Southwestern Athletic Conference
As the state-supported schools became bigger, it became difficult for the church-supported schools to pay for their sports teams. Soon the church-supported schools started to leave the conference.   Bishop withdrew from the conference in 1956, Langston in 1957 and Huston-Tillotson (formerly Samuel Huston) in 1959.  That happened one year after two more state-supported schools entered the league (Grambling College and Jackson State College). The enter-exit cycle continued in 1961 when Texas College withdrew, followed by the entrance of Alcorn A&M in 1962. Wiley left in 1968, the same year Mississippi Valley State College entered. Arkansas AM&N exited in 1970 and Alabama State University entered in 1982. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (formerly Arkansas AM&N) rejoined the SWAC on July 1, 1997, regaining full-member status one year later. Alabama A&M University became the conference’s tenth member when it became a full member in September, 1999 after a one year period as an affiliate SWAC member.