The purpose of the SWAC Alumni Association is to support Southwestern Athletic Conference events, promote the conference’s athletic heritage and preserve its legacy of competitive excellence. Former athletes in all sports from all member institutions are eligible for membership, as are current and former head coaches, assistant coaches, athletic trainers, athletic administrators, referees, employees of the conference office and all supporters of SWAC athletics.
The Alumni Association was founded on Friday, Dec. 10, 1999 in Birmingham, Ala., on the eve of the inaugural Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship football game. It gained 501c3 non-profit status on Nov. 30, 2011. The idea of forming the SWAC Alumni Association originated with former Jackson State football coach and Athletic Director W.C. Gorden, who was concerned that the conference’s legacy was being forgotten and that those who helped make it one of the premier athletic conferences in America weren’t being properly recognized and honored.
Gorden, Marino H. Casem, former football coach and athletic director at Alcorn State and Southern University; Dr. Walter Reed, former athletic director at Jackson State; Chuck Prophet, Athletic Director and Sports Information Director at Mississippi Valley State; Lonza Hardy Jr. Publicity Director for SWAC; Roscoe Nance, a sportswriter for USA TODAY; Theo Danzy, a former assistant football coach at Alcorn State; James Brooks, a former assistant football coach at Alcorn State and a Jackson State alumnus, attended the organizational meeting at the Sheraton Hotel.
Nance was elected Alumni Association coordinator at the organizational meeting. Reed and Gorden were elected treasurer and co-treasurer, respectively. Nance was elected the Association’s first president in 2003. Other officers elected in 2003 were William Ware, vice president; Reed, treasurer; Gorden, co-treasurer; Sam Jefferson, secretary; Erick Wright, business manager; Carl Pierson, parliamentarian, and William Downey, historian. Early members included Jay Roberson, Alvin Moore, Robert Penchion, Willie Peake, Lawrence Turner, LaRita Greer Davenport and Larry Watkins.
The Alumni Association later adopted Remembering the Past – The Source of Wisdom Today as its motto.