BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | For the second time in three years, Jackson State won the C.D. Henry Award as the top overall men’s athletics program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) for 2024-25.
“Our student-athletes competed at the highest level all season and I am extremely proud of what they have been able to accomplish, and this is a culmination of that hard work,” Vice President/Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson said. “They represented Jackson State at the highest level, competing for numerous conference championships and placing in the top three in eight sports.”
The Tigers last won the award in 2022-23 after accumulating 72.0 points in men’s sponsored sports. Alabama State (68.5) and Texas Southern (68.0) finished in second and third place, respectively.
Jackson State won the award following a year that included a SWAC and HBCU National Championship in football in the fall and a second-place finish in indoor track and field early in the winter. The men’s basketball program finished second in the regular season (and tournament), while men’s tennis finished second in the conference tournament. Jackson State’s men’s outdoor track and field finished second in the conference meet, while cross country finished fifth overall, and the baseball program finished sixth overall.
Meanwhile, the women finished fifth in the Magee/Jacket Award standings for the top overall women’s program with 75.5 points. They finished just behind Prairie View A&M (77.0) and Florida A&M (78.5) for a top-three finish.
The Tigers won the women’s regular season tennis championship and finished second in the tournament, and the volleyball program finished second in the regular season and tournament. In the winter, the women’s basketball program finished in the semifinals of the conference tournament and the bowling team finished third in the regular season. The Tigers’ softball program won its second consecutive championship in the spring.
The Tigers finished second in the James Frank Commissioner’s Cup after finishing with 147.5 points, finishing just behind Alabama State (163.0).
About the James Frank Commissioner’s Cup
The Commissioner’s Cup, named for former league commissioner James Frank, who led the SWAC from 1983 through 1998, is awarded to the university compiling the highest combined total of men’s and women’s all-sport points. He returned to the position as Interim Commissioner in April 2001, where he served for 20 months.
About the C.D. Henry Award
The C.D. Henry Award is named for the former Grambling State chairman of the College of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Department from 1958-74, as well as serving as the executive officer and secretary-statistician for the SWAC in 1968-73. Henry became the first African American assistant commissioner of any conference office when he joined the Big Ten Conference in June of 1974.
About the Magee/Jacket Award
The Magee/Jacket Award is named after former Jackson State women’s basketball coach Sadie Magee and former Prairie View A&M track and field coach Barbara Jacket. Magee was the first women’s basketball coach at Jackson State, compiling four SWAC regular season titles and three straight National Association of Women’s Sports National Championships from 1978-1980. Jacket led Prairie View A&M to eight cross country, nine indoor, and five outdoor SWAC titles from 1965 to 1991. She was also the head coach of the 1992 U.S. Women’s Olympic Track team that brought home four gold medals, three silver medals, and three bronze medals from Barcelona, Spain.
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