1994

MEAC and SWAC champions only
HBCUS-PFP HBCUSports.com–Playoff Fan Poll 2014[61] all HBCU teams
HBCUS-UP HBCUSports.com–Ultimate Poll 2015,[62] 2019[63] all HBCU teams
HSRN-I Heritage Sports Radio Network–HSRN Conaway Cup
for Division I teams[64]
2011[64]–2016[65] NCAA Division I–FCS HBCU teams only
HSRN-II&N Heritage Sports Radio Network–HSRN Conaway Cup
for Division II[64] and NAIA[66] teams
2011[64]–2016[65] NCAA Division II and NAIA HBCU teams only
J Jet (Frank T. Bannister, Jr.[67][68])—Paul Robeson Perpetual Trophy[69][43] 1973–1987, 1990–1992 all HBCU teams
JBM John B. "Johnny" McLendon, Jr.
based on the Dickinson System[70]
1953[70] all HBCU teams
LAFCF Los Angeles Football Classic Foundation (Fred H. Cooper)–Eddie G. Robinson Trophy[71] 1988[71] all HBCU teams
MBN Mutual Black Network 1972–1977
(1973 champion is not available)
all HBCU teams[72]
NB National Bowl 1947[73] all HBCU teams[74]
NBTV National Black Television 2011[75] all HBCU teams
NFC National Football Classic 1954[76] CIAA and Midwestern Conference champions only[77]
PB Pelican Bowl 1972, 1974–1975* MEAC and SWAC champions only
PCWDC Pigskin Club of Washington, DC—William G. "Billy" Coward Award[78] 2006–2013[78] all HBCU teams
"Sheridan Poll"[79]
  PC
  NPC
  SBN
  AURN
  PNRN

Jake Gaither National Championship Trophy[80]
  Pittsburgh Courier
  New Pittsburgh Courier
  Sheridan Broadcasting Network
  American Urban Radio Networks
  Power News Radio Network

1920–present[81]
  1920–1965
  1966–1978
  1979[82]–1990
  1991–2016
  2017[83]–Present
all HBCU teams
TAJTT T. A. Jones' Talented 10th (Trevin A. "T. A." Jones)[84] 2014[84] all HBCU teams
UMT UrbanMediaToday.com (Trevin A. "T. A." Jones)[85] 2017–Present[85] all HBCU teams
"Vulcan Bowl"
  SB
  VB


  Steel Bowl
  Vulcan Bowl

1940–1941**
  1940[86]
  1941[87]
all HBCU teams (but with the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion holding an automatic bid)[87]

Notes: *—the Pelican Bowl (played 1972 and 1974–75) and Heritage Bowl (played 1991–99) were intended as black national championship games matching the outright champions or top-seeded co-champions of the MEAC and SWAC conferences, but in practice the top seeds often declined their automatic bids to participate in the NCAA playoffs instead—only the 1972, 1975, and 1994 games matched the top seeds of both conferences as originally intended, although the Pelican Bowl is known to have been promoted as a black national championship game all three seasons[88][89][90][91][92][93] (in 1991, however, the Heritage Bowl's committee intentionally issued the MEAC's bid to its second-seeded co-champion,[94] because one of the top-seeded co-champion's conference wins had been determined by a forfeit, instead of on the field);[95] **—the Steel Bowl/Vulcan Bowl (played after the 1940–48 and 1951 seasons) is known to have been promoted as a black national championship game after the 1940 and 1941 seasons

Yearly national championship selections

Season Champion(s) Record(s)* Coach(es)* Selector(s) Note(s)
1920 Howard 7–0 Edward Morrison CC, PC
Talladega 5–0–1 Jubie Bragg PC
1921 Lincoln (PA) 8–1 (unknown) CAAC[96] record includes forfeited game (was 8–0)[97]
Talladega 6–0–1 Jubie Bragg PC
Wiley 7–0–1 Jason Grant PC
1922 Hampton 6–1 Gideon Smith PC record includes forfeited game (was 5–1)[98]
1923 Howard 7–0–1 Louis L. Watson CC tied Lincoln (PA) in the Colored Championship game, 6–6[99]
Lincoln (PA) 5–1–2 Ulysses S. Young CC tied Howard in the Colored Championship game, 6–6[99]
Virginia Union 6–0–1 Harold D. Martin PC
1924 Lincoln (PA) 7–1–1 Ulysses S. Young CAAC[100] record includes forfeited game (was 8–0–1)[101]
Paul Quinn 8–0–1 Harry Long PC
Tuskegee 9–0–1 Cleveland Abbott PC
1925 Howard 6–0–2 Louis L. Watson PC
Tuskegee 8–0–1 Cleveland Abbott PC
1926 Howard 7–0 Louis L. Watson CAAC,[100] PC
Tuskegee 10–0 Cleveland Abbott PC
1927 Bluefield 8–0–1 Harry R. Jefferson PC
Tuskegee 10–0–1 Cleveland Abbott PC
1928 Bluefield 8–0–1 Harry R. Jefferson PC
Wiley 10–0–1 Fred T. Long PC
1929 Tuskegee 9–0 Cleveland Abbott CAAC,[102] PC
1930 Tuskegee 11–0–1 Cleveland Abbott PC
1931 Wilberforce 9–0 Harry C. Graves PC
1932 Wiley 9–0 Fred T. Long PC
1933 Kentucky State 4–3 Henry Kean CAAC[103]
Morgan 9–0 Edward P. Hurt PC
1934 Kentucky State 9–0 Henry Kean CAAC,[103] PC
1935 Kentucky State 9–1 Henry Kean CAAC[103]
Texas College 9–0–2 Ace Mumford ChB, PC
1936 Virginia State 9–0–2 Harry R. Jefferson PC
West Virginia State 8–0 Adolph Hamblin PC
1937 Morgan 7–0 Edward P. Hurt PC
1938 Florida A&M 8–0 William M. Bell PC
1939 Langston 9–0 Caesar Felton Gayles PC
1940 Morris Brown 10–1 Artis P. Graves PC, SB
1941 Langston 10–1 Caesar Felton Gayles VB record includes forfeited game (was 9–1–1)[104]
Morris Brown 8–1 Billy Nicks PC
1942 Florida A&M 9–0 William M. Bell PC
1943 Morgan State 5–0 Edward P. Hurt PC
1944 Morgan State 6–1 Edward P. Hurt PC
1945 Wiley 10–0 Fred T. Long PC
1946 Morgan State 8–0 Edward P. Hurt PC
Tennessee A&I 10–1 Henry Kean PC
1947 Shaw 10–0 Howard K. Wilson NB, PC
Tennessee A&I 10–0 Henry Kean BAA, PC
1948 Wilberforce State 9–1–1 Gaston F. Lewis BAA
Southern 12–0 Ace Mumford ANP,[105] BAA, PC
1949 Morgan State 8–0 Edward P. Hurt PC
Southern 10–0–1 Ace Mumford ANP,[106] PC
1950 Florida A&M 8–1–1 Jake Gaither PC
Southern 10–0–1 Ace Mumford ANP,[106] PC
1951 Morris Brown 10–1 Edward Clemons PC
North Carolina A&T 7–1–1 William M. Bell ANP[107]
1952 Florida A&M 8–2 Jake Gaither ANP,[108] PC[109]
1953 Florida A&M 10–1 Jake Gaither BAA
Prairie View A&M 12–0 Billy Nicks ADW,[110] ANP,[5] PC
Tennessee A&I 8–0–1 Henry Kean JBM
1954 Florida A&M 8–1 Jake Gaither ADW,[111] PC[112]
North Carolina Central 7–1–1 Herman Riddick NFC, PC[112]
Prairie View A&M 10–1 Billy Nicks ADW,[111] PC[112]
Southern 10–1 Ace Mumford ADW,[111] PC[112]
Tennessee A&I 10–1 Henry Kean ADW,[111] ANP,[113] PC[112]
1955 Grambling 10–0 Eddie Robinson ADW,[114] ANP,[115] PC
1956 Tennessee A&I 10–0 Howard C. Gentry ADW,[116] PC
1957 Florida A&M 9–0 Jake Gaither ADW,[117] PC
1958 Prairie View A&M 10–0–1 Billy Nicks ADW,[111] ANP,[35] PC retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner[111]
1959 Florida A&M 10–0 Jake Gaither ADW,[118] ANP,[119] PC
1960 Southern 9–1 Ace Mumford ADW,[120] ANP,[21] PC
1961 Florida A&M 10–0 Jake Gaither ADW,[121] PC
1962 Florida A&M 9–1 Jake Gaither ADW[121] retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner since the previous trophy had been retired;[122] won AP College Division Poll National Championship
Jackson State 10–1 John Merritt PC
1963 Prairie View A&M 10–1 Billy Nicks ADW,[123] PC
1964 Prairie View A&M 9–0 Billy Nicks ADW,[122] PC
1965 Tennessee A&I 9–0–1 John Merritt ADW,[124] PC
1966 Tennessee A&I 10–0 John Merritt ADW,[125] NPC
1967 Grambling 9–1 Eddie Robinson ADW,[126] NPC
Morgan State 8–0 Earl Banks NPC
1968 Alcorn A&M 9–1 Marino Casem ADW,[127] NPC
North Carolina A&T 8–1 Hornsby Howell NPC
1969 Alcorn A&M 8–0–1 Marino Casem ADW,[128] NPC
1970 Tennessee State 11–0 John Merritt ADW,[129] NPC
1971 Tennessee State 9–1 John Merritt ADW,[130] NPC
1972 Grambling 11–2 Eddie Robinson ADW,[131] MBN,[132] NPC, PB record includes forfeited game (was 10–2)[133]
1973 Tennessee State 10–0 John Merritt ADW,[134] J,[135] NPC retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner (actually five-time winner by this point) since the previous trophy had been retired;[134] won AP and UPI College Division Poll National Championships; had players ruled ineligible for NCAA Division II Playoffs and declined bid[136]
1974 Alcorn State 9–2 Marino Casem NPC declined automatic bid to Pelican Bowl to participate in NCAA Division II playoffs
Grambling State 11–1 Eddie Robinson ADW, J,[137] MBN,[138] NPC, PB
1975 Grambling State 10–2 Eddie Robinson ADW, J,[139] MBN,[140] NPC record includes forfeited game (was 10–1);[141] had SWAC championship ruled vacated and, by extension, not eligible for automatic bid to Pelican Bowl
Southern 9–3 Charles Bates PB
1976 South Carolina State 10–1 Willie Jeffries ADW, J,[142] MBN,[143] NPC
1977 Florida A&M 11–0 Rudy Hubbard ADW, J,[144] MBN,[145] NPC
Grambling State 10–1 Eddie Robinson NPC
South Carolina State 9–1–1 Willie Jeffries NPC
1978 Florida A&M 12–1 Rudy Hubbard ADW, BCASB, J,[146] NPC won NCAA Division I-AA Pioneer Bowl National Championship
1979 Tennessee State 8–3 John Merritt ADW, BCASB, J,[147] SBN
1980 Grambling State 10–2 Eddie Robinson ADW, J,[148] SBN retired W. A. Scott II Memorial Trophy as first three-time winner since the previous trophy had been retired[149]
1981 South Carolina State 10–3 Bill Davis ADW, SBN
Virginia Union 11–1 Willard Bailey J[150]
1982 South Carolina State 9–3 Bill Davis ADW
Tennessee State 9–0–1 John Merritt J,[151] SBN record does not include voided games (was 10–1–1)[152]
1983 Central State 12–1 Billy Joe J[153]
Grambling State 8–1–2 Eddie Robinson SBN
Tennessee State 8–2–1 John Merritt ADW
1984 Alcorn State 9–1 Marino Casem ADW, SBN
Tennessee State 11–0 William A. Thomas J[154]
1985 Hampton 10–2 Fred Freeman J[155]
Jackson State 8–3 W. C. Gorden ADW, SBN
1986 Central State 10–1–1 Billy Joe ADW, J,[156] SBN
1987 Central State 10–1–1 Billy Joe J,[157] SBN
Howard 0–10 Willie Jeffries ADW record includes forfeited games (was 9–1)[158]
1988 Central State 11–2 Billy Joe ADW, LAFCF, SBN
1989 Central State 10–3 Billy Joe ADW, SBN
1990 Central State 11–1 Billy Joe ADW, J,[159] SBN won NAIA Division I Champion Bowl National Championship
North Carolina A&T 9–2 Bill Hayes ASW
1991 Alabama State 11–0–1 Houston Markham ADW, AHB, ASW, AURN, J[160]
1992 Central State 12–1 Billy Joe ADW won NAIA Division I Champion Bowl National Championship
Grambling State 10–2 Eddie Robinson ASW, AURN, J[161] won Heritage Bowl II
1993 Howard 11–1 Steve Wilson ADW, AURN[162] declined automatic bid to Heritage Bowl III to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs
Southern 11–1 Pete Richardson ASW, BCSR[50] won Heritage Bowl III
1994 Hampton 10–1 Joe Taylor AURN
South Carolina State 10–2 Willie Jeffries ADW, ASW,[163] BCSP,[164] HB
1995 Southern 11–1 Pete Richardson ADW, ASW, AURN won Jim Walter Homes Heritage Bowl V
1996 Howard 10–2 Steve Wilson ADW, AURN[165] won McDonald's Heritage Bowl VI
Jackson State 10–2 James Carson ASW declined automatic bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl VI to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs
1997 Hampton 10–2 Joe Taylor AURN[166][167] declined automatic bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl VII to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs
Southern 11–1 Pete Richardson ADW, ASW won McDonald's Heritage Bowl VII
1998 Florida A&M 11–2 Billy Joe ASW, AURN declined bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl VIII (after MEAC's top seed also declined it) to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs
Southern 9–3 Pete Richardson ADW won McDonald's Heritage Bowl VIII
1999 North Carolina A&T 11–2 Bill Hayes ADW, ASW, AURN declined automatic bid to McDonald's Heritage Bowl IX to participate in NCAA Division I-AA playoffs
2000 Grambling State 10–2 Doug Williams ASW
Tuskegee 12–0 Rick Comegy ADW, AURN, BCSP[168]
2001 Florida A&M 7–4 Billy Joe ADW
Grambling State 11–0 Doug Williams ASW, AURN, BCSP[169] record includes forfeited game (was 10–1)[170]
Tuskegee 11–1 Rick Comegy BCSP[169]
2002 Bethune–Cookman 11–2 Alvin Wyatt BCSP[171]
Fayetteville State 10–2 Kenny Phillips DCCC-MM[172]
Grambling State 11–2 Doug Williams ADW, ASW, AURN, BCSP[171]
2003 Albany State 10–2 Mike White DCCC-MM[172]
Southern 12–1 Pete Richardson ADW, ASW, AURN, BCSP,[173] DCCC-M[174]
2004 Albany State 11–1 Mike White ADW, BCSP,[175] DCCC-MM[176]
Hampton 10–2 Joe Taylor ASW, AURN, DCCC-M[177]
2005 Grambling State 11–1 Melvin Spears AURN, BCSP,[178] DCCC-M[179]
Hampton 11–1 Joe Taylor ADW, ASW
North Carolina Central 10–2 Rod Broadway DCCC-MM[180]
2006 Hampton 10–2 Joe Taylor ASW, BCSP,[181] DCCC-M[182]
North Carolina Central 11–1 Rod Broadway ADW, AURN, BCSP,[181] DCCC-MM,[182] PCWDC
2007 Delaware State 10–2 Al Lavan ASW, DCCC-M[183]
Tuskegee 12–0 Willie J. Slater ADW, AURN, B-MP, BCSP,[184] DCCC-MM,[185] PCWDC
2008 Grambling State 11–2 Rod Broadway ADW, ASW, AURN, B-MP, BCSP,[186] DCCC-M,[187] PCWDC
South Carolina State 10–3 Oliver Pough BCSP[186]
Tuskegee 10–1 Willie J. Slater DCCC-MM[188]
2009 Prairie View A&M 9–1 Henry Frazier III ASW, BCSP,[189] DCCC-M[190]
South Carolina State 10–2 Oliver Pough ADW,[191] AURN, B-CP, B-MP, BCSP,[189] PCWDC
Tuskegee 10–2 Willie J. Slater DCCC-MM[192]
2010 Albany State 11–1 Mike White AURN, BCSP,[193] DCCC-MM,[194] PCWDC
Bethune–Cookman 10–2 Brian Jenkins ASW, B-CP, B-MP
Texas Southern 0–3 Johnnie Cole DCCC-M[195] record does not include vacated games (was 9–3)[196]
2011 Alabama State 8–3 Reggie Barlow DCCC-M[197]
Norfolk State 0–3 Pete Adrian ASW, B-CP, HSRN-I[64] record does not include vacated games (was 9–3)[198]
Winston–Salem State 13–1 Connell Maynor AURN, B-MP, BCSP,[199] DCCC-MM,[197] HSRN-II&N,[64] NBTV, PCWDC
2012 Arkansas–Pine Bluff 10–2 Monte Coleman ASW, B-CP, HSRN-I[200]
Bethune–Cookman 9–3 Brian Jenkins AURN
Tennessee State 8–3 Rod Reed DCCC-M[201]
Winston–Salem State 14–1 Connell Maynor B-MP, BCSP,[202] DCCC-MM,[201] HSRN-II&N,[203] PCWDC
2013 Bethune–Cookman 10–3 Brian Jenkins AHSR-I,[33] B-CP, B-MP, DCCC-M,[204] PCWDC
Tennessee State 10–4 Rod Reed ASW, AURN, BCSP,[205] HSRN-I[203]
Winston–Salem State 10–2 Connell Maynor AHSR-II,[33] DCCC-MM,[206] HSRN-II&N[203]
2014 Alcorn State 10–3 Jay Hopson AHSR-I,[207] AURN, B-CP, B-MP, BCSP,[208] DCCC-M,[206] HSRN-I,[206] TAJTT
Virginia State 10–2 Latrell Scott AHSR-II,[209] DCCC-MM,[206] HBCUS-PFP[61] HSRN-II&N[206]
2015 North Carolina A&T 10–2 Rod Broadway AFRCB, AHSR-I,[210] AURN,[211] B-CP,[212] B-MP,[212] BCSP,[213] DCCC-M,[214] HBCUS-UP,[62] HSRN-I[66]
Tuskegee 10–3 Willie J. Slater AHSR-II,[215] DCCC-MM,[214] HSRN-II&N[66]
2016 Grambling State 12–1 Broderick Fobbs AFRCB,[216] AHSR-I,[32] AURN,[79] B-CP,[217] B-MP,[217] BCNC-I,[44] BCSP,[218] DCCC-M,[219] HSRN-I[65]
Tuskegee 9–3 Willie J. Slater AHSR-II[34]
Winston–Salem State 9–3 Kienus Boulware BCNC-II&N,[44] DCCC-MM,[172] HSRN-II&N[65]
2017 North Carolina A&T 12–0 Rod Broadway B-CP,[220] B-MP,[220] BCNC-I,[221] BCSP,[222] CeB, PNRN,[223] UMT[85]
Virginia State 10–1 Reggie Barlow BCNC-II&N,[45] DCCC-MM[224]
2018 Bowie State 9–3 Damon Wilson BCNC-II&N[225]
North Carolina A&T 10–2 Sam Washington AFRCB, B-CP,[226] B-MP,[226] BCNC-I,[227] BCSP,[228] PNRN,[229] UMT[85]
2019 Bowie State 11–1 Damon Wilson BCNC-II&N,[230] BCSN-II&N,[47] DCCC-MM[231]
Florida A&M 9–2 Willie Simmons BCSN-I[46] ruled ineligible for MEAC championship and postseason play and, by extension, not eligible for automatic bid to Celebration Bowl[46]
North Carolina A&T 9–3 Sam Washington CeB, B-CP,[232] B-MP,[232] BCNC-I,[233] BCSP,[234] DCCC-M,[235] HBCUS-UP,[63] UMT[85]

Note: *—source is the College Football Data Warehouse, unless stated otherwise

National championships by school

School National championship(s) Season(s)
Tennessee State 16 1946, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2012, 2013
Florida A&M 15 1938, 1942, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1998, 2001, 2019
Grambling State 15 1955, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2016
Tuskegee 13 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016
Southern 11 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1960, 1975, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2003
Central State 8 1948, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992
North Carolina A&T 8 1951, 1968, 1990, 1999, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019
Hampton 7 1922, 1985, 1994, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006
Howard 7 1920, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1987, 1993, 1996
Morgan State 7 1933, 1937, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1967
South Carolina State 7 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1994, 2008, 2009
Prairie View A&M 6 1953, 1954, 1958, 1963, 1964, 2009
Alcorn State 5 1968, 1969, 1974, 1984, 2014
Bethune–Cookman 4 2002, 2010, 2012, 2013
Virginia State 4 1936, 1952, 2014, 2017
Wiley 4 1921, 1928, 1932, 1945
Winston-Salem State 4 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016
Albany State 3 2003, 2004, 2010
Jackson State 3 1962, 1985, 1996
Kentucky State 3 1933, 1934, 1935
Lincoln (PA) 3 1921, 1923, 1924
Morris Brown 3 1940, 1941, 1951
North Carolina Central 3 1954, 2005, 2006
Alabama State 2 1991, 2011
Bluefield State 2 1927, 1928
Bowie State 2 2018, 2019
Langston 2 1939, 1941
Talladega 2 1920, 1921
Texas Southern 2 1952, 2010
Virginia Union 2 1923, 1981
Arkansas–Pine Bluff 1 2012
Delaware State 1 2007
Fayetteville State 1 2002
Lincoln (MO) 1 1952
Norfolk State 1 2011
Paul Quinn 1 1924
Shaw 1 1947
Texas College 1 1935
West Virginia State 1 1936
Wilberforce 1 1931

See also

References

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