Howard Bison Goes to Detroit for Classic

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — September 7th, 2004

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Howard Bison Goes to Detroit for Classic

"Gilmore, Gilmore, Gilmore" was the Bison chant as they came out of the tunnel of Ford Field. This wasn't pre-game or after halftime, this was at 2:45 p.m. on Friday's practice before the second annual Detroit Football Classic on Saturday. 

 

"I've been talking mess all summer about Detroit calling me and they feed off of it," said Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker Coach Keith Gilmore.

 

Coach Gilmore, born and raised in Detroit, expressed his excitement of being back home. "It's beautiful to give my family and friends a chance to see the program at Howard," he said. 

 

His players felt his excitement.

 

"From two-a-days, he was like 'we're going home and they'll be chanting Gilmore, Gilmore,'" said linebacker Roderick Watson. "We've been doing it ever since."

 

When the team touched the field, it took them a moment to soak it all in. On Saturday, they'd be playing their first game of the season in the Lions' den and were going to be on national television, it doesn't get any better.

 

"It's a great opportunity playing a nationally ranked black team," Gilmore said.

 

For the Bison, it was a chance to play a highly ranked black team in Alabama State University, who lost in the SWAC Championship to Southern 20-9, and for the Fox Sports Net it was a chance to get the full Black College Football experience.

 

"A game like this is about color, the flavor and the enthusiasm of the game," explained Chuck May, a freelance director. May knows because he's been established in the broadcasting business for 36 years. "This is the total package. TV is an entertainment medium. There's so much we're going to see, it's a great venue."

 

Where's The Love

 

Saturday was Game Day. The buzz of the classic could be felt throughout Detroit. It was 9:00 a.m. and at the stadium, security was outside preparing for the big day, the event staff was doing their last minute run through and across the street at Comerica Field, the crowds were already assembling for the pre-game Tail-Gate Party.

 

Back at the hotel, the Cadillac room was silent as the Bison were eating their pre-game breakfast focusing on the task at hand. 

 

The coaches and Howard staff, on the other hand, were disappointed. 

 

"It shows a lack of respect for black college football," said Tyrone McCandies of the Sports Information Department 

 

McCandies was referring to the coverage the Detroit Football Classic coverage got in Detroit News & Free Press. On page 7B, in the bottom left corner, was a snippet of the Howard/Alabama State game.

 

"It's particularly disrespectful when you sellout a 67,000 stadium and the game gets two paragraphs," said Nate Henry, from Howard's Sports Information Department.

 

Kevin Stewart, also from the Sports Information Department, continued, "We have four or five guys from Detroit on our roster. What can you say?" 

 

Starting Thursday night and ending Saturday, the Baby Phat fashion show, a live broadcast of the Russ Parr Morning Show, the Pepsi Greek Step Show, the Comerica Scholarship Salute and the Budweiser Comedy Show was enough for any black college football fan.

 

"The weekend alone pulled several million easily," Stewart said.

 

Get Crunk...

 

Barely half full, the cheerleading squad only occupied 15 of the 60 seats on the coach bus as the Bison made their way from Wayne County Airport to downtown Detroit on Friday afternoon. They were there for one reason, to keep the crowd amped during the game, but the Detroit Police provided the pre-game entertainment as an entourage of police cars and motorcycles escorted the three-bus brigade through Detroit.

 

"I felt famous, I don't know about anybody else," sophomore Krysti Byrd. "We were big shots."

 

The escort let Detroit know that Howard was in town. One car led the way while two others sped ahead to block traffic, as the team traveled on the downtown streets and on the expressway.

 

Performing at Ford Field was not different than that of Greene Stadium; they kept the fan interaction continuous. However, being the few Bison among the swarm of Hornets rooting for Alabama State wasn't what they expected.

 

"They were watching the game and weren't really paying attention to us," said junior Ashley Tanks. "It wasn't Howard." 

 

Though most fans were ASU supporters, it wasn't their loyalty that upset Tanks. With most Howard and Alabama students on their respective campuses, the stands were filled with older alumni there to see their alma mater and the participation she was looking for wasn't there. 

 

With Ford Field's capacity of 67,000, junior Felicha Crabtree was a bit uneasy. 

 

"Being in front of such a large audience was nerve-racking," she admitted. "But it was exciting." 

 

This was the first time that the Bison cheerleaders were performing in front of a crowd of such magnitude. It took time and preparation. To get the newest members acclimated to the Howard system, they ended their summer early to practice. And for the past two weeks their focus was just on the Detroit Football Classic. 

 

"Last week was rough," Crabtree explained. "We had two-a-day practices, but it paid off." 

 

Stay Crunk...

 

No pleasantries were exchanged. It was all business from the beginning, but if you thought it was a competition, then you were sadly mistaken. 

 

"It's a showcase. It's about entertainment and having fun," explained James Oliver, Band Director for Alabama State University.

 

There was no big rivalry; in fact this was the first time Alabama State's Marching Hornets and Howard University's Showtime Marching Band met. It was going to be a halftime for Detroit to remember.

 

On the morning of the game the two teams couldn't have been ten feet from one another in the lobby of the Renaissance Center.

 

Showtime left the hotel first and prepared for the sounds of war. 

 

"They did an outstanding job," said Assistant Band Director Michael Fitzhugh, praising Showtime on their performance last week in D.C. 

 

This time was different. 

 

"It's good to play against new people, set a new standard and raise the bar," Fitzhugh said.

 

"I know the guys at Howard; we've always been able to talk and have fun. We're here to entertain," Oliver said. 

 

For both bands, it was their first time performing in Detroit and with only one HBCU, Lewis College of Business, in the area, the black band experience is something new. Fitzhugh and Oliver agreed that being in Detroit would be benefit both bands. 

 

"It's a good recruiting tool for us," Oliver mentioned. "It gives the students an opportunity to get away from home, the campus and gives us the chance to travel."

 

It really wasn't about one band being better than another because in the end, both teams received trophies for putting on a show.

 

"It's not about a competition, it's all about entertainment and having fun. It's a showcase and we're all students," Oliver said. "If they're here to perform, they're all winners. It's a chance for black colleges to get together and entertain ourselves. This is what it's all about, coming together as Black America."

 

People came to Detroit see the bands and a game broke out.