The Lincoln Oaklanders are the college football team representing Lincoln University of Oakland, California. The team is Independent and plays as a traveling team. The school's first football team was fielded in 2021. Athletic director Desmond Gumbs has been the head football coach since the 2021 season.
History
The Oaklanders began play in the 2021 season as an independent, hoping to join the NCAA by 2022.[1][2]
Athletic director Desmond Gumbs was named head coach for the Oaklanders' inaugural season, while former Super Bowl XLV champion Desmond Bishop served as defensive coordinator.[3] On September 11, 2021, the Oaklanders made their debut against the Whitworth Pirates where they were defeated 29–31. Lincoln earned their first win as a program the following week defeating Willamette 34–9. Lincoln proceeded to lose the following seven games, ending their season with a 1–8 record.
In 2022, the Oaklanders faced a Southland Conference opponent, losing to Texas A&M Commerce,[4] as well as a Big Sky Conference opponent, falling to Portland State,[5] and then a WAC opponent, losing to Southern Utah.[6] The Oaklanders showed slight improvement, finishing the season 2–8. In week 6, they set a program record by scoring 70 points in a 70–0 shutout win against Hilbert College. Lincoln's other win came in week 9 against Bluefield State University where they defeated the Big Blues 20–17.
The early portion of the 2023 season saw Lincoln play its first in-state game,[7] taking on a Big Sky program for a second time in its history when facing Cal Poly. Led by upperclassmen including former Ohio State defensive back Amir Riep, former UTEP quarterback T.J. Goodwin, and former North Dakota running back Otis Weah,[8][9] the Oaklanders briefly held a first-half lead before the Mustangs rallied to ultimately win 41–20.[10]
During its first three unaffiliated seasons, Lincoln played its games exclusively as the visitor. In the offseason of 2023, following the departure of the nearby Oakland Raiders, columnist Omar-Rashon Borja of Redshirt Sports opined that RingCentral Coliseum ought to be repurposed into a facility to host Lincoln games.[11]
On February 2, 2024, USA Today published an article critical of the Oaklanders football program, largely characterizing it as being ill-prepared to compete against either NCAA or NAIA schools (as the Oaklanders do not belong to either association and are thus not regulated by any set of outside standards) and having inadequate player support systems and facilities, with one former player calling the Oaklanders "the college Bishop Sycamore". School officials pushed back against allegations of neglect or fraud by some former players, stating that the problems surrounding the program were due to a lack of resources.[12]
Season-by-season results
| Year | Coach | Conference | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Desmond Gumbs | Independent | 1–8 |
| 2022 | 2–8 | ||
| 2023 | 0–12 | ||
| 2024 | 0–11 | ||
| Totals | 3–39 (.071) | ||
2021
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at Whitworth |
| L 29–31 | 1,760 |
| September 18 | 1:00 p.m. | at Willamette | W 34–9 | 300 | |
| September 25 | 4:00 p.m. | at Stephen F. Austin | L 13–61 | 5,346 | |
| October 2 | 5:00 p.m. | at Eastern New Mexico | L 6–52 | 3,880 | |
| October 9 | 4:00 p.m. | at UT Permian Basin | L 0–75 | 3,560 | |
| October 16 | 5:00 p.m. | at Texas A&M–Kingsville | L 21–51 | 5,023 | |
| October 30 | 6:00 p.m. | at Central Washington |
| L 0–92 | 3,872 |
| November 6 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 20 (Div. II) Western Colorado |
| L 6–72 | 438 |
| November 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western Oregon |
| L 16–55 | 2,025 |
| |||||
2022
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 5:00 p.m. | at Texas A&M–Commerce | L 7–52 | 2,130 | |
| September 10 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western Oregon |
| L 10–42 | 1,123 |
| September 17 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 2 (Div. II) Grand Valley State | L 7–66 | 16,624 | |
| September 24 | 11:00 a.m. | at St. Thomas (MN) | L 6–43 | 4,359 | |
| October 8 | 2:00 p.m. | at Portland State | L 6–48 | 2,921 | |
| October 14 | 4:00 p.m. | at Hilbert | W 70–0 | 200 | |
| October 22 | 9:00 a.m. | at No. 22 (Div. II) Davenport |
| L 14–58 | 1,300 |
| October 29 | 12:00 p.m. | at Texas Southern | L 2–37 | 6,500 | |
| November 5 | 9:00 a.m. | at Bluefield |
| W 20–17 | 327 |
| November 12 | 10:00 a.m. | at Southern Utah | L 0–55 | 3,556 | |
| |||||
2023
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 26 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 12 (NAIA) College of Idaho | L 7–37 | 2,849 | |
| September 2 | 5:00 p.m. | at Adams State |
| L 16–35 | 2,876 |
| September 9 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western Oregon |
| L 14–29 | 2,323 |
| September 16 | 5:00 p.m. | at Cal Poly | L 20–41 | 9,238 | |
| September 23 | 4:00 p.m. | at Lamar | L 0–38 | 4,873 | |
| September 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at Texas Southern | L 7–52 | 6,352 | |
| October 7 | 10:00 a.m. | at New Haven | L 0–38 | 1,131 | |
| October 14 | 2:00 p.m. | at Southern | L 18–45 | 21,492 | |
| October 21 | 10:00 a.m. | at Tennessee State | L 0–54 | 2,727 | |
| October 28 | 12:00 p.m. | at Kennesaw State | L 12–28 | 6,013 | |
| November 4 | 12:00 p.m. | at Southern Utah | L 6–35 | 3,023 | |
| November 11 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 13 (FCS) Florida A&M | L 0–28 | 11,314 | |
| |||||
2024
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 24 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 4 (NAIA) College of Idaho | L 7–45 | 3,735 | |
| August 31 | 12:00 p.m. | at Northern Arizona | L 6–66 | 7,342 | |
| September 7 | 1:00 p.m. | at Southern Oregon | L 7–46 | N/A | |
| September 14 | 4:00 p.m. | at Missouri S&T | L 6–45 | 2,567 | |
| September 21 | 10:30 a.m. | at Webber International |
| L 20–63 | 469 |
| October 5 | 12:00 p.m. | at Lincoln (MO) |
| L 14–40 | 4,124 |
| October 12 | 4:00 p.m. | at Savannah State | L 18–30 | 1,760 | |
| October 26 | 4:00 p.m. | at Northeastern State | L 0–48 | 4,976 | |
| November 2 | 10:00 a.m. | at West Georgia | L 12–88 | 1,812 | |
| November 9 | 8:00 a.m. | at Mercyhurst | L 0–66 | 540 | |
| November 16 | 10:00 a.m. | at Florida Memorial |
| L 8–48 | 898 |
| |||||
References
- ^ Nowels, Michael (June 4, 2021). "Gary Payton hired to coach at Oakland's Lincoln University". The Mercury News. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Glenn, Vern (September 8, 2021). "Lincoln University Trots Out Oakland's Newest Football Team". KPIX 5 TV (CBS News Bay Area).
- ^ Ostler, Scott (June 19, 2021). "Intrigue for potential Coliseum sale". San Francisco Chronicle. pp. C1.
- ^ "College football: Thursday's results - Southwest". San Francisco Chronicle. September 3, 2022. pp. B4.
- ^ "College football scores: Far West". San Jose Mercury News. October 9, 2022. pp. C3.
- ^ "Scores: Far West". San Jose Mercury News. November 13, 2022. pp. C3.
- ^ Almanza, Tony; Roose, Kevin (September 16, 2023). "Cal Poly defeats Lincoln University". KEYT News Channel.
- ^ Talbot, Damond (June 25, 2023). "2024 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Otis Weah, RB, Lincoln University (CA)". NFL Draft Diamonds.
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. (June 16, 2022). "Missouri State football rescinds offer to Otis Weah, sources say". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "Sam Huard ties Cal Poly record with 6 TD passes as Mustangs beat Lincoln (CA) 41–20". AP News. The Associated Press. September 16, 2023.
- ^ Borja, Omar-Rashon (May 4, 2023). "Let's Repurpose the Oakland Coliseum for Lincoln University". Redshirt Sports.
- ^ Schad & Peter, Tom & Josh (Feb 2, 2024). "A Scrappy Football Startup, or the 'college Bishop Sycamore'?". USA Today.