This page is about the organization formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. For the former NCAA athletic conference from the South Central United States, seeGulf Coast Conference. For the former Southeastern United States based athletic conference, seeGulf Coast Athletic Conference (1958–1965).
On April 17, 2018, it was announced thatRust College had joined the GCAC in the 2018–19 season.[4]
In 2019, Steve Martin resigned from the conference after 5 years to become commissioner of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges.[5]
In 2019, Southern University at New Orleans suspended its sports program.[6]
On September 14, 2020, it was also announced that Xavier (La.) would leave the GCAC for the RRAC[7] and on December 18, Talladega was accepted by the SSAC as a new member.[8] Both departures became effective after the 2020–21 season concluded, coinciding with Fisk's return to the GCAC as published on March 16, 2021.[9] On July 19, it was reported that Edward Waters would leave the GCAC to joinNCAA Division II for the first time in its history and re-join theSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference the 2021–22 season.[10]
In October 2021, Southern at New Orleans began to offer sports again after adding a student fee to fund them.[11] On January 20, 2022, the GCAC extended its membership toOakwood University andWiley College, the conference's first Texas member, in addition to the returning Southern at New Orleans. Oakwood and Wiley joined the conference later in July.[12] On November 3, the GCAC invited theUniversity of the Virgin Islands to become its member in 2023–24, becoming the first four-year institution in a U.S. territory to join an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA or NCAA in more than a century.[13]
On February 29, 2024, the conference announced that it would rebrand as theHBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), effective on July 1.[14]
2002 – Talladega left the GCAC to become anNAIA Independent after the 2001–02 academic year.
2002 – Belhaven rejoined the GCAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
2005 – Dillard and Xavier (La.) cancelled all athletic competition while Loyola (La.) and Southern–New Orleans competed in partial competition due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina during the 2005–06 academic year. All of the mentioned member schools would resume full-time athletic competition for the conference on the following season (2006–07 academic year).
2010 – Six institutions left the GCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2009–10 academic year:
2011 –Philander Smith College (now Philander Smith University) joined the GCAC (with Talladega rejoining) in the 2011–12 academic year.
2013 –Voorhees College (now Voorhees University) joined the GCAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
2014 – Fisk left the GCAC to become anNAIA Independent after the 2013–14 academic year.
2015 – Voorhees left the GCAC to become anNAIA Independent after the 2014–15 academic year.
2018 –Rust College joined the GCAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
2019 – Southern–New Orleans (SUNO) left the GCAC due to suspending its athletic program until further notice after the 2018–19 academic year.
2021 – Three institutions left the GCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2020–21 academic year:
Talladega for a second time to join the SSAC
Xavier (La.) to join the RRAC
and Edward Waters to join theNCAA Division II ranks and rejoining theSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC); although Edward Waters would remain in the GCAC to compete in conference tournaments for all sponsored sports during the provisional transition until the end of the 2021–22 school year
2021 – Fisk rejoined the GCAC in the 2021–22 academic year.
2022 – Southern–New Orleans (SUNO) announced that it would reinstate its athletics program and rejoin the GCAC, along with new membersOakwood University andWiley College (now Wiley University), beginning the 2022–23 academic year.
2023 – TheUniversity of the Virgin Islands (UVI) joined the GCAC in the 2023–24 academic year; thus making the first from a U.S. territory to join an NAIA or NCAA conference in the 21st century. Talladega also rejoined the GCAC for a third time.
^Currently known as Edward Waters University since 2021.
^Edward Waters remained in the HBCUAC to compete in conference tournaments for all sponsored sports during the provisional transition until after the 2021–22 school year.
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