As we prepare to bring in the new year, 2020, let’s take a moment to reflect on the year that was 2019 in the world of HBCU athletics.
Florida A&M took a bold step in declaring its football team HBCU national champions before the season was officially over and while on probation.
Howard’s newly named head football coach Ron Prince was eventually removed from the position before the season ended.
North Carolina A&T’s track and field program ranked among the best in the nation, and they had a record-breaking athlete in the 200m to prove it.
SWAC football continued to take a back seat to the MEAC in head-to-head matchups, and in one particular case, it even took a back seat to DII Kentucky State. But if the plans of the league’s commissioner serve as any indicator, it’s future may indeed be bright.
Based on the data we’ve retrieved from analytic and social media reports from the past year, below are the 30 most-read stories from 2019.
30. UAPB removes Melvin Hines as school’s athletic director
29. Howard football coach Ron Prince placed on administrative leave
28. Florida A&M declares itself 2019 Black College Football Champions
27. Report: Former Grambling QB DJ Williams hired to New Orleans Saints coaching staff
26. The SWAC is $300 million dollars away from winning the NCAA Tournament
25. Grambling, South Carolina State to faceoff in 2020 MEAC/SWAC Challenge
24. Lindsey Hunter named new head basketball coach at Mississippi Valley State
23. Dawson Odums, Southern agree to contract extension through 2021
22. Jackson State, Grambling State engage in friendly Twitter smackdown
21. In the midst of retirement announcement, Andrew Luck praises former Alabama A&M star Robert Mathis
20. NCCU assistant coach Brian Jenkins arrested after altercation with ex-girlfriend
19. N.C. A&T’s Kayla White runs world’s fastest 200m time this year
18. MEAC releases football tiebreaker scenarios
17. SWAC West football midseason report cards for 2019
16. Jackson State brings back familiar name to football coaching staff
15. Television ratings for record-setting Celebration Bowl down 25 percent
14. SWAC East football midseason report cards for 2019
13. Southern University releases 2020 football schedule
12. WATCH: Southern and Talladega bands engage to create an audible train wreck
11. HBCU head coaches named among the 150 greatest coaches in college football history
10. ESPN’s Marcus Spears says Steve McNair is college football’s greatest quarterback
9. SWAC votes to return football championship game, 8-game conference schedule begins 2020
8. Before Kapernick there was Clem Daniels of Prairie View A&M
7. NCAA places FAMU athletics on probation for multiple infractions, includes post season bans
6. Mississippi Valley, Alcorn State and Jackson State: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
5. South Carolina State upsets nationally ranked Wofford, 28-13
4. Urban Meyer appearing at Grambling State was a lesson about white privilege
3. SWAC fans express frustration in league’s inability to defeat MEAC teams
1. SWAC commissioner open to moving football championship game — if price is right
