Lincoln University, Pa. – The Lincoln University Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and Athletics Director Harry Stinson are proud to announce the addition of six individuals and three championship teams that have been selected to be inducted into the Lincoln Lions Athletic Hall of Fame 2018-19 class. The induction ceremony will take place on the campus of Lincoln University on May 3, 2019 at the Wellness Center Dining Hall at 11:30 a.m.
 
The six inductees include two coaching pioneers: Fritz Pollard (football 1918-20) and Tina Sloan Green (women's basketball, lacrosse 1970-1976) and four outstanding athletes:  Leon Howard '94 (basketball/track and field); Elliott Lightfoot '87 (Track and Field); Michael Taylor '97 (track and field/cross country); and Cory Thames '99 (men's basketball).
 
Championship teams are a new category of inductees that are being included for the first time with this induction class.  The Athletic Hall of Fame Committee has chosen four outstanding championship teams to be included:  the 1982-83 Men's Basketball Team (NAIA district 19 Champions); 1985 Men's Outdoor Track and Field Team (NCAA Division III Champions); and the 1993 women's Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Teams (NCAA division III Champions)
 
This is the sixth class to be inducted into the hall of fame which now boosts 42 individual members who have made significant contributions to Lincoln University and enhanced its image and reputation. This incoming class represents more than eight decades of service to Lincoln University and includes NCAA champions, All Americans, conference champions and legendary leadership.
 
Tickets for the ceremony can be purchased online through Lincoln's university ticket system.  The cost is $35.00 Please click here to purchase.   For more information regarding tickets please contact Kisha Middleton at 484-365-7632 or kmiddleton@lincoln.edu
 
For general information regarding the hall of fame and the upcoming brunch, please contact Bob Heller at 484-365-7384 or rheller@lincoln.edu
 
Below is the full list of inductees, along with their Lincoln graduation year where applicable and their sports.
 
Leon Howard (1994) – Men's Basketball/Track and Field
Howard was a six time all-American in the triple jump , earning all-American status in all four years outdoor and twice indoors.  His best jump of 49' 4" is ranked among the best in Lincoln history.  On the basketball court Howard scored 934 points in four seasons (top 20 all-time) and was a member of Lincoln's 1993 and 1994 ECAC South Region Championship team.  He earned All- ESAC honors in 1993 and the Sam Cozen Weekly Award given by the Philadelphia Area Small College Basketball Association.
 
Elliott Lightfoot (1987)- Track and Field
Lightfoot was a member of the Lincoln's first Division III Outdoor Track and Field national championship team in 1985 and was a five-time all-American as a sprinter. His teams also had three runner-up finishes during his career.  Lightfoot later served as an assistant coach for the track and field program as well as an assistant coach for the football team which was revived in 2008 after a 48-year hiatus.  As an assistant to Head coach Cyrus Jones, he helped Coach Jones bring home two national championships.  Lightfoot was also an assistant athletics director during his time coaching at Lincoln
 
Fritz Pollard – Football Coach
Pollard was a coaching pioneer in the early days of athletics at Lincoln, coaching the football team for three season from 1918-1920 before going on to become one of the first African-American players in the National football league and the NFL's first African-American head coach.  His 1918 and 1919 squads went undefeated and he finished his career with an .821 winning percentage (11-2-1), a mark that is still the best in Lincoln football history.
 
Tina Sloan Green – Women's Basketball Coach, Women's Athletics
Tina Sloan Green was Lincoln's first ever women's basketball coach, leading the squad from 1971-1975.  She also started a women's lacrosse program in 1971.  Joining Lincoln as an instructor of physical education in 1970, Sloan Green quickly became involved with the athletics programs, serving as an assistant coach for the women's tennis and women's volleyball programs before becoming head women's basketball coach.  While coaching at Lincoln, Sloan Green was a member of the United States national field hockey team, the first African-American to play on the team.  She went on to coach the Temple University women's lacrosse team from 1975-1992 winning three national championships.  Sloan Green has been inducted into the US National Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1997), the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame (1999); the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (2013); and the IWLCA Hall of Fame(2017).
 
Michael Taylor  (1995) – Track and Field, Cross Country
Taylor was a member of the Lincoln's 1995 indoor and outdoor national championship teams. A six-time all-American, Taylor won the 800-meter event at the 1993 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and field Championship.  Taylor earned all-American status four times in the 800-meter event and is one of just two Lincoln runners to win an NCAA championship at 800 meters.   Michael served as Lincoln University's Director of alumni Relations and later as their Director of Admissions.  Taylor has served as a chapter vice-president of the NAACP in Delaware and is currently Mississippi Valley state University's Executive Director of Enrollment Management. 
 
Cory Thames (1999) - Men's Basketball
Cory Thames became the seventh player in Lincoln basketball history to score 1000 career points in 1996 and was the Lions' second all-time leading scorer with 1,157 points at the conclusion of his career.  His point total is currently sixth on the Lions' all-time list.  Thames was a member of the 1993 and 1994 ECAC Southern Division championship teams and was the most Valuable Player in the 1994 championship tournament.  Thames was a 1994 pre-season all-American selection and earned both the San Cozen Player of the Week and Senior Appreciation Awards which were given out by the Philadelphia Area Small College Basketball Association.
 
The Teams
1982-1983 Men's Basketball Team -  NAIA District 19 Champions
The 1982-83 Men's Basketball team, coached by Melvin Jones,  got hot when it counted, beating Philadelphia Pharmacy, Cabrini and Spring Garden College to capture the NAIA district 19 Championship.  The championship game at Spring Garden was won 46-45 on a Mike Whaley basket with just four seconds left.  Winning the championship qualified Lincoln for the NAIA National Tournament held at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. It was the Lions first and only trip to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.  Lincoln lost their first round game to Saginaw Valley State and finished their season with a 17-13 record.
 
1985  Men's Outdoor Track and Field Team -  NCAA Division III National Champions  
Lincoln Head Coach Cyrus Jones' 1985 squad captured Lincoln's first ever Division III national championship.  The meet was held at Denison College in Granville, Ohio and the Lions topped runner-up University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse by just three points 61-58. Barry Fearon, a 2012 Lincoln Hall of Fame inductee, was the Lions lone individual champion, winning the 400-meter dash title.  Fearon also took second in the 200 meter dash and ran anchor leg on both Lincoln relay teams, recording second place finishes in both events. Another Lincoln Hall of Fame inductee, David Hightower (class of 2015) scored in the hurdles.   The 1985 championship was the start of a dominant era for Lincoln track and field, recording 22 consecutive top five finishes and seven national championships from 1985-2006
 
1993 Women's Indoor & Outdoor Track and Field Teams –
                                       NCAA Division III National Champions (Indoor& Outdoor)
In 1993 The Lincoln University women's track and field program became just the third NCAA Division III institution in history of the women's track and field championships to capture both the indoor and outdoor championships in the same season.  The Lions' 36 points in the indoor championship meet, outpaced second place Wisconsin-Lacrosse by nine.   Narissa Crosson, a 2018 Hall of Fame inductee captured the Lions' only individual title, winning the 800 meter run.  The Lions supplemented Crosson's showing with points from Kelly Ross (second place in the 55-meter hurdles), Shawna Hardy (third in the 400-meter dash), Courtney Washington (fourth in the 400-meter dash) and its 1,600-meter-relay team, which placed second.  Hardy went on to win both the 100 and 200 meter titles in the outdoor championship later that year as the Lions again defeated UW-Lacrosse 57-52. Crosson placed second in the 800 and fourth in 400 meter dash while ross again scored in the hurdles.  Lincoln's relay teams brought home a silver (4 x100) and gold (4x400) medals.