O.J. Abanishe could feel the excitement when he loaded the Lincoln University football team onto the team bus to Avon Grove High School in Pennsylvania. The bus ride would take the Lincoln head coach and his team fewer than seven miles down the road from the Lincoln campus. The journey to that night however took far longer than that. Forty-eight years longer. Finally, Lincoln football had returned.
On Aug. 30, Lincoln celebrated the revival of its football program by beating George Mason, 34-7, in the Lions' first football game in 48 years.
"The atmosphere was ecstatic, and we had alumni and former players dating back to 1933," Abanishe said. "It's one of those things where you want to be part of history, and as a coach you want to establish your base of how the program is run."
To understand the present and future of Lincoln football, you have to first understand its past.
Lincoln is the first historically black university in the United States. For 66 years, the football program was a staple of the 2,500-student university nestled inside southern Chester County in Pennsylvania.
But at the conclusion of the 1960 football season, Lincoln University decided to terminate its football program because of a lack of enrollment and the school's increasing inability to remain competitive.
For over 40 years, the program laid lifeless.
"Historically, black colleges and universities are identified for their football programs," Abanishe said. "So us being the first HBCU and not having a football program left Lincoln feeling like something definitely was missing. I can't say enough about the excitement level of the return of football to Lincoln."
Lincoln is currently a transitional member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and will be welcomed back as a full-fledged member of the conference by the 2010 season, elevating itself to Division II status.
Without its own field, Lincoln plays its games at neighboring Avon Grove High School. The Lions practice on the Avon Grove baseball field during the week, allowing them about 90 yards to practice and no goalposts.
But this revival isn't about glamour, it's about tradition.
"The university wanted to bring back the football experience to the campus," said Lincoln Director of Athletics Dianthia Ford-Kee. "The reuniting of alumni and friends of Lincoln University through athletics shows what most people know, and that is that football brings about camaraderie."
After being admitted to the CIAA and solidifying a schedule, the next biggest hurdle for Lincoln was assembling a formidable football team.
Abanishe began building the Lions from the ground up around eight transfer players with college football experience. The rest of the Lions teams consist of inexperienced freshman and walk-ons.
"As far as selling the program, we sold the kids on the fact you get a great quality education at Lincoln and the chance to be a part of history," Abanishe said. "A lot of other places, you don't have the opportunity to play for four years, and it is not very often in life that you get to put your mark on history by being at the beginning of something."
After leaving his alma mater Langston, Abanishe began camp by re-instilling the fundamentals of football in his inexperienced team. Practicing the basics of the game like blocking technique and gang tackling soon evolved into the development of an explosive offensive scheme.
Approaching the Lions' home opener, Abanishe was worried his team would become over-consumed with the atmosphere of the game. To guard against that, he went as far as making the team practice in full game-day uniform to subdue the excitement and anxiety that went with putting it on for the first time.
The new era of Lincoln football began in emphatic fashion with the win over George Mason. Ford-Kee estimates the teams played in front of over 3,000 fans. The Lions totaled 418 yards of total offense and left a college and a community brimming with memories of Lincoln's gridiron tradition.
Last Saturday, in its first game against a Division II opponent, Lincoln lost to Southern Virginia, 55-25. But unlike 1960, it won't be 48 years until Lincoln can find redemption.
"Whenever you are put in the position I am in to restore a program and university as historical as Lincoln you have to realize how important it is," Abanishe said. "Hopefully over the next couple years we can make it a success."
Westfall's Picks
No. 13 Kansas at No. 19 South Florida (-6)
Friday, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Kansas QB Todd Reesing is completing over 76 percent of his passes so far this season. Look for more precision against South Florida.
Pick: Kansas 21, South Florida 17
No. 5 Ohio State at No. 1 USC (-10)
Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC
Jim Tressel's signature sweater vest will feel awfully hot in the California sun against a powerful USC offense.
Pick: USC 35, Ohio State 24
No. 10 Wisconsin at No. 21 Fresno State (-2)
Saturday, 10:30 p.m., ESPN2
Wisconsin needs to be weary. This could be a trap game for the Badgers.
Pick: Fresno State 24, Wisconsin 21
Michigan (-1) at Notre Dame
Saturday 3:30 p.m. NBC
These are two teams in a transitional period. Lou Holtz picks the Irish to beat Michigan and global warming this week.
Pick: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 21
No 17 Penn State (-26) at Syracuse
Saturday 3:30 p.m. ABC
ABC better slap a parental advisory notice on this one. It will not be for the faint of heart. After a porous SU defense allowed 42 points against Akron, what will they allow to Penn State?
Pick: Penn State 49, Syracuse 17
jwestfal@syr.edu
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