Howard Bison

The Howard Bison and Lady Bison are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Howard University, located in Washington, D.C. The Bison compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s and Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)[2] and are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for most sports. On July 16, 2015, the Athletics Department unveiled new logos, replacing the previous logo that was nearly identical to that used by the National Football League's Buffalo Bills.[3]

Howard Bison
Logo
UniversityHoward University
ConferenceMEAC (primary)
NEC (m & w golf, w lacrosse, m & w soccer, m & w swimming)
NCAADivision I (FCS)
Athletic directorKery Davis
LocationWashington, D.C.
Varsity teams21
Football stadiumWilliam H. Greene Stadium
Basketball arenaBurr Gymnasium
Softball stadiumWashington Nationals Youth Academy
Other venuesWTEF-East Capitol Campus
MascotBison
NicknameBison
ColorsNavy blue and white[1]
   
Websitewww.hubison.com

Varsity teams
Men's sports Women's sports
BasketballBasketball
Cross countryBowling
FootballCross country
GolfLacrosse
SoccerSoccer
Swimming and divingSoccer
TennisSoftball
Track and field†Swimming and diving
Tennis
Track and field†
Volleyball
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

A member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Howard University currently sponsors teams in nine men's and 12 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Men's and women's golf became the newest varsity sports in the 2020–21 school year, with six years of program funding guaranteed by NBA superstar Stephen Curry.[4]

Howard University announced in July 2020 that it would join the Northeast Conference (NEC) as an associate member in six sports. Men's and women's swimming joined in 2020–21, with men's and women's soccer, women's lacrosse and women's golf following in 2021–22.[5] Howard added men's golf to its NEC membership in 2022–23 after the MEAC and NEC entered into a partnership in baseball and golf that provided NEC associate membership to all MEAC members with teams in those sports.[6]

Howard is the only HBCU that houses competitive swimming and dive teams.[7]

Soccer

As the only team in the MEAC playing men's soccer, the Bison's men's soccer team competed as an independent for many years, but the Bison became an affiliate member of the Sun Belt Conference when the conference resumed men's soccer after a 20-year absence in 2014. Over the years, Howard has had an up and down history, with NCAA championship seasons and other years seeing little success; the 2013 team had only one win in eighteen games.[8]

Bison teams qualified for the NCAA tournament in 1962, 1963, 1970†, 1971†, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1988, 1989, and 1997. In six College Cup appearances, they were NCAA Champions in 1974, runners-up in 1988, third in 1972, and fourth in 1975; additional first (1971) and third (1970) place finishes were vacated by the NCAA.[9]

As of the 2021–2022 season, the men's and women's soccer teams are no longer affiliate members of the Sun Belt Conference, and are now affiliate members of the Northeast Conference.[10]

Athletic facilities

William H. Greene Stadium is a 7,086-seat multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C., in the United States, which opened in 1926. It is home to the Howard University Bison football, soccer, track & field, and Women's lacrosse teams. Originally called Howard Stadium, it was renamed William H. Greene Stadium in 1986 in honor of William H. Greene, M.D., a Washington, D.C., physician.[11]

Marching band
Further information: "Showtime" Marching Band

Howard's marching band is known as the "Showtime" Marching Band and it also features auxiliaries, the "Ooh La La!" dance team and the "Flashy Flags" color guard. The band has performed at several NFL games, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Honda Battle of the Bands, and the 56th Inaugural Parade for former U.S. President Barack Obama. The marching band's mission is to serve as a Howard ambassador and Bison athletics supporter.[12]

Honors

Division I National Championships

Men's Soccer – 1971 (Vacated) See Note

Men's Soccer – 1974[13]

  • Note: Howard initially won the 1971 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. The Championship was later vacated by the NCAA[14] on the grounds that two Howard players had played amateur soccer in Trinidad, exhausting their eligibility, and that two others had not taken entrance exams, required by the NCAA, to predict a grade point average of at least 1.6. Howard University argued that the eligibility rules were vague and discriminated against foreigners, and that the players had all maintained grade-point averages of 3.0 or higher in college, but the NCAA did not reverse the ruling.[15] Although the NCAA stripped Howard of their first title, the university still respects and honors the accomplishments of their 1971 National Championship title team.

Rivals
Main article: The Real HU (Howard-Hampton)
Main article: Howard–Morgan State football rivalry

Howard's top rival is Hampton University. The two schools call their intense rivalry Battle of "The Real HU".[16][17] [18][19][20]

Howard also has a strong rivalry with Morgan State University.[21][22][23]

Another of Howard's historic rivals is Morehouse College, more popularly known as the Howard/ "Spel-House" rivalry due to Morehouse's close association with the all-women's HBCU Spelman College. This rivalry is not often played because Morehouse is an NCAA Division II athletic program, while Howard is NCAA Division I.[24][25][26]

References
  1. Howard Bison Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Identity Guide (PDF). December 13, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  2. "The Official Website of NCAA Championships". Ncaa.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  3. "Howard Unveils New Athletics Logo". HUBison.com. July 16, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  4. "Stephen Curry Partners With Howard University to Launch First Division I Golf Program" (Press release). Howard Bison. August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  5. "Six Howard University Athletics Programs Join the Northeast Conference As Associate Members" (Press release). Northeast Conference. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. "NEC & MEAC Announce Three-Sport Associate Member Partnership" (Press release). Northeast Conference. July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  7. Howard swimming daily cover Sports Illustrated
  8. "Howard University Bison". Hubison.com. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  9. Williams, Jack (December 6, 2016). "Howard's history-making men's soccer champions needed to be twice as good". the Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  10. "Six Howard University Sports to Join the Northeast Conference as Associate Members". July 6, 2020.
  11. "William H. Greene Memorial Stadium" (PDF). Footsteps of Achievement: Historic Kappa Heritage Trail (Report). Washington, D.C.: Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. 2010. pp. 12–13. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  12. "Howard University Bands - Pep - Marching - Concert". coas.howard.edu. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  13. "DI Men's Soccer". NCAA.com.
  14. "Division I Men's Soccer Championship History". NCAA.com. February 25, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  15. Wahl, Grant (February 24, 1997). "Men on a mission: The 1974 Howard University soccer team wanted to win more than an NCAA title". SI.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  16. "Column: Historically, Who's the Real HU?". thehilltoponline.com. September 16, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  17. "Howard and Hampton reprise the battle for the 'real HU'". Washington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  18. "Howard-Hampton: the real 'HU' rivalry continues – News4usonline". news4usonline.com. September 22, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  19. "HU VS HU: Nation's Classic To Highlight The Greatest HBCU Rivalry". thehilltoponline.com. September 17, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  20. "Who is the real HU? 100 year old football rivalry kicks off". Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  21. Wilbon, Michael (November 21, 1980). "Howard-Morgan State: The Game". Retrieved August 3, 2018 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  22. "Rivalry And Revelry". Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  23. "Howard & Morgan Take Rivalry North to a Big Stage in the Big Apple - Afro". afro.com. September 25, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  24. "With rivalry renewed, Morehouse and Howard wrap up four-year series at RFK Stadium". Washington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  25. Crockett Jr., Stephen A. (September 13, 2014). "Howard vs. Morehouse: A Rivalry for the Ages". Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  26. Seymour Jr., Add. "Morehouse and Howard Renew Rivalry in the 2011 Nation's Football Classic in Washington, D.C." (Press release). Retrieved August 2, 2018.
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