"Strong Men Gittin' Stronger"
55-26. A loss. The biggest loss for Shaw University since November of 2007 when Delta State slammed the Bears 45-7 in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs.
Any loss comes hard to the Shaw football team. They won their conference – the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – title in both 2007 and 2008, and came within a bad snap in 2009 of playing for the title. Even then, their record was a program best 8-2.
Yes, the Division II Bears could tell themselves that this loss was to a team a division higher than theirs – a team ranked eighth in the nation in Division I-FCS (formerly Division I-AA). But a loss is a loss and it stung.
By the time the team left the field, though, they had a new conviction and new inspiration drawn from Shaw's new President, Dr. Irma McClaurin, and the poem she quoted, "Strong Men" by Harlem Renaissance poet Sterling Brown.
The strong men . . . coming on
The strong men gittin' stronger.
Strong men. . . .
Stronger. . . .
Barely two days after being named president of the HBCU (Historically Black College and University) located in Raleigh, McClaurin travelled to Elon to root on the Bears, and then addressed the team after the tough loss.
"It really surprised us that she came on such short notice," said Shaw defensive lineman Stanley Porter. "It gave us the sense that she was behind us 100%, even if we lost."
Tyrone Craig, a wide receiver for the Bears, agreed, "It made us feel that she was on our side ... that she was rooting for us."
"I have always admired Sterling Brown," said Dr. McClaurin, "and suddenly that line came to me because the rest of the poem is about the treatment of African Americans and what he celebrates is the spirit that allows us to rise above the struggles to continue on, getting stronger."
You sang:
Me an' muh baby gonna shine, shine
Me an' muh baby gonna shine.
The strong men keep a-comin' on
The strong men git stronger. . . .
"I was surprised to see her," said Shaw Head Coach Darrell Asberry. "I figured she was still in transition. It meant a lot that she had come. It is always good to see your leader come and support any program. It lets the students know that what they are doing is important."
Defensive back Marcus Baker agreed, "I hadn't been on campus on Thursday (the day McClaurin was introduced), so I didn't know a lot about her. Just getting to meet her was an inspiration, and the poem really made me think."
"We really listened to those words," said Asberry, "and we discussed them on the bus ride home that night."
They coaxed you, unwontedly soft-voiced. . . .
You followed a way.
Then laughed as usual.
They heard the laugh and wondered;
Uncomfortable,
Unadmitting a deeper terror. . . .
The strong men keep a-comin' on
Gittin' stronger. . . .
McClaurin comes to Shaw from the University of Minnesota System where she was Associate Vice President for System Academic Administration.
While she played volleyball and basketball in high school, McClaurin says she had never been much of a football fan – but that she's learning. "There is a first time for everything, especially when you have responsibility for the young talent on the field."
Even though she spent much of the evening standing in the rain, Dr. McClaurin focused on all aspects of the game. "I found myself following the plays, even while standing in the drizzling rain, and wondering how the players felt, watching the coaches, and admiring the alumni who traveled to show their support."
What, from the slums
Where they have hemmed you,
What, from the tiny huts
They could not keep from you .
What reaches them
Making them ill at ease, fearful?
Preparing for the game, the Bears knew the competition was tough – they knew about the ranking and they understood the challenge of playing a Division I-FCS opponent. The previous year, they had stepped up and taken down Bethune-Cookman, another D-I FCS team, but Bethune-Cookman wasn't Elon.
Ranked eighth in the nation, Elon's program is known nationwide, but only 60 miles away from Shaw's Raleigh campus, Elon was even more of a known entity. These Bears knew exactly what they faced.
Taking the field, the challenge was made even more apparent: the Phoenix had easily twice as many players as Shaw, filling up their half of the field during pre-game warm-ups. But the Bears didn't flinch, but started their chants with even more gusto. The house might be Elon's, but the Bears did not intend to be quiet, timid guests.
While the Bears gave up 28 unanswered points to open the game, they fought back. They never took the lead, but they held their own from that point on, scoring 26 points while giving up only 27 the rest of the game.
Today they shout prohibition at you
"Thou shalt not this"
"Thou shalt not that"
"Reserved for whites only"
You laugh.
The Bears may have hung their heads for a moment, but lifted them to listen to their coach; the Chairman of the Shaw Board of Trustees, Attorney Willie E. Gary; and Shaw's first permanent female President – a woman who had been introduced to the campus only two days before.
She'd travelled the 60 miles to see them while in the middle of unpacking and getting settled into a new job and a new town.
She'd taken the time to seriously consider what they were going through. And she shared those thoughts with them.
And they shared theirs with her.
"They seemed genuinely pleased, and some said they were going to read more about Sterling Brown. For the young men, it seemed an appropriate poem to share."
In addition, she noticed a strong attention to academics, even on the playing field.
"I was impressed with one of the players who was engaging the Chairman about preparing for law school as he was walking off the field. My sense is that they have their eyes on the right prize of education, with sports being an opportunity to learn about winning and losing, sportsmanship, team building, and inner determination."
One thing they cannot prohibit .
The strong men . . . coming on
The strong men gittin' stronger.
Strong men. . . .
Stronger. . . .
Inner determination has become something of a mantra as the Bears turn their sights from the loss to Elon toward a critical regional game against Catawba, followed by a challenging CIAA schedule.
The stated goal at the beginning of the 2010 campaign was nothing more than "winning two more than last year," which meant a perfect season after Shaw's 8-2 2009 campaign. That dream had fallen by the wayside, but now the Bears did not seem to be as discouraged.
Defensive lineman Charles Deas summed up the thoughts shared by many of the Bears. "It (the poem) inspired us to keep going – step up instead of lying down."
The strong men . . . coming on
The strong men gittin' stronger.
Strong men. . . .
Stronger. . . .
