Dec. 19, 2009

By Roscoe Nance
Special to SWAC.org

A changing of the guard took place in the SWAC during the 2009 football as Prairie View A&M won the conference crown for the first time in 45 years.

The Panthers, reached the championship game for the first time since the conference went to a two division format in 1999, posted a 7-0 league mark and beat Alabama A&M for the title. It was just the second time in the 10-year history of the championship game that Grambling State, Southern or Jackson State, which have dominated SWAC the last 40 years, weren't involved.

Equally as telling:

* Texas Southern had its first winning season since 2000 and tied Grambling State for second-place in the West. The Tigers beat Southern for the first time since 1996 and got their first win against Jackson State in 10 seasons. * Arkansas-Pine Bluff had the same conference record (3-4) while beating Grambling State and Jackson State. The Golden Lions win against Jackson State was their fourth in the last six meetings * Alcorn State beat Alabama A&M and was in contention for the East title until the final game of the season.

Was 2009 one of those unpredictable seasons that occur every once in awhile, during which the underdogs have their day and it's business as usual the next season? Or has the balance of power shifted to the point that we can no longer pencil in Grambling State, Southern, Jackson State and Alabama A&M as the frontrunners to win the title?

"I think it's changing,'' says Cassandra McAboy of the Mobile Press-Register. "I don't think it's a fluke.''

ESPN college football analyst Jay Walker is more emphatic about the long-term implications of the 2009 season.

"The change has been coming,'' Walker says. "We just haven't seen it. When was the last time we've seen dominant coming out of the East? The two most talented teams are the teams in Texas, Prairie View and Texas Southern, and they have followed two different models.''

Prairie View's ascent to the title has been marked by steady progress during Henry Frazier III's six years as coach. That bodes well for the Panthers' chances of remaining at the top of the conference. Frazier didn't go for the quick fix by relying on transfers from junior college and Football Bowl Subdivision programs. Instead, he built his squad around high school recruits, who will be in the program four or five years.

"I don't think it was one of those seasons,'' says Ty Miller, Sports Director for American Urban Radio Network and director of the Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College Weekly Poll. "Prairie View has been going up steadily since Frazier was hired. This year they finally got to the top. He's gotten them to a point of consistency.''

Unlike Frazier at Prairie View, Texas Southern coach Johnnie Cole relies heavily on transfers - he brought in 20 imports his first two seasons. It's a good bet his 2010 recruiting class will be top heavy with castoffs from FBS programs who can provide immediate help.

Texas Southern ended the season by winning five of its last six games to finish 6-5 in Cole's second season. The Tigers only lose seven seniors and return 20 starters, including quarterback Arvell Nelson, the SWAC Newcomer of they Year. Nelson is still developing as a quarterback after playing safety for a season at Fort Dodge (Kan.) Community College.

Nelson was second in the conference in passing yards (2,392) and total offense (2,717 yards); wide receiver Joseph Anderson was fourth in receptions with 51 as a sophomore, and running back Gilbert Martin will return for his senior season after finishing fifth in the conference with 644 rushing yards.

"Cole is trying to get the best athletes he can get in (school) and teach them discipline,'' Walker says. "Say what you want about Johnnie Cole. He wins games and he scores points.''

Miller says Southern's decision to fire Richardson speaks directly to the changing of the guard in SWAC. Richardson's team won nearly 75% of their conference games during his tenure, reached the championship game three times and won two titles. Richardson won a total of five SWAC championship, but this season the Jaguars lost to Texas Southern for the first time in more than a decade and lost to Prairie View for the second consecutive time.

"You lose to Texas Southern and Prairie,'' Miller says, "and you outgun Alcorn (48-42) it signifies maybe other teams have passed you. Firing Pete was along the lines of a new way of doing things. Other teams caught up with what he was doing.''

McAboy attributes the shift to the influx of younger coaches. After Southern fired Pete Richardson, ending his 17-year run in Baton Rouge, Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Monte Coleman, 52, is the elder statesmen among SWAC coaches, and Alabama A&M's Anthony Jones, with eight seasons at the Bulldogs' helm, is the dean of SWAC coaches.

Frazier, 41, has been a college head coach for 10 years. Cole, 46, has more than 20 years of coaching experience.

"They have a lot of young coaches,'' McAboy says. "They have a different kind of attitude. (Athletes) work harder for them; they buy into them because they are their dads' age or their cool uncles' age. The young coaches bring new and innovative ideas; they bring a different energy to the program.''

And they brought suspense to the 2009 SWAC race.