A documentary that tells the little known story of Howard University’s incredible run to a National Championship in 1974 after having a title stripped from them three years earlier will be airing as part of Spike Lee’s Lil Joints series on ESPN’s SportsCenter on June 7th.
The Howard University 1971 men's soccer team - all black at the time - comprised of Bermudians Dr. Donnie Simmons and Stanfield Smith, as well as other Caribbean and African players, overcame odds of racism and other challenges to become the undisputed division one NCAA champions. They recorded a perfect season of 19 wins and no losses, with no other university/college soccer team bettering their unbeaten run.
The film will also be featured as part of the launch of a website called The Undefeated dedicated to discussing the intersection of race, sports and culture.
Howard became the first predominantly black school to win a Division 1 title in 1971 but later had it stripped by the NCAA over questions of eligibility for four players. Three years later, the team capped an undefeated season with a 2-1 overtime victory over St. Louis.
The short film directed by Kenan Holley is called Redemption Song.
