This page is about the organization formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. For the former NCAA athletic conference from the South Central United States, see Gulf Coast Conference. For the former Southeastern United States based athletic conference, see Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (1958–1965).
Louisiana College left the GCAC to join the American Southwest Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III in 2000. Belhaven also left in 2000, only to re-join in 2002; while Talladega College, which joined in 1999, left in 2002. In 2010, Belhaven, Loyola–New Orleans, Spring Hill, Mobile, and William Carey left the GCAC to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC).[2] In 2010 LSU–Shreveport left the conference to join the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). Edward Waters College (now a university) and Fisk University joined to replace the departed schools in 2010. Philander Smith College also joined the GCAC in 2011. Talladega College re-joined the conference starting in the 2011–12 academic year. Talladega had been a member of the GCAC from 1999–2000 to 2001–02.[3]
On April 17, 2018, it was announced that Rust College had joined the GCAC in the 2018–19 season.[4]
In 2019, Steve Martin resigned from the conference after 5 years to become commissioner of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges.[5]
In 2019, Southern University at New Orleans suspended its sports program.[6]
On September 14, 2020, it was also announced that Xavier (La.) would leave the GCAC for the RRAC[7] and on December 18, Talladega was accepted by the SSAC as a new member.[8] Both departures became effective after the 2020–21 season concluded, coinciding with Fisk's return to the GCAC as published on March 16, 2021.[9] On July 19, it was reported that Edward Waters would leave the GCAC to join NCAA Division II for the first time in its history and re-join the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference the 2021–22 season.[10]
In October 2021, Southern at New Orleans began to offer sports again after adding a student fee to fund them.[11] On January 20, 2022, the GCAC extended its membership to Oakwood University and Wiley College, the conference's first Texas member, in addition to the returning Southern at New Orleans. Oakwood and Wiley joined the conference later in July.[12] On November 3, the GCAC invited the University of the Virgin Islands to become its member in 2023–24, becoming the first four-year institution in a U.S. territory to join an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA or NCAA in more than a century.[13]
On February 29, 2024, the conference announced that it would rebrand as the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), effective on July 1.[14]
2002 – Talladega left the GCAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 2001–02 academic year.
2002 – Belhaven re-joined the GCAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
2005 – Dillard and Xavier (La.) cancelled all athletic competition while Loyola (La.) and Southern–New Orleans competed in partial competition due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina during the 2005–06 academic year. All of the mentioned member schools would resume full-time athletic competition for the conference on the following season (2006–07 academic year).
2010 – Six institutions left the GCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Loyola (La.), Mobile, Spring Hill and William Carey (with Belhaven for a second time) to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), and Louisiana State–Shreveport (or LSU–Shreveport) to join the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC), all effective after the 2009–10 academic year.
2011 – Philander Smith College (now Philander Smith University) joined the GCAC (with Talladega re-joining) in the 2011–12 academic year.
2013 – Voorhees College (now Voorhees University) joined the GCAC in the 2013–14 academic year.
2014 – Fisk left the GCAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 2013–14 academic year.
2015 – Voorhees left the GCAC to become an NAIA Independent after the 2014–15 academic year.
2018 – Rust College joined the GCAC in the 2018–19 academic year.
2019 – Southern–New Orleans (SUNO) left the GCAC due to suspending its athletic program until further notice after the 2018–19 academic year.
2021 – Three institutions left the GCAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Talladega for a second time to join the SSAC, Xavier (La.) to join the RRAC, and Edward Waters to join the NCAA Division II ranks and re-joining the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), all effective after the 2020–21 academic year; although Edward Waters would remain in the GCAC to compete in conference tournaments for all sponsored sports during the provisional transition until the end of the 2021–22 academic year.
2021 – Fisk re-joined the GCAC in the 2021–22 academic year.
2022 – Southern–New Orleans (SUNO) announced that it would reinstate its athletics program and rejoin the GCAC, along with new members Oakwood University and Wiley College (now a university) beginning the 2022–23 academic year.
2023 – The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) joined the GCAC in the 2023–24 academic year; thus making the first from a U.S. territory to join an NAIA or NCAA conference in the 21st century. Talladega also re-joined the GCAC.
^Currently known as Edward Waters University since 2021.
^Edward Waters remained in the HBCUAC to compete in conference tournaments for all sponsored sports during the provisional transition until after the 2021–22 school year.
