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
historically black colleges and universities (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 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. ==Affiliations==