WHITE MARSH, Md. (September 27, 2024) - At 82, former Howard University men's soccer head coach Lincoln "Tiger" Phillips' memory is as sharp as ever.
After all, who could forget the towering snow piles around the field, the biting cold, the chilly drizzle and the delayed start? Yet, what stands out most in his memory is the warm glow of redemption after four grueling overtimes in a memorable men's soccer match where his Bison finally won the 1974 national championship, defeating Saint Louis, 2-1, in the Billikens' backyard at Busch Memorial Stadium. This facility was imploded in 2005.
This year, 2024, officially marks the historic 50th anniversary of Howard's 1974 national championship. The Howard Department of Athletics will celebrate this remarkable, exciting historic accomplishment with a banquet Sunday, November 3, 2024, at 4 p.m., at the Blackburn Center.
During the early 1970s, the Howard University men's soccer program was so dominant that it had to achieve something twice to be recognized as the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) to win an NCAA national championship.
Inspired by the words of 19th-century American poet William Cullen Bryant, "Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again," the Bison attacked the 1974 campaign like hungry lions. They dominated their competition, outscoring opponents 63-6 on their way to an impeccable 19-0 season. Yet, Phillips understood the consequences if the Bison did not finish the season with a victory over Saint Louis in the championship game.
"It is like if you lost that game, you have all just vanished and died," said Phillips recently in his signature rhythmic Trinidadian accent during an interview at TGI Friday's as he nursed a bowl of mango-chicken salad while his phone buzzed. "It was relief and redemption. We took back what they stole from us and the first thing I said was, 'you got it back, you got it back.' I almost passed out. I looked for my wife in the stands. She is crazy. She was six months pregnant then and decided that there was no way she would not see that game. She drove through snow and all that stuff."
President Richard Nixon congratulated the team in his letter: "You have brought great pride to Howard University and the entire capital area. I want to commend you and your team on all of your achievements." Howard's triumph was the first national championship in any sport to Washington D.C., in 50 years, with Georgetown's men's basketball national title coming a decade later (1984).
When they returned to campus, the Bison were feted as the conquering heroes they were. Hundreds of students, faculty members and administration jammed Howard's historic Cramton Auditorium for a well-earned celebration. The 1974 victory not only brought national recognition to the soccer program but also instilled a sense of pride and unity within the Howard community, leaving a lasting influence on the game of soccer.
That victory marked the culmination of Howard's three-year journey back to the pinnacle of NCAA soccer. This journey included the heartbreak of a vacated 1971 national championship, the absence of key players in a 1972 national semifinal loss and the humiliation of playing the 1973 season on probation due to NCAA sanctions.
This year should mark the 53rd anniversary of the 1971 national championship, which the Bison won on the field against Saint Louis, 3-2, in Miami, ending the Billikens' 24-match winning streak. That victory was a significant milestone for the Bison program at that time and the 1974 title became the second one in four years for the Bison program, which should have further solidified their place in soccer history.
Forged by Adversity
There was pressure and a higher purpose for the 1974 season. The adversity of the previous three seasons served as motivation to make 1974 special.
Yet, the Bison still had to overcome a few pregame championship hurdles.
"After warming up the players in the dressing room and getting them ready to go, the referees came and knocked on our door and told us the start time is being pushed back 45 minutes so that the snow can be removed off the field," Phillips said. "That was not a situation that I was accustomed to. I know when to build my players up, and when it is ready to play, I know if the door is closed, they will break down the wall. One of the players started a victory chant."
In his book "Rising Above and Beyond the Crossbar," Phillips compared the chant to a "fortifying lament of Africans in the bowels of the slave ships."
When the game finally started, Phillips did not recognize his team. The Bison was late on tackles and passes were not connecting. Playing on the slick, cold and icy Astroturf, Howard was a step slow, trailing 1-0 at intermission to a program that won the first-ever NCAA men's soccer national championship and six of the following 11 titles.
Phillips made a tactical adjustment by moving speedy Jamaican player Mario McLennan to midfield. This change shifted momentum and steadied Howard as it slowly took control of the game. Yomi Bamiro tied the game, 1-1, sending the match into overtime where both programs staged an epic battle. In the fourth overtime, Kendo Ilodigwe tallied the winning goal 29 seconds into the fourth overtime.
Perennial Power
Howard advanced to the NCAA semifinals in three consecutive years (1970, 1971 and 1972).
The NCAA alleged that Howard's players violated eligibility rules, leading to vacating their 1971 national championship. As a result, Howard also lost their 1970 third-place finish and was banned from postseason play in 1973. Their 1971 title remains vacant, a decision that remains deeply painful. The alleged rules violations stemmed from some players not taking the correct college entrance exams while two others had already exhausted their eligibility by playing in their home countries over the summer.
Howard's team was a true representation of the African diaspora, featuring exceptional athletes from Nigeria, Ghana, Eritrea, Trinidad and Tobago, Ethiopia, Jamaica and America. Dom Basil Matthews' talk about a triangle of Blackness, linking their excellent heritages to the bigger purpose of uniting the Bison, fostered a strong sense of camaraderie.
The triangle went from Africa to the Caribbean and then, at its furthest point away, to America. In the middle of the triangle was Howard University, a symbol of their unity. Soccer at Howard has long been linked to race and multinationalism. Howard united worlds with its diverse roster.
Under Phillips, Howard played a fast-paced, relentless style of soccer that emphasized speed and attacking. After finishing third in 1970, Howard steamrolled the opposition during the 1971 season, capturing what was believed to be a national championship in Miami.
The difficult three years of 1971, 1972 and 1973 paved the way for one of the most dominant seasons in NCAA men's soccer history.
Despite its tradition of excellence, the climb to the mountain was challenging for the Bison program.
According to old yearbooks, Howard started playing soccer in 1931.
In 1947, Coach Ted Chambers formed a soccer club, but local white colleges refused to schedule games, forcing Howard to play embassy teams in Washington for the next three years, according to a 1997 Sports Illustrated story by the late Grant Wahl. The university soccer squad was primarily composed of international students, reflecting the Howard population during that period.
Under Chambers' leadership, Howard won the 1961 NAIA championship. The 1970s were considered the golden era of Howard soccer as the Bison either won or tied 87-percent of their matches (126-19-12).
Phillips, who competed against soccer legend Pele during his career, enhanced the tradition started by Chambers. After leading the Trinidad & Tobago team to a Pan American Games bronze medal in 1967, the Baltimore Bays of the NASL drafted him the following year. Phillips became the first Black professional soccer coach in U.S. history the following season when he was named coach of the Washington Darts in 1968. In 1969, he was named the ASL's Coach of the Year.
As head coach at Howard, Phillips won Coach of the Year honors in 1971 and 1974. In 1990, he became the head coach of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He has served as the goalkeeper coach for several USSF National teams. He was inducted into the Howard Hall of Fame (1996), the Trinidad and Tobago Hall of Fame (1998) and the Virginia-D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame (2002). He was the recipient of the 2020 Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award. Earlier this year, Phillips was inducted into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame during the 84th annual United Soccer Coaches Convention in Anaheim, Calif.
Between 1945 and 1981, 12 Howard men's soccer players were selected for NCAA All-American teams and eight Bison played professionally. The 1958, 1971 and 1974 finished undefeated and untied.
Howard's 1988 men's soccer team, under the leadership of National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Coach of the Year Keith Tucker, lost to Indiana in the national championship contest. Wadi Akanni, Shaka Hislop and Peter Isaacs were named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.
Frustration
In 1972, with the NCAA scrutinizing Howard's program the following year, Phillips decided to keep out the seven players in question in what became a difficult-to-digest 2-1 national semifinal setback to Saint Louis in the national semifinals. The loss ended Howard's 30-match winning streak. Phillips unleashed his anger – stemming from the 1971 investigation and the 1972 probe -- during the Final Four banquet after congratulating Saint Louis on its win.
"We played against this entire wretched system of this society," Phillips said in words that will live forever. "Any time they decide to get together to deprive any people of what is due to them, I would say that the NCAA is guilty of practicing racism. St. Louis did not beat Howard University last night. They beat the remnants of what was left of Howard University."
The room inside the McAllister Hotel, where the banquet was being held, went silent. Phillips has scars from that era but does not regret sharing his mind that evening.
"I promised to go up there and say good things and congratulate Saint Louis on a good job," Phillips said. "That is what I planned. When I reached the stage, something took over me, and I felt compelled to share what was in my heart … As I spoke, I was like, 'Lincoln, don't say that.' What are you saying? When I finished, I got a standing ovation. My athletic director at the time said I should not have said that, but the president called and said that is what a Howard man is made of."
Not A Fluke
It is worth noting that a year earlier, in 1971, Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke to the Howard University program before it competed in the national title game at this hotel.
"He said that you guys must understand that you are playing for us," Phillips recalled vividly. "Jesse Jackson made that statement. In that moment, we realized that this is more than just football."
While it is impossible to fully capture the glorious history of Howard soccer in 2,000 words, Phillips is excited that the 1974 national championship team will be celebrated and that this social media-savvy generation will have an opportunity to learn about and appreciate the strength of Howard men's soccer.
It proved that the 1971 team's victory was not a fluke because the 1974 squad repeated the same accomplishment. And, the second time, it could not be erased. The Bison's resilience and determination were truly inspiring. Howard's triumph was not just a victory, but a source of immense pride for the entire community and proof that adversity can be conquered.
"It means a lot because we influenced the game of soccer," Phillips said. "We did not get all the accolades… So, we won, but we developed the game in the DMV and all over the country. More and more Americans who have played the game will tell you that Howard University influenced them."
, and UNC Greensboro. He also worked at ESPN and for the Delaware County Daily Times. Recently, Knox was honored by the NCAA with its Champion of Diversity award and by College Sports Communicators with the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award. Knox is a graduate of Lincoln University and a past president of the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA).Towson State, Coppin, KutztownRob Knox is an award-winning professional. A member of the Lincoln (Pa.) Hall of Fame, Knox enjoyed a distinguished career as an athletics communicator for Lincoln,
For more information visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.
