About The Historic 16

by John Howard, Jr.

I recently read an anonymous writing called “What if”. It was about if all the powerful blacks in America got together and started their own basketball league with Micheal Jordan as the lead in putting this together. This sparked a memory of a conversation I once had with the former Athletic Director at Tennessee State University, Mr. James Smith, Sr. and well I thought about it and it sparked me to dream and ultimately write “What Could Be”.

For the last four years I have dreamed about my Alma Mater going Division I-A in all sports. I have spoken to anybody that has listened to me about this. Anyone who could introduce the idea to the appropriate decision makers and to people who could benefit from such a thing. With that said this is “What Could Be”. Please I welcome all feedback but please keep it positive and understand this is just one guys dream.

“What Could Be” was about what if 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) got together and started a new Division I-A eligible conference called the Heritage Conference.  A year later I actually turned this memo into a website called Heritage Conference. Well in the last 20 years a lot has changed, but this passion I have to see some of our HBCUs compete on the highest level in collegiate sports has not faded.  So now I would like to introduce The Historic 16 Conference!

The Historic 16 Conference would consist of 16 HBCUs that band together and create a new Football Bowl Series (FBS) eligible conference.  The Historic 16 would be comprised of the following schools and organized into two divisions.

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Western Conference

 

1. 1. Tennessee State University

1. 1. Alabama State University

1. 1. Southern University

1. 1. Jackson State University

1. 1. Grambling University

1. 1. Alabama A&M University

1. 1. Texas Southern University

Eastern Conference

 

1. 1. Florida A&M University

1. 1. North Carolina A&T University

1. 1.  South Carolina State University

1. 1.  Howard University

1. 1.  Hampton University

1. 1.  Morgan State University

1. 1.  North Carolina Central University

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The conference would have a total of 11 football games.  With a conference championship game every year called the “Historic 16 Championship” to be played between the each divisions’ champion.

 

• • Each team would play each division opponent each year (6 games)

• • Play 1 team from the opposite division each year (1 game)

• • Play 1 team from opposite division that rotates each year (1 game)

• • Play 2 non-conference FBS teams (2 games)

• • Play 1 Football Playoff Series-FPS HBCU each year (1 game)

Reasoning Behind Scheduling

 

• • By playing each team in your division each year natural rivalries will grow and develop. 

• • By playing one team every year from the other division each university can maintain historical games. 

• • By playing 1 team from the opposite division each year that rotates allows for each team in the conference to play every other team at least once every five years.

• • By playing two games against non-conference Football Bowl Series-FBS teams Historic 14 teams can benefit by large pay days, exposure, geographical rivalries (TSU vs MTSU, Alabama State vs UAB, Southern vs LSU, FAMU vs Florida State, etc) and have a measuring stick to how competitive Historic 14 Conference has become.

• • By playing one FPS-HBCU each year Historic 14 teams could maintain current traditional rivalries (FAMU vs Bethune Cookman, Prarie View vs Texas Southern, Morgan State vs Norfolk State, etc)

I am sure there are items I have missed or not considered and I welcome all positive feedback.  Notice I said positive.  I want individuals to discuss this with a “can do attitude”.  If you raise an issue that is great.  But all I ask is you also propose a solution to the problem.  I actually have an idea of how to make this work.  But as I work through that (additional research and I want to protect my interest) I realize there are individuals out there with more expertise in the details but more importantly great minds out there who have the passion to see this as possible.  This is my Dream (Martin Luther King Jr),  I need someone who can help me turn it into a plan (Clayton Powell) and then I need even more help turning it into reality (President Barak Obama).