Long wait is over as Florida Memorial fields football team for first time in 60 years

The Florida Memorial University Lions have been waiting for football.

For more than six decades, they’ve been awaiting the program’s rebirth.

Since May 29, 2019, when athletic director Ernest T. Jones said the program would come back in 2020, they’ve been anticipating the excitement.

Finally, this past March, the Lions got on the field for spring practice.

“You couldn’t imagine the feeling,” said FMU coach Tim “Ice” Harris, who was hired in August of 2019. “We ran on the field, and we were excited. The alumni and staff came out to practice, and they were excited, too.”

Then, after two days of spring drills, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped everything until the Lions finally got back on the field on Aug. 17 for fall practice.

The next day, the Lions made a decision that shows that they’re about more than football.

“We took the day off to make sure we all voted,” Harris said. “We have a team full of young, black males, and we want to show them the importance of doing our civil duty.”

Indeed, Florida Memorial is a historically black university, and that designation has taken on added significance this year. That’s because Kamala Harris, a graduate of another HBCU in Howard University, is the Democratic nominee for vice president.

“That makes us so proud,” said Tim Harris, who is of no relation. “Students all around the country are seeing that you can go to an HBCU and still do anything you want educationally. You are not limited in your dreams and goals.”

The Lions, who compete in the NAIA, are led by Harris, who won three state titles and compiled a 114-21 record in nine years at Booker T. Washington High School.

Defensively, the Lions will run a 4-2-5 alignment, coordinated by Nitron Stork and Pierre Senatus, both of whom were Harris’ assistants at Booker T.

“Our philosophy on defense,” Harris said, “is to limit explosive plays by becoming a great tackling team. We will stress proper tackling technique.”

On offense, Harris will call the plays, and his emphasis is on running the ball and controlling tempo.

The Lions have about 90 players on their initial roster, with another 60 interested in joining the fray once their paperwork goes through.

Due to the pandemic, Harris said he would’ve preferred to play in the spring.

“Once the season starts, we hope we can finish,” Harris said. “If not, it’s as if our kids wasted a year of football.”

The Lions were supposed to practice at the Betty T. Ferguson Complex, off campus in Miami Gardens. But since that facility is currently shut down due to the pandemic, the Lions are practicing on the outfield grass of their baseball complex.

That field does not have goal posts for kickers to practice on, and there is only about 80 yards of grass.

“We’re not making excuses,” Harris said. “We just have to adjust.”

The opening matchup of FMU’s eight-game schedule will be played on Sept. 12 at Keiser, which will be the Lions’ first game in 61 years. In fact, FMU will play Keiser and Ave Maria twice each this season.

St. Thomas University, which started its football program last year, will visit FMU on Oct. 10.

Asked if he would predict a win over STU this year, Harris didn’t take the bait.

“We are building everything from the ground up,” Harris said. “More than half our players just stepped on campus for the first time.

“I’m a confident coach. But I’m also a realist. We have so much to catch up before we get there.”

This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 10:00 AM.