WASHINGTON, DC --- The 1993 football season will go down in history as perhaps the greatest in school history.  The Bison finished that regular season undefeated at 11-0, earning a national ranking, its first and only playoff berth, and the Black National championship.

After finishing7-4 the previous season, the team immediately set its sights on an undefeated season.  The Howard quarterback, Jay "Sky" Walker, appealed to the team following that 1992 season to commit to that goal.  Walker and some of the seniors on the team took it upon themselves to practice that offseason in an effort to fine tune all areas.

The season began with a 34-7 win over Virginia Union.  That followed with an easy 31-10 win over Winston-Salem State.  Then came one of the real tests to the team's goal.  The Bison entertained the Braves of Alcorn State, led by the late, great Steve "Air" McNair.  Howard jumped all over the visitors in a game that featured two of the top quarterbacks in the country and a crowd that spilled over to rooftops of buildings on campus.

The Bison jumped out to an early 31-6 lead.  But in the second half, McNair mounted a furious rally that saw Alcorn State score 30 unanswered points to get within 31-30.  Howard responded to the challenge and got a long touchdown pass to reserve wide receiver Tony Hyman would to make it 38-30, Bison.

The mercurical McNair was not to be outdone as he led his team to one score and had them on the verge of a potential game winner until Howard held on for the hard-fought, 38-36 exciting victory.  Many in attendance breathed a collective sigh of relief when McNair's 70-yard heave went just inches out of the fingertips of his 6-6 receiver Marcus Hinton in the back of the end zone.

From there, Howard opened MEAC play against rival Florida A&M and made quick work of the Rattlers with a 31-13 win.  But there would be a bump in the road the next game against Bethune Cookman in Daytona Beach, FL.  The game was held up for more than a hour when storm clouds gathered and lightning descended on Memorial Stadium.

Once the game started, the Bison struggled with an unorthodox defense employed by Bethune Cookman that featured blitzes on every downs, forcing a 5 sacks of Walker and 3 turnovers.

But the Bison displayed resiliency and made two big plays that would prove to be the difference.  One came when the Wildcats forced a Walker fumble that was picked up and returned for what would be an apparent touchdown.  But a hustling Gary "Flea" Harrell ran down the player and stopped the player before he could score.

The Bison put the 21-7 win away when safety Neal Downing stripped a Bethune Cookman runner in the end zone and recovered it for a touchdown.

Next came at big game against nationally ranked Towson on the road.  It was the Tigers homecoming.  Towson jumped on top 21-6 early and appeared on their way to continuing their unbeaten streak against Howard.  But the Bison rallied in the second half.  Trailing 41-37 with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Walker engineered a 10-play, 69-yard that was capped off by a 12-yard pass to Germaine Kohn with just six seconds remaining.  Howard escaped with a scintillating 44-41 win that earned them national attention and Walker the national 1-AA player of the week.

The Bison had little time to celebrate.  They had to travel to Greensboro, NC to take on rival North Carolina A&T before a sold-out, homecoming crowd at Aggie Stadium.  It was more than just a MEAC matchup between two rivals.  Both teams entered the game undefeated at 6-0.

The game lived up to the hype and then some.  It is being called one of the greatest games in MEAC history.  Howard jumped out to a 21-7 lead before the Aggies rallied to take a 35-21 lead going into the fourth quarter.  Walker again worked his magic, putting together two drives to tie the game at 35 and sending the game into overtime.

NC A&T got the first possession, but the Bison held and forced a field goal that went wide left.  On Howard's possession, the drama ended quickly when Walker checked off and changed the play and promptly sprinted 25 yards untouched for the game-winning TD as the Bison prevailed, 41-35 to remain undefeated at 7-0.

The back-to-back thrilling wins bolstered the team's confidence as they went to post convincing wins over Morehouse, South Carolina State, Morgan State and Delaware State to cap off the memorable season.

Although Howard would eventually fall to Marshall in the i-AA playoffs, it was crowned Black national champions.