The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) announced today its 2010 inductees for the league’s Hall of Fame. The class includes six honorees affiliated with five of the league’s 10 member institutions. The 2010 inductees are: Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd (Jackson State, baseball), Clyde Duncan (Texas Southern, track and field), Charlie Granger (Southern, football / track and field), Aaron James (Grambling, basketball), Willie “Rat” McGowan (Alcorn State, baseball / football), and Shirley Walker (Alcorn State, basketball).

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Here are bios of the football playing new members:

Charlie Granger - Southern University / Football and Track and Field

A two-time All-America selection in football as an offensive lineman and an All-America in track and field competing in the discus and shot put during each of his four years at Southern University, Granger went on to play in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals in the early 1960s. Granger started at right tackle in 1961 for Tom Landry’s Cowboys, a team that included the likes of Bob Lilly and Don Meredith.

After his playing days, Granger turned to the sidelines and front office, serving as the general manager and head coach of the Baton Rouge Red Wings and the Baton Rouge Golden Eagles, both semi-pro teams in Louisiana. He tallied a 28-4 record in four seasons as head coach and won three Dixie Football League championships.

The Lake Charles, Louisiana native is now the Chairperson of the Southern University Hall of Fame Commission, a position he has held since 2003. He is a retired teacher and coach from the East Baton Rouge Parrish school system and is active in several community service projects and organizations. He is also active in the NFL Retired Players Association and a member of Omega Phi Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Willie “Rat” McGowan - Alcorn State University / Baseball and Football

A fixture for over 40 years at Alcorn State, McGowan won 701 games as the head baseball coach for the Braves, including four division titles. “Rat” was named SWAC baseball coach of the year four times (1978, 1979, 1981, and 1988). He also served as the defensive line and defensive backs coach for the ASU football teams during his tenure.

As a player at Alcorn State from 1957 to 1960, the McComb, Mississippi native lettered four times in both football and baseball and was named captain and football team MVP in 1959. He earned the school’s inaugural Jack Spinks Award.

McGowan retired in 2009 and the baseball complex on campus is now named in his honor, along with another Alcorn State legend, Bill Foster. He was inducted into the Alcorn State Hall of Fame in 1998 and received a proclamation from the State of Mississippi in 2005. In 2005, he also received the Tom Joyner Award and the ASU Humanitarian Award.

By Southwestern Athletic Conference Communications