Mid-Atlantic Rivalry Renewed: Lincoln and Morgan State Set To Reunite After 71 Years
The two big city schools reunite in 2024, could it be a sneak peek of a future MEAC rivalry?
As the conference realignment chaos began to calm down, it seemed like a slow news day in the long college football offseason. The biggest news was a couple of FCS home-and-home series, but if one was not paying attention, they may have missed a monumental event in the HBCU landscape.
Morgan State announced a trio of games on their future schedules as they agreed to a home-and-home with Colgate and a paycheck game with Philadelphia’s Lincoln University of the CIAA. Both games make sense from a regional perspective, but the Lincoln game is welcome news in this age of lost rivalries caused by conference realignment.
Morgan State and Lincoln were rivals from the 1930s to the 1950s, playing a total of 23 times from 1930 to 1953. The rivalry was short-lived once Lincoln’s program fell on hard times and discontinued football in 1960. Despite resurrecting the program in 2008, the Lions had not rekindled their rivalry with Morgan State.
Despite the brief prime of the rivalry, the series was star-studded. Black College Football Hall of Famers Roosevelt Brown of Morgan State, also a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and Leo Lewis of Lincoln competed in the rivalry as well as another Pro Football Hall of Famer in Len Ford.
The rivalry was also played in some of the most storied venues in both Negro League and Major League Baseball. The Lions and Bears played at two of Baltimore’s Negro League parks, facing off at Black Sox Park in 1925-1926 and Bugle Field in 1934 and 1936. The two parks were home to the Baltimore Black Sox and Baltimore Elite Giants.
In the City of Brotherly Love, the two schools played at Hilldale Park in 1931, the home of the Negro National League’s Hilldale club. (Strangely, it appears the club never had an official nickname). Two years later, the two schools would play in the 44th and Parkside Ballpark, built next to the Philadelphia railroad, home of the Philadelphia Stars.
The rivalry even moonlighted once at New York City’s Dyckman Oval, which was home to the Negro League’s New York Black Yankees and Cuban Stars and in Wilmington, Delaware in 1940 at Wilmington Park. However, the rivalry’s most iconic venue was an American League venue as the two schools played in the Philadelphia A’s Shibe Park in 1945.
While there are hardly any souls left that remember that last meeting in 1953, the rivalry can rekindle some of its big city charm if the 2024 meeting goes well. The MEAC lacks a flagship classic and with the HBCU NY Classic hosting Howard and Morehouse this season, it is logical for Lincoln and Morgan State to play at MetLife.
Another option is the two teams playing at Subaru Park, home of MLS’ Philadelphia Union. Despite the possibilities, Lincoln does not have the brand recognition that Morehouse or Howard have, so having them in a classic would be a tough sell for promoters.
Yesterday’s news may have seemed minute at the time, but the rekindling of old rivalries is always welcomed. In an era of turnover like this for the MEAC, they could have found a new flagship rivalry. Who knows, maybe the rivalry will become a regularity if the MEAC takes a chance on Lincoln.
As is always the case with a piece like this, Mark Pollak’s book, The Playing Grounds of College Football: A Comprehensive Directory, 1869 to Today was an indispensable resource. You can buy it here.