Bill Text: MS HR35 | 2026 | Regular Session | Engrossed

Mississippi House Resolution 35

Bill Title: Dr. Charles F. McClelland; honor for outstanding leadership as Southwestern Athletic Conference Commissioner.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Passed) 2026-02-16 - Enrolled Bill Signed [HR35 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2026-HR35-Engrossed.html

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2026 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Representative Butler-Washington

House Resolution 35

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION HONORING SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COMMISSIONER DR. CHARLES F. MCCLELLAND FOR HIS OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AS COMMISSIONER OF THE SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE AND EXPANDING THE NATIONAL FOOTPRINT OF THE CONFERENCE.

WHEREAS, Dr. Charles F. McClelland, the 6th Commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), is highly regarded as one of the top sports administrators in the country; and

WHEREAS, due to his steadfast and impressive leadership, the SWAC has been placed at the forefront of league expansions with the additions of Florida A&M and Bethune Cookman; and

WHEREAS, Dr. McClelland has strategically used his influence to create SWAC TV, an exclusive streaming platform that delivers users league athletics content across all 18 conference sponsored sports and for the first time in history, SWAC fans and supporters have a high quality, technologically advanced streaming platform solely dedicated to broadcasting live events and delivering high-definition, on-demand league content; and
WHEREAS, upon its initial launch, SWAC TV was available for download on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google Play, and Android TV and featuring preseason, regular season and postseason live events across 18 league sponsored sports while also featuring unique feature content, sports talk shows and podcasts; and

WHEREAS, other notable changes during his leadership include the purchase of a three-story corporate office building equipped with over 40 individual offices, two large conference rooms, a walk-in reception/waiting area, and over 30 parking spaces serving as the primary location for conference operations, annual business meetings, along with the onsite filming of multimedia content for distribution via social media and the SWAC Digital Network (SDN); and

WHEREAS, because of his outstanding performance as Commissioner, Dr. McClelland has earned additional duties at the league office, which include being selected as a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee in 2019, and being quickly promoted to serve as the chair of the committee for the 2023-2024 season; and

WHEREAS, his appointment as Chair is historic as Dr. McClelland is the first person representing an HBCU league or institution to chair the 12-member committee that is responsible for selecting, seeding and bracketing the field for the NCAA Tournament and monitoring assigned teams throughout the season; and

WHEREAS, prior to arriving at the conference office, McClelland served as the Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics at Texas Southern University located in Houston, Texas, and initially took over the helm of TSU Athletics in April 2008, as Director of Athletics, and in 2015, McClelland was promoted in title to Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics which required him to supervise a total of 16 sports - nine women's and seven men's at Texas Southern, fundraise, manage budgets, team schedules, marketing and keep abreast of current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules and regulations; and

WHEREAS, perhaps the most significant first was accomplished when the 2017-2018 TSU Men's Basketball Team won an NCAA Tournament Game against North Carolina Central in the NCAA First-Four. Exposure for the Texas Southern Athletics Program was also a major focus under McClelland's tenure, and in 2015, McClelland signed a deal with Root Sports to televise all TSU home football games. Root Sports is a regional television station that covers 5 States (Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Eastern New Mexico) and is also the home of the Houston Rockets and Houston Astro's professional teams; and

WHEREAS, before arriving at TSU, McClelland served as the Athletics Director at Prairie View A&M University for seven years. While at Prairie View, McClelland collected a remarkable 18 championships amongst various sports. Additionally, he increased football scholarships to the NCAA I-AA maximum of 63 grant-in-aids. In 2007, Prairie View A&M's football team captured the program's first winning season in over 30 years; and

WHEREAS, in October 2025, the NCAA board appointed five new members to the Board of Governors Finance and Audit Committee highlighted by SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland being selected to serve on the committee. The NCAA Board of Governors Finance and Audit Committee is a governance body of the NCAA; and

WHEREAS, he has been supported in all his endeavors by his loving wife, Ashlee McClelland, his sons, Cainan and Ashton, and daughter, Cooper; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to honor and celebrate the excellence of dedicated leaders whose commitment to one of America's favorite pastimes, especially for Historically Black Colleges and Universities who has made a positive, lasting impact on our community, state and nation:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby honor and commend SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles F. McClelland for his outstanding leadership and for expanding the national footprint of the SWAC.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Dr. Charles F. McClelland, forwarded to the corporate office of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.