• Columbus, OH
  • Tuesday, April 23, 2024
   
Our Lives. Our Stories. Our Voices.
Our Lives. Our Stories. Our Voices.
Close
 

 

Jackson State University And Coach Prime Win The SWAC Championship

by Gordon Jackson

December 9, 2021 482 views
 
SWAC Football Championship Game Thrusts HBCU Football and City of Jackson Into National Limelight… Like It or Not 
 
Fifty Thousand-Plus Fans Help Bring Out the Best of College Athletics - Period
 
Jackson State Tigers Victory Sends Deion Sanders to Old Stomping Grounds in Atlanta
 

Part 3 of the Series “Can You Smell What Coach Prime is Cooking?”

 
 
When it’s more than just a game…
 
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Football Championship game, held Dec. 4 at Jackson, Mississippi’s Veteran Memorial Stadium, checked all the boxes in terms of a celebratory major sporting event that captured the heart of an entire school, city and community. 
 
In Jackson State University’s 27-10 win over the Prairie View A&M Panthers, giving JSU their first SWAC title since 2007, the school and Jackson, Mississippi overall enjoyed a watershed moment in earning respect from the mainstream sports community. Even the most conservative or tunnel-visioning sports enthusiast could not ignore what took place.
 
Jackson shined brightly that night. And JSU head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders was the beacon. 
 
“This is unbelievable! Do you see this atmosphere, it’s unbelievable,” Sanders told an ESPN reporter soon after the game’s final seconds ticked off. The win puts Sanders and JSU (11-1) into the Celebration Bowl, to be held Dec. 18 at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. They’ll play MEAC Champions South Carolina State.
 
“Look at the community! Look at Jackson! Look at SWAC!” Sanders beamed emotionally. “It’s one thing to win, but to win with our people – Jesus! Lord, I thank you!
 
The 50,128 electrifying fans is the best attendance in the 23-year history of the SWAC Football Championship. The previous best was the inaugural SWAC Football Championship in 1999 (Southern defeated Jackson State 31-30), when 47, 621 watched. Only two other SWAC title games has exceeded 40,000 people.
 
Both JSU and Prairie View fans and alumni gave their fair share of the excitement, proudly cheering for their team. 
 
  • Share:  
  •    
  •    
  •    
  •    
Gordon Jackson
NOIRE Contributor

  • Follow Gordon:
  •    
  •    
 

 

 

Please wait..!