Livingstone Blue Bears football

The Livingstone Blue Bears football program is an intercollegiate American football team for Livingstone College located in Salisbury, North Carolina. The team competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The school's first team was fielded in 1892 as the first historically black college to play football. The team plays its home games at Alumni Memorial Stadium.

1892: Founding
The Livingstone Blue Bears football team was founded in the fall of 1892. The members of the team all chipped in and purchased the first uniforms. They played their first game against Biddle on their front lawn, marking the first time two HBCUs faced off for a football game. They played two 45-minute halves with Biddle winning, 5–0. They have since made a rivalry named the "Commemorative Classic" which is played every year.

1883–1930: Early years
In 1903, the Blue Bears were featured in The Charlotte Observer, which stated: "Livingstone has defeated all comers this year, and claims the championship of the colored colleges of the state". They finished that season with a known record of 3–0, defeating Bennett College twice and Y.M.I. once.

In 1906, the Livingstone self-proclaimed themselves "The Colored College Champions" under head coach Benjamin Butler Church.

In 1913, Livingstone finished the season with a 5–0 record, their second and final undefeated season in school history.

In 1926, the Blue Bears finished the season with a 2–5 record. This would be their last season under Church before James Meeks took over in 1927. Church finished with a 42–20–9 during his 16 seasons with Livingstone.

1931–1973: Reclassification
The Blue Bears were Southern Independents from 1892 to 1930, joining the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (now the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) in 1931, finishing that season 0–5–3 (0–3–2).

In 1973, Livingstone College reclassified from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II along with the CIAA. They would finish the season 7–2–1.

1974–present: Rise to fame
In 1992, the 1892 football team was inducted into the Livingstone College Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 1994, the Blue Bears hired Rudy Abrams, a Livingstone alumni, as their head coach. In 1997, he led them to an 8–2 (6–2) regular season record and a CIAA co-championship before losing in the inaugural Pioneer Bowl to Kentucky State, 30–26. In 1998, he led them to another CIAA co-championship with a 7–3 (6–2) regular season record before again losing in the Pioneer Bowl, this time to Tuckegee, 23–9. After the 1998 season, Abrams was hired to be the head football coach of the North Carolina Central Eagles, where he coached for four seasons before retiring in 2002. He finished his tenure at Livingstone with a 33–18–1 record. In 2005, Abrams was inducted into the Livingstone College Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 2006, Tony Veal was inducted into the Livingstone College Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 2019, both Charles Cooley and Michael Posey were inducted into the Livingstone College Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 2020, Livingstone hired 1992 third overall pick, Sean Gilbert, as their new head football coach. His first season would be cancelled after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. In his second season (first full) as head coach, Gilbert finished with a 1–8 (1–5) record.

Classifications

 * 1892–1962: NCAA College Division (Small College)
 * 1963–1972: NAIA Division I
 * 1973–present: NCAA Division II

Conference memberships

 * 1892–1930: Southern College Football Independents
 * 1931–present: Colored / Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Conference
† Co-champion

Season-by-season records
= National champions = Conference champions = Conference co-champions = Conference division champions and championship game berth = Undefeated season

Head coaches

 * 1) Interim head coach

All-Americans
BTR = BOXTOROW

Award winners

 * CIAA Offensive Player of the Year
 * Joseph White – 1982
 * Joseph White – 1983
 * Joseph White – 1984
 * Rob Clodfelter – 1992
 * Wilmont Perry – 1996
 * Wilmont Perry – 1997
 * Jalen Hendricks – 2014
 * Drew Powell – 2015
 * CIAA Rookie of the Year
 * Chris Williams – 1997
 * Jason Ocean – 2000
 * CIAA Defensive Player of the Year
 * Ronnie Washburn – 1998
 * Jason Ocean – 2003
 * CIAA Defensive Rookie of the Year
 * Robert Massey-Brice – 2008
 * Kevin Larkins Jr. – 2022
 * CIAA Offensive Rookie of the Year
 * Drew Powell – 2012

Notable former players

 * Rudy Abrams, head coach, 1960–1963, 1994–1998
 * Abrams was a four-year letterman for Livingstone before becoming the assistant coach at York Road Junior High School in 1964. He didn't coach again until 1969, where he became the running backs and wide receivers coach at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1972, he was named the head coach of West Charlotte High School and held that position for eight seasons, compiling a record of 49–33–1 with two Southwestern 4-A Conference titles in 1976 and 1978 and a state runner-up finish in the latter year. In 1980, he led Garinger High School to a 2–8 record before resigning. He held the position assistant at Johnson C. Smith from 1981 to 1982	before returning to the high school ranks in 1983 as the head coach of East Mecklenburg High School. In 1994, after ten seasons with East Mecklenburg, Abrams joined his alma mater as their head football coach. In 1997, he led Livingstone to their first CIAA championship in program history with an 8–3 (5–2) record. In 1998, he again led the Bears to a CIAA championship, this time being co-champions, with a 7–4 (5–2) record. Both seasons would be capped off with a loss in the Pioneer Bowl. He was named CIAA Coach of the Year from 1996 to 1998. Abrams would finish his coaching career with the North Carolina Central Eagles from 1999 to 2002. He compiled a 51–39–1 record in the college ranks and a 124–81–1 record in the high school ranks.
 * Ben Coates, tight end, 1987–1990
 * Coates finished his four-year college career with 103 receptions for 1,268 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. He won Livingstone's MVP award from 1988 to 1990 while earning a first-team All-CIAA nod in his final college season. He also earned a Black College Sports All-American nod in that season. Coates was drafted in the fifth round (124th overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Coates would play for the Patriots from 1991 to 1999 before signing with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 and winning Super Bowl XXXV in the process before retiring following the season. Coates was a five-time Pro Bowler (1994–1998), three-time All-Pro (1994, 1995, 1998), and a Super Bowl champion. He was subsequently selected to the CIAA Hall of Fame, National Football League 1990s All-Decade Team, New England Patriots All-1990s Team, New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team, and the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.