No Football. No Marching Band. And One of the Most Honest Reinvention Stories in Black America.
Drive into southeast Dallas and you'll find a small HBCU campus where the old football stadium used to sit empty. Today those same acres grow collard greens, okra, herbs, and sweet potatoes. That's Paul Quinn College — and every fall, its homecoming brings alumni, students, and the surrounding South Dallas community back together not around a football game, but around a basketball classic, a gospel concert, an entrepreneurship pitch competition, and a farm that has become one of the most quietly celebrated stories in Black higher education.
This is Paul Quinn College Homecoming 2026 — exact dates TBA (the college has not yet published its 2026 schedule; based on the 2025 celebration, which ran October 25 – November 1, expect a similar window in late October into early November 2026) — in Dallas, Texas.
🐯 Check Paul Quinn Homecoming 2026 Dates
What Makes Paul Quinn's Homecoming Unlike Any Other HBCU Celebration
Most HBCU homecomings are built around a football tailgate. Paul Quinn's is built around something rarer — and it comes down to three things.
First, the farm. In 2007, newly arrived president Michael Sorrell cut Paul Quinn's football and marching band programs to keep the college financially afloat. What began as a joke about the unused field — "let's just farm it" — became real in 2010, when the WE over ME Farm was dedicated on the old gridiron. It now grows produce for a South Dallas neighborhood long considered a food desert, donates a share of every harvest to the community, and has supplied fresh vegetables to AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Second, the scale and the closeness. Paul Quinn is the only HBCU in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and one of the smallest in the country, with roughly 550 students. Homecoming here feels like a family reunion because, in a real sense, it is one — small enough that alumni, current students, faculty, and neighbors from the surrounding blocks all show up to the same events.
Third, basketball, not football, is the centerpiece. Since ending its football program, Paul Quinn has built its homecoming weekend around Tigers basketball, anchored by the Thrivent HBCU Classic — a game hosted in partnership with the Texas Legends, the Dallas Mavericks' NBA G League affiliate, that has become an annual homecoming tradition.
The History: Paul Quinn College's Radical Reinvention
Paul Quinn College was founded in 1872 in Austin, Texas, by a small group of preachers from the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church — just seven years after the end of the Civil War — to educate formerly enslaved people and their descendants. The college relocated to Waco in 1877, where it remained for more than a century, before moving to its current southeast Dallas campus in 1990, taking over the former Bishop College grounds. Paul Quinn holds the distinction of being the oldest historically Black college west of the Mississippi River.
The defining chapter of the college's modern history came in 2007, when President Michael Sorrell ended the football and marching band programs to redirect scarce resources toward academics and keeping the institution open. It was a painful decision for a campus with real football history — the Tigers fielded teams as far back as the 1920s. But it set the stage for the moment that would define Paul Quinn nationally: the transformation of the old football field into the WE over ME Farm, dedicated in May 2010. The farm has since been featured by ESPN, Fox Sports, and NPR's The Splendid Table as a national model for how a struggling institution turned scarcity into service. Today, Paul Quinn is recognized as the nation's first urban work college, requiring students to work as part of their education.
Why This Homecoming Matters
Paul Quinn's homecoming matters precisely because it doesn't pretend to be something it's not. This isn't a 40,000-person tailgate weekend — it's a community showing up for a school that chose survival and service over tradition, and turned that choice into something worth celebrating. For alumni, especially those who remember the football years, homecoming carries a complicated but proud mix of nostalgia and pride in what the college became instead. For visitors, it's a chance to see an HBCU's reinvention up close: a working farm feeding its neighbors, an entrepreneurship program producing small businesses, and a campus that never stopped throwing a real homecoming — it just built a new one.
Why You Should Attend Paul Quinn Homecoming 2026
If you've only experienced the mega-homecomings, Paul Quinn offers something different and worth the trip: an intimate, community-rooted HBCU weekend where you can walk the WE over ME Farm, catch a professional-adjacent basketball game through the Thrivent HBCU Classic, support Black-owned vendors at the entrepreneurship fair, and still get the gospel concert, the block party, and the tailgate energy that make homecoming season what it is.
It's also a chance to put real support behind one of the smallest HBCUs in the country — one whose reinvention story has inspired national coverage precisely because it refused to fold.
What to Expect: A Typical Homecoming Week (Based on the 2025 Schedule)
Paul Quinn has not yet released its official 2026 calendar. Here's what the celebration looked like in 2025, under the theme "Quinn2Holiday: The Ultimate Homecoming Experience" — a useful preview of what 2026 is likely to include:
- Family Reunion Day: Campus beautification, food trucks, bounce houses, and Tigers basketball scrimmages.
- Gospel Concert: A free chapel concert featuring choirs from Paul Quinn and neighboring congregations.
- Entrepreneurship Day: A vendor fair and a WBENC pitch competition, followed by a Field Day with flag football.
- Late Night Breakfast with the President: A late-evening tradition with new Greek members and entertainment, hosted by President Sorrell.
- Legacy Luncheon: An awards luncheon honoring alumni legacy and scholarship recipients.
- Unity Block Party: DJ, food, games, and bounce houses on campus.
- Memorial Basketball Classic: A charity basketball game supporting a campus memorial fund.
- Run-It-Up 5K: A community run held with a local Dallas run club.
- Homecoming Day & Tailgate: The week's biggest day — tailgating followed by the Thrivent HBCU Classic (Texas Legends exhibition game) and Paul Quinn men's and women's basketball games.
Entrepreneurship & Community Opportunities
Because Paul Quinn operates as a work college with a strong entrepreneurship focus, homecoming week doubles as a showcase for Black-owned businesses and founders. The Entrepreneurship Day vendor fair and pitch competition draw local business owners and give alumni a direct way to support the college's economic mission — not just its athletics or nostalgia.
- Vendor Fair & Pitch Competition — connect with Black-owned Dallas businesses and student entrepreneurs.
- Alumni Association Events — the Paul Quinn College National Alumni Association organizes reunion gatherings during homecoming week; check pqcnaa.org for updates as 2026 approaches.
Social Events & Community Celebrations
South Dallas shows up for Paul Quinn homecoming week. Expect the Unity Block Party, the Late Night Breakfast with the President, and the Gospel Concert to anchor the social calendar, alongside informal gatherings hosted by campus Greek chapters and neighborhood churches. It's a lower-key, more neighborhood-centered social scene than you'll find at the largest HBCU homecomings — and that's very much the point.
Where to Eat: Dallas's Best for Homecoming Week
- Sweet Georgia Brown (South Dallas) — One of the most established names in Dallas soul food, known for fried chicken, salisbury steak, and peach cobbler.
- Ellen's (Downtown/West End) — Southern comfort food with a motto that says it all: "Grits Rule." Try the fried cheese grits and buttermilk fried chicken.
- Kitchen + Kocktails (Downtown) — A newer, upscale soul food spot serving oxtails, chicken and waffles, and seafood gumbo.
- Kendall Karsen's Upscale Soul Food (Oak Cliff) — Family-recipe soul food with ribs, cornbread dressing, and fried fish.
- Street's Fine Chicken (multiple Dallas locations) — Elevated Southern plates including pimento cheese fritters and chicken fried steak.
- Vegan Food House (Oak Cliff) — Plant-based soul food, including vegan shrimp and grits, for a lighter homecoming meal.
What to Do in Dallas
- Reunion Tower — Panoramic views of the Dallas skyline from the GeO-Deck.
- Klyde Warren Park — A green, deck park in the Arts District with food trucks and lawn games — a good pre-homecoming meetup spot.
- Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden — Especially striking in fall.
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science — A family-friendly stop if you're traveling with kids for homecoming.
- AT&T Stadium — Home of the Dallas Cowboys and, notably, a customer of the WE over ME Farm's produce — a fitting stop for anyone tracing the farm's story.
- Deep Ellum & Bishop Arts District — Dallas's two most walkable arts-and-nightlife neighborhoods, both close to Oak Cliff and South Dallas.
Black History & Cultural Sites in Dallas
- African American Museum Dallas (Fair Park) — The largest museum in the Southwest dedicated to African American art, culture, and history, with exhibits on North Dallas's Freedman's Town.
- Freedman's Cemetery Memorial — A burial ground established in 1869 for formerly enslaved Dallas residents, now preserved with commemorative sculpture.
- Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House — The home of the civil rights leader who founded 185 NAACP chapters and later served on the Dallas City Council, now a museum.
- Tenth Street Historic District (Oak Cliff) — A freedmen's community founded after the Civil War, retaining much of its original 1890s shotgun-house architecture.
- Queen City Heights Historic District — A historic South Dallas Black neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- St. Paul United Methodist Church — Built in 1873, one of the oldest African American congregations in Dallas and a Texas Historic Landmark.
Recommended Places to Stay
Dallas is a large metro, so most visitors stay downtown or in Oak Cliff and drive or rideshare the roughly 10-15 minutes to Paul Quinn's southeast Dallas campus. Book early during homecoming week. Prices below are estimates and will vary by exact dates.
Premium
- The Adolphus, Autograph Collection — A historic, landmark downtown Dallas hotel. From roughly $300/night.
- The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas — Luxury in the Uptown/Arts District area. From roughly $400/night.
Mid-Range
- Hyatt Regency Dallas — Downtown, connected to the Reunion Tower area. From roughly $180/night.
- Sheraton Dallas Downtown — Large, reliable, and centrally located. From roughly $160/night.
Budget & Group
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Dallas South — The closest major chain option to the Paul Quinn campus. From roughly $110/night.
- Airbnb in Oak Cliff or South Dallas — Full-house rentals close to campus, ideal for alumni groups traveling together.
🏨 Find & Compare Dallas Hotels for Homecoming →
BTN Travel Tip: Your Paul Quinn Homecoming Itinerary
- Day 1 — Arrive & Family Reunion Day: Check in, head to campus for food trucks, campus beautification, and a basketball scrimmage.
- Day 2 — Gospel Concert & Dallas Culture: Morning at the African American Museum Dallas, evening gospel concert in the chapel.
- Day 3 — Entrepreneurship Day: Support the vendor fair and pitch competition, then catch the Field Day flag football games.
- Day 4 — Late Night Breakfast: Rest, explore Deep Ellum or Bishop Arts District, then head to campus for the Late Night Breakfast with the President.
- Day 5 — Legacy Luncheon & Block Party: Legacy Luncheon in the afternoon, Unity Block Party and Memorial Basketball Classic in the evening.
- Day 6 — Homecoming Day: Run-It-Up 5K in the morning, tailgate all afternoon, then the Thrivent HBCU Classic and Tigers basketball doubleheader.
Mark Your Calendar
Paul Quinn College Homecoming 2026
📅 Exact dates TBA — expect late October into early November 2026, based on the 2025 window of October 25 – November 1
📍 Paul Quinn College, 3837 Simpson Stuart Rd, Dallas, TX 75241
🎟️ Details and schedule updates — paulquinn.edu/homecoming
⚠️ 2026 schedule has not been published as of this writing — confirm dates directly with the college before booking travel.
How to Stay Connected
- Official Website: paulquinn.edu/homecoming
- Paul Quinn College Instagram: @paulquinncollege
- Hashtags: #PQCHomecoming2026 #WEoverME #PaulQuinnTigers
- BTN Coverage: Follow @myblacktravelnow for HBCU homecoming guides and Dallas travel tips
