| Alcorn State Braves football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1921; 104 years ago | ||
| Head coach | Cedric Thomas 1st season, 6–6 (.500) | ||
| Stadium | Casem-Spinks Stadium (capacity: 22,500) | ||
| Field surface | Natural grass | ||
| Location | Lorman, Mississippi | ||
| Conference | Southwestern Athletic Conference | ||
| Division | East | ||
| All-time record | 497–389–38 (.558) | ||
| Conference titles | 13 (SWAC: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1992, 1994, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019) | ||
| Division titles | 6 (SWAC East: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) | ||
| Colors | Purple and gold[1] | ||
| Website | alcornsports.com | ||
TheAlcorn State Braves are thecollege football team ofAlcorn State University. The Braves play inNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision as a member of theSouthwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Alcorn State has won fiveBlack college football national championships.
Alcorn joined theSouthwestern Athletic Conference SWAC in 1962. Since then, the Braves have won thirteen conference championships, nine outright and four shared.
| Season | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968* | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Marino Casem | 9–1 | 6–1 |
| 1969 | 8–0–1 | 6–0–1 | ||
| 1970 | 8–1 | 6–0 | ||
| 1974* | 9–2 | 5–1 | ||
| 1976 | 8–2 | 5–1 | ||
| 1979* | 8–2 | 5–1 | ||
| 1984 | 9–1 | 7–0 | ||
| 1992 | Cardell Jones | 7–4 | 7–0 | |
| 1994* | Cardell Jones | 8–3–1 | 6–1 | |
| 2014 | Jay Hopson | 10–3 | 7–2 | |
| 2015 | Jay Hopson | 9–4 | 7–2 | |
| 2018 | Fred McNair | 9–4 | 6–1 | |
| 2019 | Fred McNair | 9–4 | 6–1 |
The Braves have appeared in the I-AA/FCS playoffs three times with an overall record of 0–3.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Quarterfinals | Louisiana Tech | L 21–44 |
| 1992 | First Round | Northeast Louisiana | L 27–78 |
| 1994 | First Round | Youngstown State | L 20–63 |
The Braves appeared in the Division II playoffs one time, with an overall record of 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Quarterfinals | UNLV | L 22–35 |
The Alcorn State Braves biggest rival is against theJackson State Tigers in theSoul 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.[2]
Over 50 Alcorn State alumni have played in the NFL,[4] including:
Alcorn State has seen 21 head football coaches over its history. The program was most recently led byFred McNair.[5]
| Coach | Seasons | Record | Win Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Octavius T. Henderson | 1921 | 4–0 | 1.000 |
| O.A. Ross | 1922–1933 | 44–15–11 | 0.629 |
| W. Morton | 1934–1935 | 1–7–1 | 0.125 |
| A. A. Abraham | 1936, 1938, 1941–1942 | 14–8–7 | 0.483 |
| L. Harris | 1937, 1939–1940 | 10–10–1 | 0.476 |
| J. Anderson | 1945 | 0.2 | 0.000 |
| Reuben Alba | 1946 | 1–8 | 0.111 |
| W. Felix "Lerroy" Harris | 1947 | 9–1 | 0.900 |
| Dwight Fisher | 1948–1956 | 52–35–7 | 0.553 |
| W. Broadus | 1957 | 0–5 | 0.000 |
| E. E. Simmons | 1958–1959 | 3–14 | 0.176 |
| Franklin Purnell | 1960–1963 | 14–20 | 0.412 |
| Marino Casem | 1964–1985 | 138–71–8 | 0.636 |
| Theo Danzy | 1986–1990 | 26–22 | 0.542 |
| Cardell Jones | 1991–1997 | 41–32–3 | 0.539 |
| Johnny Thomas | 1998–2007 | 48–61 | 0.440 |
| Ernest T. Jones | 2008 | 2–10 | 0.167 |
| Earnest Collins | 2009–2010 | 8–12 | 0.400 |
| Melvin Spears | 2011 | 2–8 | 0.200 |
| Jay Hopson | 2012–2015 | 19–17a | 0.528 |
| Fred McNair | 2016–2023 | 48–33 | 0.593 |
Announced schedules as of June 7, 2025[6]
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 |
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| atNorthwestern State | atSouthern Miss | atOle Miss | |
| atAlabama A&M | |||
| atMississippi State | |||
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