MEAC and SWAC Conferences: Making their Mark on the NFL
By Jason Woullard
The Mid-Eastern Athletic (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic (SWAC) teams that have participated in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge to date have put a combined 429 players in the National Football League (NFL). Fourteen (14) are active and eleven (11) are NFL Hall of Famers.
Hampton University of the MEAC and Jackson State University (SWAC) will battle for conference supremacy in the 2008 MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Aug. 31, 2 pm ET, ESPN2). Having produced 108 NFL players (including four Hall of Famers), Grambling State tops the list, followed by Jackson State (89 pros, three 3 Hall of Famers) and Southern (73 pros, one Hall of Famer).
Here’s the complete breakdown:
School
No. of Pros
Active
Hall of Famers
Alabama State
21
4
0
Florida A&M
68
1
0
Grambling State
108
4
4
Hampton
23
3
0
Jackson State
89
1
3
South Carolina State
47
1
3
Southern
73
0
1
Here are the 11 former MEAC and SWAC players currently in the NFL:
• Senior Jimmy Oliver threw three touchdown passes and lead Jackson State to a 42-31 comeback victory over Grambling State in 2007 SWAC championship game. Last year’s starting JSU quarterback was the 2005 and ’06 JUCO National Player of the Year.
• Hampton’s Jeremy Gilchrist finished the 2007 season ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in punt return yards.
• Alabama State’s Tarvaris Jackson participated in the first MEAC/SWAC Challenge in 2005. Although unable to get a win versus the Bulldogs of South Carolina State, Jackson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. In only his rookie season, he became a key contributor to the team playing in four games (starting 2). In 2007 Jackson became the team’s full-time starting quarterback, and led the Vikings to eight wins (in 12 games as a starter).
