The MEAC/SWAC Challenge is an annual historically black college (HBCU) football game showcasing a team from each of the two NCAA Division I conferences made up entirely of HBCUs—the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).MEAC/SWAC Challenge – ESPN Events. ESPN. The series began in 2005 and initially paired the defending conference champions, although the selection process was broadened in 2007 to include non-champions as well. The series record currently stands at 11 wins for the MEAC to the SWAC's seven (along with a "no contest" game in 2016, and a cancellation in 2020). The Challenge is televised nationally on ESPN and is owned by ESPN Events. It was historically associated with the Labor Day weekend, but starting in 2021 has instead taken place a week earlier during college football's Week 0.
History South Carolina State beat Alabama State in the first Challenge in 2005, and for its first three years the event was held in Birmingham, Alabama (home of the SWAC's offices), at Legion Field. In 2007, the event attracted its largest crowd—over 30,000—as Southern beat Florida A&M and earned the SWAC's first victory in the series. In 2008, the Challenge moved to Orlando, Florida after a new sponsorship was announced; Walt Disney World Resort would sponsor the event for eight years until 2015. From 2008 to 2013, as well as in 2015, it was held in Orlando at the Florida Citrus Bowl, now called Camping World Stadium. In 2014, the game was played at Spectrum Stadium, now known as FBC Mortgage Stadium, as Camping World Stadium underwent renovations.
In April 2016, it was announced that the game would move to campus sites for 2016 and 2017 (on September 4, 2016, Bethune–Cookman attempted to host Alcorn State in Daytona Beach, Florida, but the game was halted before halftime due to lightning associated with feeder bands from Hurricane Hermine; on September 3, 2017, Southern hosted South Carolina State in Baton Rouge, Louisiana). The event moved to a non-HBCU campus venue in 2018—this time at Center Parc Stadium on the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Nine future NFL draft picks have played in the Challenge. They are Phillip Adams (South Carolina State), Michael Coe (Alabama State), Johnny Culbreath (South Carolina State), Justin Durant (Hampton), Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State), Temarrick Hemingway (South Carolina State), Curtis Holcomb (Florida A&M), Tarvaris Jackson (Alabama State), and Kendall Langford (Hampton).
The 2020 game, as well as the Celebration Bowl, were both canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic (in particular, due to a decision by the MEAC to cancel all fall sports for the 2020 season).
Game results Year MEAC representative SWAC representative Attendance Location 2005 27 14 18,452 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama) 2006 27 26 OT 19,175 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama) 2007 27 33 30,106 Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama) 2008 17 13 10,723 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2009 34 31 21,367 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2010 27 37 16,327 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2011 63 14 17,337 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2012 38 28 17,410 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2013 27 10 24,376 Florida Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2014 47 13 8,210 Spectrum Stadium (Orlando, Florida) 2015 35 7 7,257 Orlando Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Florida) 2016 7 13 6,000 Municipal Stadium (Daytona Beach, Florida) 2017 8 14 10,006 A. W. Mumford Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) 2018 24 40 10,274 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2019 36 15 23,333 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2020Game canceled due to COVID-19. Originally South Carolina State v Grambling State. Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2021 23 14 15,215 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2022 13 23 21,088 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2023 7 37 24,238 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2024 23 24 22,210 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2025 31 14 16,191 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2026 31 24 17,320 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2027 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2028 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta) 2029 Center Parc Stadium (Atlanta)
See also List of black college football classics
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