The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced its 2025 SWAC Hall of Fame Class, which is set to be enshrined on Friday, December 12th, 2025.
The enshrinement ceremony is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. EST at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.
The newest members of the SWAC Hall of Fame were chosen from a list of nominees who were submitted by their respective institutions and selected by the SWAC Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
The 2025 Hall of Fame Honorees include Grambling State’s Albert Dennis III (Legend), Jackson State’s Shawn Gregory, Mississippi Valley State’s Ashley Robinson, Southern’s Adell Davenport, and the SWAC’s Milton Taylor (Contributor) and Byron Johnson (Legend).
Albert Dennis III
Dennis was a Football Co-Captain in 1972 and a 1st Team All-SWAC selection at Offensive Tackle (1972), along with being named a Pittsburgh Courier All-American (1972). Dennis was a key figure for a Grambling State team coached by the legendary Eddie G. Robinson.
After his collegiate career concluded, he signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers (1973), along with the Cleveland Browns (1976/1977).
Dennis was named Special Teams Player of the Week for the Bengals and Dolphins games in 1976. He was inducted into the Grambling State Legends Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
Shawn Gregory
Gregory is a three-time SWAC Champion (1987, 1988, 1990) and a four-time Division I-AA playoff participant (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990). He was named Team Co-Captain in 1989 and Team Captain in 1990. Gregory was selected for the MVP BET Award (1988), Honorable Mention AII-SWAC (1988), MVP Circle City Classic (1989); Second Team AII-SWAC (1989), First Team AII-SWAC (1990); All-American Bowl participant (1990); MVP Southern Heritage Classic (1990), and MVP for Jackson State (1990).
He ranked 8th on the Jackson State single-season record list for passing – 2,870 yards in 1990 (record at that time) and set a single-game record for most yards passing in a Jackson State win over Southern, where he passed for 462 yards on just 14 completions.
Upon the conclusion of his collegiate career, he went on to coach, where he was selected for a 2004 NFL Minority Internship- San Diego Chargers; a 2005 NFL Minority Internship – San Diego Chargers; and a 2006 NFL Minority Internship – Tampa Bay Bucs.
His coaching career has included stints at Morris Brown (1998-2000), Tuskegee (2000-02), Mississippi Valley State (2002-02), Samford (2004-06) and a second stint at Mississippi Valley State (2014-15). Additional notable accolades for Gregory include his induction into the 2009 JSU Sports Hall of Fame. Gregory was also named a member of the Jackson State University All-Century Team in 2011.
Ashley Robinson
A former student-athlete, Robinson was a four-year letterman in basketball and is the single-season and career record-holder in assists after playing point guard for Mississippi Valley State University. He was also named MVSU Athlete of the Year in 2002, receiving the President’s Scholar Award that same year. Robinson was inducted into the MVSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
In his current role as Vice President & Director of Athletics at Jackson State, Robinson’s leadership has helped JSU Athletics win the C.D. Henry Award for the best all-around men’s sports program in the SWAC in 2022-23 and then again in 2024-25.
In May 2024, he received the Roscoe Nance Lifetime Achievement Award from the SWAC Alumni Association. He was also named the 2024 YG&E Leader of the Year at the Young, Gifted, and Empowered Awards show in April. Robinson was named a 50 under 50 recipient of Mississippi’s Top Urban Elite Professionals in January 2025.
He is a seven-time National Athletics Director of the Year – (2024) HBCU Sports AD of the Year, (2024) Inside the HBCU Lab VP/AD of the Year, (2024) HBCU Legends AD of the Year; (2024) Light On College Sports HBCU AD of the Year; (2023) Black Student-Athlete Summit AD of the Year; and a 2022 and 2024 recipient of the Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Robinson currently serves as chair of the SWAC’s Athletics Directors Committee, is a past president of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Athletics Directors Association, and was the first African-American to hold the position from 2020 to 2021.
Adell Davenport
A trailblazer in Southern University baseball history, Davenport was one of the first Jaguar athletes to earn multiple All-Conference selections, leaving an indelible mark on the program during a golden era under legendary head coach Roger Cador.
A versatile infielder, Davenport made immediate waves as a freshman in 1986, earning the title
of SWAC Freshman of the Year and being named a Third Team Freshman All-American. That year, he helped guide the Jaguars to a SWAC Western Division Championship, leading the team with 13 home runs, 47 RBIs, and ranking second in hits with 63.
In 1987, Davenport elevated his game and helped lead SU to one of its most historic seasons, claiming the SWAC Western Division and SWAC Tournament Championship and securing an NCAA Regional appearance.
That postseason, Southern made history as the first HBCU to win a first-round NCAA Regional game, defeating powerhouse Cal-State Fullerton 1-0 in New Orleans. Davenport was a driving force behind that success, finishing first on the team with 71 RBIs and 20 home runs, while collecting 72 hits. Davenport was recognized as 1st Team All-SWAC- First Base SWAC Player of the Year (1987) and A.W. Mumford Athlete of the Year.
Following his stellar collegiate career, Davenport was selected in the 18th round of the MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants, continuing the proud tradition of Jaguar excellence at the professional level. A powerful hitter, clutch performer, and consistent leader, Davenport’s legacy remains a cornerstone in Southern University baseball history. His induction to the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 was a celebration of both his remarkable achievements and his lasting impact on the program.
Milton Taylor, Jr.
Taylor was a native of Birmingham, Alabama, where he graduated from Ramsay High School in 1975. He was a graduate of Alabama State University and was also a member of the Mighty Marching Hornets and the Hornets’ baseball team. Upon his graduation from Alabama State, Taylor was allowed to serve as the head baseball coach from 1987 to 90 at his alma mater, Ramsay High School. Ramsay qualified for the playoffs every year under his leadership.
Taylor coached the Birmingham Police Athletic Team (PAT) in Titusville, where he led the team to numerous championships. He would later go on to form his own men’s league team, the Belview Heights Rams, in 2002, and later merged with East Thomas to form the Melvin Humes Rams in 2005, where he would win his first Men’s League Championship.
As manager of the Birmingham Cardinals, he won six additional Men’s League championships, including three consecutive titles, until his retirement in 2015. Taylor had several players who went on to play collegiate, semi-professional, and professional baseball during his tenure as head coach and manager.
After his coaching career, he became the assistant equipment manager at Miles College before joining the Southwestern Athletic Conference. During his time at the Conference Office, Taylor served as the league equipment managers’ liaison and office coordinator.
In his role, he assisted with various tasks, including overall set-up, game day operations for conference championships, and tournament events, while also serving as key office contact for the ordering and distribution of league paraphernalia and equipment. Taylor served at the SWAC Office for 15 years from December 2004 until December 2019.
Byron Johnson
Johnson was an exemplary official during his time officiating with the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He is also a retired educator who went on to serve as Supervisor for Special Education for the Houston Independent School District.
He earned a Master of Arts in Administration from Texas Southern University after earning his undergraduate degree in Social Science from Prairie View A&M University.
Johnson was also a significant pillar of our country, serving in the military with the United States Navy. He is also a former member of the National Council of Exceptional Children (President/Vice-President) and the Southwest Football Officials Association.
Courtesy: SWAC
