Alcorn State Braves

The US South has had a long history of slavery and racism, having been the hub of all plantations this side of the Atlantic. Hence the culture in this region of the US is predominantly African American and is in fact enriched by the various musical, artistic, narrative and literary traditions. One very important aspect in the emancipation of the former enslaved people of the south was education.
 
The Alcorn State University located in Lorman, Mississippi has played an important role since it was founded in 1871 in educating African American youth as well as giving them a platform to hone their athletic skills. Collectively, the sports teams of this institution are known as the Alcorn State Braves and currently constitute around 17 men’s and women’s teams. The sports being represented range from baseball, football, volleyball, tennis, golf, soccer, cross country and track and field. The Alcorn State Braves are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I and belong to the different conferences according to their respective sports.
 
The football playing Alcorn State Braves have been in action since the aftermath of the First World War and are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference as part of the NCAA’s Division Football Championship. They currently make their home in the Jack Spinks Stadium, playing their home games on a field composed of natural grass. Their sheer determination has seen them clinch four national championships, two in the 1960s, one in 1974 and the last one in 1984. However, they have had fifty of their former players become part of the roster of various NFL teams over the decades. The most notable among them are Donald Driver, Leslie Frazier, Steve McNair and the stadium’s namesake, Jack Spinks. Drafted into the NFL in 1952, Jack went on to play for the NFL teams of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chicago Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants during the 1950s.
 
The basketball playing Alcorn State Braves are also members of the Southwestern Conference and have made six appearances in the NCCA Tournament. Their first time in the NCCA was back in 1980 when they defeated South Alabama to advance to the second round, only to have their hopes dashed by LSU. 1982 saw them defeated at the hands of Houston in the first round whereas Georgetown in 1983. In their 1984 appearance, though the Braves defeated Houston Baptist in the preliminary round, they were cut short by Kansas in the second round. Their last appearance in the NCAA tournament was in 2002 when they lost out to Sienna in the opening round.
 
The Alcorn State Braves signed the top-ranked junior short-stop baseball player Angel Rosa in December 2012. Their Braves’ footballers also sent the Texas Southern Tigers limping back, improving their standing 4-6 in the overall rankings and 4-4 within the conference. So claim some Alcorn State Braves tickets to witness great feats of sporting bravery in the arenas and the stadiums that they storm into.