AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (0-0) at No. 9 Keiser University Seahawks (0-0)
When: Saturday, September 12, 2020
Where: Keiser University, West Palm Beach, Fla. | KU Football Field
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m.
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Live Stream | https://thesundigitalnetwork.com/Keiser/
Live Stats | https://kuseahawks.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – When the decision was made to restart Florida Memorial University's football program, after it had lay dormant for over 60 years, many still couldn't foresee South Florida's only historically Black university (HBCU) having a football team.
Yet, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once penned, "you don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step".
With many steps already taken, Florida Memorial University will take the next big step when its football team takes the field for the time since 1958 Saturday afternoon – traveling to West Palm Beach to take on No. 9 Keiser University.
Unfortunately for FMU fans, they won't be able to witness the Lions' historic day in person as Saturday's game will be played on Keiser's home KU Field and per Mid-South Conference rules for COVID-19 safety, fans of the visiting team are not allowed to attend. The game, however, will be live streamed and available to watch for free.
Still, Florida Memorial and head football coach Tim Harris Sr. know that Saturday's game will be a momentous event.
"Getting to this day has been quite a journey," Harris said. "We've had so many different hurdles and obstacles come up along the way – especially with the pandemic…that changed so much for everyone. But credit to everyone at Florida Memorial University – the administration, the staff, my coaching staff, and most importantly our student-athletes for going above and beyond to make sure that we would be able to play football."
"Once we got rolling – actually having practices and meetings – things started going much faster. Our main thing was to make sure that we would have our guys prepared to go out there and compete at a high level," Harris said.
The last time the Florida Memorial played a football game, not only were none of their players were alive, many of their parents probably weren't even born yet.
The last football game played by the Lions was a 14-8 win over Albany State in 1958. The University, then called Florida Normal and Industrial Institute, competed in the Southeastern Athletic Conference. From 1945-58 the team finished with an all-time record of 41 wins, 25 losses and six ties with a break in the 1949 season.
FMU, which will play its home football games at Nathanial "Traz" Powell Stadium, will be thrown into the wringer right out of the gate Saturday.
Standing on the other side of the field will be a Keiser University squad that enters as the No. 9 ranked team in NAIA and the preseason favorite to repeat as Sun Division (Mid-South Conference) champions. The Seahawks, who are entering their third season of existence, finished the 2019 season a perfect 9-0 and qualified for the NAIA Football Championship Series. Also, Keiser returns eight players that earned All-Conference or All-American honors.
While the Lions are essentially a first-year program, they won't be going into the fight empty-handed.
Florida Memorial's offense got a huge boost with the addition of transfer running back Crispian Atkins. The 5-foot-9, 200-pound ball carrier decided to play his final collegiate season for Harris and offensive coordinator
Davon Johnson after spending the past three two years at the University of Miami.
6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore quarterback Antoine Williams will serve as the offense's trigger man while Justyn Mack (6-foot-2, 305-pounds) and Delshawn Bradwell (6-foot-5, 325-pounds) anchors the offensive line.
The Lions' defense has shown itself to be a fast and tenacious group, utilizing the group's overall level of athleticism and speed to their advantage. Defensive end/linebacker Anthony Harris has emerged as one the defensive leaders up front while 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman safety Joshua Roland has the ability to be a force on the back end.
While the sheer reality of Florida Memorial having a football team continues to sustain some fans, Harris and his squad have their sights set on making their mark right out of the gate.
"You look at Keiser [University] and you see that [it] is an established program with a good coaching staff and a lot of good players," Harris began. "But we're not here just to say 'we have a football team', we're here to get these young men educated and prepared to leave here with a degree and we're here to compete at the highest level on the field."
"We're going into this game Saturday looking to the sound in our technique and in our alignment, and limit our mental mistakes. And no matter what, we're going to play hard and not back down from Keiser or anyone else."
