Wikipedia

Alcorn State Braves football

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).

Alcorn State Braves football
2024 Alcorn State Braves football team
First season1921; 103 years ago
Head coachCedric Thomas
1st season, 6–6 (.500)
StadiumCasem-Spinks Stadium
(capacity: 22,500)
Field surfaceNatural grass
LocationLorman, Mississippi
ConferenceSouthwestern Athletic Conference
DivisionEast
All-time record497–389–38 (.558)
Conference titles13 (SWAC: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1992, 1994, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019)
Division titles6 (SWAC East: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
ColorsPurple and gold[1]
   
Websitealcornsports.com

History

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Classifications

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  • 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

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Championships

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Black college national championships

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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

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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

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NCAA Division I FCS

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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

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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

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Main article: Soul Bowl

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

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See also: College Football Hall of Fame

Alumni in the NFL

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Over 50 Alcorn State alumni have played in the NFL,[4] including:

Head coaches

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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

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^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

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References

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  1. ^ Alcorn State University Identity Standards and Editorial Stylebook (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "ASU ends Capital City Classic". July 4, 2012.
  3. ^ "Dennis Thomas". footballfoundation.org. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "Alcorn St. Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  5. ^ 2020-2021 Record Book Retrieved March 10, 2023
  6. ^ "Alcorn State sanctioned for NCAA violations". October 19, 2016.
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