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).

History Classifications 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 1921–?: Independent : Gulf Coast Athletic Association ?–1934: Independent 1935–1962: South Central Athletic Conference 1961–present: Southwestern Athletic Conference

Championships Black college national championships Alcorn State has won five Black college football national championships. 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 Alcorn joined the Southwestern Athletic Conference SWAC in 1962. Since then, the Braves have won thirteen conference championships, nine outright and four shared. 1968* Southwestern Athletic Conference Marino Casem 9–1 6–1 1969 8–0–1 6–0–11970 8–1 6–01974* 9–2 5–11976 8–2 5–11979* 8–2 5–11984 9–1 7–01992 Cardell Jones 7–4 7–01994* Cardell Jones 8–3–1 6–12014 Jay Hopson 10–3 7–22015 Jay Hopson 9–4 7–22018 Fred McNair 9–4 6–1 2019 Fred McNair 9–4 6–1

Playoff appearances NCAA Division I FCS The Braves have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs three times with an overall record of 0–3.

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 The Braves appeared in the Division II playoffs one time, with an overall record of 0–1. 1974 Quarterfinals UNLV L 22–35

Rivalry game

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.

College Football Hall of Fame members

Marino Casem Steve McNair Dennis Thomas

Alumni in the NFL Over 50 Alcorn State alumni have played in the NFL, including:

Milton Barney Charles Coleman Donald Driver Smith Reed Leonard Fairley Leslie Frazier Marcus Hinton Billy Howard Nate Hughes Garry Lewis Steve McNair Bryant Mix Lawrence Pillers Elex Price Jack Spinks John Thierry Roynell Young Henry Bradley Willie Young Jimmie Giles

Head coaches Alcorn State has seen 21 head football coaches over its history. The program was most recently led by Fred McNair.2020-2021 Record Book Retrieved March 10, 2023

Octavius T. Henderson 1921 4–0 1.000 O. A. Ross 1922–1933 44–15–11 .629 W. Morton 1934–1935 1–7–1 .125 A. A. Abraham 1936, 1938, 1941–1942 14–8–7 .483 L. Harris 1937, 1939–1940 10–10–1 .476 J. Anderson 1945 0–2 .000 Reuben Alba 1946 1–8 .111 W. Felix Harris 1947 9–1 .900 Dwight Fisher 1948–1956 52–35–7 0.553 Wallace Broadus 1957 0–5 .000 E. E. Simmons 1958–1959 3–14 .176 Frank Purnell 1960–1963 14–20 .412 Marino Casem 1964–1985 138–71–8 .636 Theophilus Danzy 1986–1990 26–22 .542 Cardell Jones 1991–1997 41–32–3 .539 Johnny Thomas 1998–2007 48–61 .440 Ernest T. Jones 2008 2–10 .167 Earnest Collins Jr. 2009–2010 8–12 .400 Melvin Spears 2011 2–8 .200 Jay Hopson 2012–2015 19–17 .528 Fred McNair 2016–2023 48–33 .593 Cedric Thomas 2024–present 11–12

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of July 31, 2026 Miles College at TCU at Ole Miss vs South Carolina State (Atlanta, GA)MEAC/SWAC Challenge at Southern Miss at North Alabama Arkansas Baptist

Notes 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

See also Southern Heritage Classic List of black college football classics

References

External links