HBCU Athletic Conference

From BR Bullpen

HBCUC.jpg

The HBCU Athletic Conference is an NAIA conference with members located across the South from Texas to South Carolina. The conference was formed as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 1981 by charter members Xavier, Spring Hill, Bellhaven, Dillard, Tougaloo, and Louisiana College.

In 2010-2011, Belhaven College, Loyola University New Orleans, Spring Hill College, University of Mobile, and William Carey University left the conference to join the Southern States Athletic Conference, while Louisiana State University in Shreveport left to join the Red River Athletic Conference.

By 2011, Edward Waters College, Tougaloo College, and Talladega College were the only conference members offering baseball, making it a sport not officially sponsored by the conference. As of 2023, the conference had added four baseball playing schools, while Dillard added the sport, and the conference began sponsoring baseball.

The GCAC extended a membership invitation for the 2023–24 academic year to the University of the Virgin Islands, the first from a U.S. territory to join an NAIA or NCAA conference in the 21st century. The conference rebranded to the HBCU Athletic Conference on July 1, 2024.

2024 Schools[edit]

map of 2024 schools

Non-Baseball School[edit]

Conference Baseball Champions[edit]

Conference logo until 2024
Conference logo circa early 2010s
Conference logo circa 1980s-90s
Year Regular Season Champion Tournament Champion
1982 William Carey University none
1983 William Carey University/Spring Hill College none
1984 William Carey University none
1985 Spring Hill College none
1986 William Carey University none
1987 Louisiana College none
1988 William Carey University none
1989 William Carey University none
1990 William Carey University none
1991 William Carey University none
1992 William Carey University none
1993 William Carey University none
1994 Belhaven College none
1995 William Carey University none
1996 William Carey University none
1997 Spring Hill College none
1998 University of Mobile none
1999 University of Mobile none
2000 Spring Hill College none
2001 Spring Hill College none
2002 Loyola University New Orleans none
2003 William Carey University none
2004 William Carey University Belhaven College
2005 Louisiana State University in Shreveport William Carey University
2006 Belhaven College Louisiana State University in Shreveport
2007 Belhaven College Louisiana State University in Shreveport
2008 University of Mobile cancelled
2009 William Carey University Belhaven College
2010 Belhaven College Louisiana State University in Shreveport
2011-2013 Baseball not a sponsored sport
2014 Talladega College Talladega College
2015 Edward Waters College Talladega College
2016-2022 Baseball not a sponsored sport
2023 Rust College Dillard University
2024 Wiley University Talladega College