Meet the Lincoln University Oaklanders: Who is FAMU's next football opponent?
The Florida A&M Rattlers will play against the Lincoln University Oaklanders for the final regular season home game at 6 p.m. Saturday on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
Lincoln University, not to be confused with the noted HBCUs of Lincoln University based in Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, or Lincoln University-Missouri, in Jefferson City, Missouri, caught the attention of fans when FAMU released its 2023 football schedule.
But what about Lincoln University in Oakland?
“We have traditionally been an international school offering a range of undergraduate and graduate programs emphasizing business-related disciplines,” Siobhan Kelly, student services coordinator, told the Tallahassee Democrat.
Gameday updates: No. 9 FAMU football takes on Lincoln (California) on Senior Day
The university operates out of a complex in downtown Oakland, California, it once owned, but recently sold to generate cash flow, according to a story published in SFGATE.
“The university needed funds to compensate for its enrollment reduction, pay debts, and get some operating capital,” Mikhail Brodsky, president of Lincoln University, said in the story.
According to published reports, the university’s enrollment plummeted to 350 students at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but now has 1,000 students enrolled this fall, according to its Office of Admissions.
Here is some information to share during Saturday's clash at Bragg Stadium.
History behind Lincoln University
Lincoln University Oakland is a private non-profit educational institution founded in 1919 by Benjamin Lickey in San Francisco. In the 1960s and 1970s, the university introduced a curriculum of business administration programs and later added international business and finance management and diagnostic imaging programs.
Academic programs offered
The university is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission, according to its website, and offers six academic programs:
Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
Master of Science in International Business
Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Imaging
Doctor of Business Administration
Master of Science in Finance Management
Lincoln University’s athletic programs
In 2021, Lincoln University established a sports program under the leadership of Desmond Gumbs, the coach of the football team.
“Coach Gumbs has led the formation of our football team, as well as a men’s and women’s soccer team and basketball teams,” Kelly said. “You may have heard our men’s basketball coach, ‘The Glove,’ also known as Gary Payton, is widely regarded as one of the most significant point guards in the history of the National Basketball Association.”
Payton played in the NBA from 1990 to 2007, when he retired from the Miami Heat.
The football team is 0-11 this season, having come on the losing end with games against teams such as Tennessee State, Texas Southern University and Southern University.
What other sports programs are offered?
Men’s sports offered:
Baseball
Soccer
Track and Field
Women’s sports offered:
Basketball
Soccer
Track and Field
Softball
The men’s and women’s soccer and basketball teams are members of the South Western States (SWS) Intercollegiate Conference.
Notable academic achievements
Intelligent.com recently ranked Lincoln University No. 34 on its list of Best Colleges in California of 2024.
Learn.org ranked Lincoln University No. 15 among 30 Best Colleges in California.
Democrat Writer Mikiyah Everett can be reached at Meverett@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Who is FAMU football's opponent? Meet the Lincoln (CA) Oaklanders
