AUSTIN, Texas — Two of Texas’ historically Black colleges and universities are joining the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC).
HBCUAC announced on Monday that Huston-Tillotson University and Paul Quinn College will be joining the conference later this summer.
The two are currently members of the Red River Athletic Conference and will officially join the conference as full members, beginning on July 1, 2025.
“We are thrilled to welcome Huston-Tillotson University and Paul Quinn College to the HBCU Athletic Conference,” said HBCUAC Commissioner Kiki Baker Barnes in a news release. “Both institutions bring a rich tradition of athletic and academic excellence, and their addition strengthens our conference’s mission to elevate HBCU athletics while creating more opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest levels.”
Huston-Tillotson, which was established in 1875 in Austin before even the University of Texas at Austin, is a private historically Black university affiliated with the United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ and the United Negro College Fund.
Back in 2022, Huston-Tillotson was placed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its history as the first institution of higher learning in Austin and the city's only HBCU.
The Rams currently have five men’s and women’s sports teams–basketball, cross country, soccer, track and field, baseball, softball–and also a women’s volleyball team.
“Joining the HBCUAC is a game-changer for HT,” said Huston-Tillotson President Melva K. Wallace in the release. “This move elevates our athletic program, increases our recruiting power, and places our student-athletes in a league where their talent and hard work will be seen and celebrated. It opens the door to stronger rivalries, greater exposure, and the kind of competitive excellence that builds champions on and off the field.”
Paul Quinn College was founded by the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1872 in Austin and moved to Waco in 1877. The college later moved to Dallas in 1990, taking over Bishop College. It is the only HBCU in the Dallas area.
The Tigers have four men’s and women’s teams–basketball, cross country, soccer, track and field–as well as a women’s volleyball team.
“The Quinnite Nation is tremendously excited about joining the HBCUAC,” said Paul Quinn President Michael Sorrell in the release. “We understood the conference’s value and appeal from day one and are grateful to have been invited to join. The opportunity to continue our friendly rivalries with Wiley and H-T, have our own streaming platform, and elevate our athletic programs on a national level represents the type of future we want for our students and community.”
The two newest additions to the conference allow for soccer to become an official HBCUAC championship sport.
