Are There Any "Hamptons" in the SWAC?


Earle

Earle

Well-Known Member
Could any of the SWAC's 10 member institutions bolt the conference for perceived greener pastures? The MEAC didn't see this coming! What about Alabama State? PV? Southern? Jackson State? This now makes two HBCUs (Tennessee State and Hampton) competing outside of HBCU conference affiliations. Could the time now be right to seriously consider forming that HBCU super conference before any other schools make the jump?
 

Unlike Tennessee St, Hampton is a private school. It will be interesting to see if they can survive. Will their attendance numbers increase or decrease? Will all the alumni who seem so happy attend the games against majority whites schools they have no history with? What happens when they consistently finish at the bottom? Will they be able to truly invest more money and get alumni to give to support the Athletic department? We shall see....
 
CEE DOG said:
Unlike Tennessee St, Hampton is a private school. It will be interesting to see if they can survive. Will their attendance numbers increase or decrease? Will all the alumni who seem so happy attend the games against majority whites schools they have no history with? What happens when they consistently finish at the bottom? Will they be able to truly invest more money and get alumni to give to support the Athletic department? We shall see....
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I looked at their attendance for the past twelve years yesterday CEE. They hadn't even bust the top 30, and only once broke 10k avg. always hanging around 4-5k a year.
 
JROCK said:
I don't think anyone in the SWAC is looking for an exit. I would say the weakest link in the SWAC chain would be Alabama State. Ever so often they have pipe dreams about FBS or looking for greener pastures in another conference.
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2kool said:
The MEAC saw this coming. Hampton has been trying to leave for a few years now. Even before the Celebration Bowl.
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I thought Delaware State would be first...but we did know that teams were looking at other options...the timing of the Hampton announcement surprised us
 
FAM4lyfe said:
I thought Delaware State would be first...but we did know that teams were looking at other options...the timing of the Hampton announcement surprised us
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You have to have at least something to offer a conference other than a head count of students to be attractive enough to join. Unless they're desperate.
 
CEE DOG said:
Unlike Tennessee St, Hampton is a private school. It will be interesting to see if they can survive. Will their attendance numbers increase or decrease? Will all the alumni who seem so happy attend the games against majority whites schools they have no history with? What happens when they consistently finish at the bottom? Will they be able to truly invest more money and get alumni to give to support the Athletic department? We shall see....
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Being that most of their alums are from Virginia, they will blame other HBCUs in the MEAC for not following them, such as NCA&T, Howard, Norfolk State, and NCCU. Right now, they are banking on being trailblazers for other FCS HBCUs and when that doesn't work, they will say it was the fault of others for not following their lead. Black folks in Virginia have a weird way of not excepting the blame for their own misguided actions. As I stated on another message board, the individuals they need to blame will stare them in the mirror everyday. I remembered this one Black engineer who graduated from Hampton with a degree in General Studies and a dual engineering degree from ODU. He actually blamed me for his break up with his recently married wife who already had three kids for two separate men and I only met her once through him and never heard or seen from her again. Dude really caught me off guard with that BS. LOL!!!
 
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The Alabama schools (mainly Alabama State because we know they were exploring a FBS move). I don't see AAMU leaving for another FCS conference unless it is the MEAC.
 

Earle said:
The MEAC didn't see this coming!
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Yes they did see this coming. This is no surprise. This is not Hampton's first attempt of trying to leave the conference. They tried to get membership into the CAA, but the CAA said, "uhh...NO".
 
CEE DOG said:
Unlike Tennessee St, Hampton is a private school. It will be interesting to see if they can survive. Will their attendance numbers increase or decrease? Will all the alumni who seem so happy attend the games against majority whites schools they have no history with? What happens when they consistently finish at the bottom? Will they be able to truly invest more money and get alumni to give to support the Athletic department? We shall see....
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Hampton will have no problem surviving. As I stated previously, the move was all about ego and perception. It had nothing to do with money. Hampton, in addition to not wanting to go the Celebration Bowl route, has express its displeasure with the MEACs RPI ratings in basketball...which is dead last. Keep in mind, Hampton came up from D2 to join the MEAC. And when you think of the MEAC, Hampton isn't the first school one thinks about. That's not a shot at Hampton, that's just the truth.

With nine football teams - once SSU leaves - the MEAC will be fine. Hampton leaving is NOT a game changer for the conference.
 
bluedog said:
I looked at their attendance for the past twelve years yesterday CEE. They hadn't even bust the top 30, and only once broke 10k avg. always hanging around 4-5k a year.
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LOL I was about to say.. they dont have good attendance now. JSU played them at home and that was the worst home game atmosphere ever. Also, their stadium only holds a good 9000 people. I dont know who told them that lie about it holds 17K. The bleachers are 11 rows high and then you have to stand on the TOP row. Not sit but STAND on the top row.
 
Several years ago before the Southland Conference expanded further into Texas and into Arkansas, a friend of a friend of mine who was privy to Southland affairs shared with me that the Southland Conference had strongly considered courting Southern University and by default Grambling University for Southland membership. They felt like Grambling would not come unless Southern came. They also looked from a distance at Jackson State.

STC_60 said:
Ummmm...Lol. I can see several schools leaving.

Pv
Maybe Jsu
Su


I can't see Gsu bolting unless others leave first.
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2kool said:
Why are you all so sore and triggered over this? I don't get it...
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Because if you are trying to attract folks to your sports teams-being in a conference with bottom feeders stunts your growth.

You look at the Big South-Hampton could have a field day there. At least in basketball. They would at least be the 3-6th best team there at any given year especially if Winthrop is good.
 
Jackson State has a winning history, a nice media market, a large stadium; basically everything you need to build a Division One football program. JSU is positioned right in the middle of the SWAC and would also fit well in the Sun Belt if they ever decided to move up.

With names like Walter Payton and Jackie Slater, Jackson State boasts a long, storied history. From 1977 to 1990, the Tigers won at least 8 games 13 times in 14 seasons. Jackson State plays in a 60,000 seat stadium, and has finished in the Top 10 in FCS attendance in all but five years from 1978 to 2009. In 1997, they had over 38,000 in average attendance; by 2013, that number had dropped to a little over 17,000 per game, but that's still higher than plenty of Division 1 FBS schools.

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2015/6/26/8761335/jackson-state-caught-in-the-middle
 
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