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Lincoln University football head coach steps down, suspends program

Marcus D. Smith, USA TODAY January 8, 2026 at 8:17 PM

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Lincoln University, a private non-profit educational institution in Oakland, California, with an embattled sports program, has announced the resignation of its football coach, Desmond Gumbs, and the suspension of its football program after five seasons.

The short-lived program has been plagued by losing seasons, allegations of poor facilities, a lack of athletic support staff, and overcrowding in its players' housing.

The university said in a Tuesday statement released on their website that Gumbs made the decision to step down as head coach but will remain the college's athletic director to ensure "stability and leadership within the University’s athletics department."

Additionally, the school announced it will not field a football team for the 2026-27 season, allowing a strategic pause to focus on strengthening and building the program as it prepares for its next phase of competition, the university said on its website.

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Lincoln University football history and allegations

The Lincoln Oaklanders first formed a football team to compete throughout the country in 2021. The small, independent private school does not belong to the NCAA, or any football division or conference, for that matter. They play all their games on the road due to a lack of a dedicated stadium and routinely produce losing seasons.

Lincoln president Dr. Mikhail Brodsky had high praise for Gumbs and his impact on the college in Oakland in a news release statement.

"Gumbs’ leadership has been instrumental in laying the foundation for Lincoln University athletics," Brodsky said in a news release Tuesday. "His decision to step away from coaching while remaining Athletic Director demonstrates his commitment to positioning our football program for long-term success. We fully support him as he leads the search for our next head football coach.”

As noted in a 2024 USA TODAY report, the program didn't have a dedicated practice field or even a weight room for its players, which has been a recipe for some ugly losses.

The program hasn't had a football win in three seasons, with its last victory coming in November 2022 against Bluefield.

The Oaklanders lost by an average margin of 51.25 points in the 2025 football season, playing eight games: among those opponents were Prairie View A&M, Mississippi Valley State, Alcorn State, Idaho State and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

The program scored 26 points this past season — all in the first three games. They averaged 3.25 points per game in 2025. The Oaklanders' season-high, 12 points, came in a 60-12 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sept. 6.

The program was the face of a USA TODAY investigation nearly two years ago following multiple allegations from players citing the university and its football program for having inadequate equipment, lack of water at practices and practices without a certified athletic trainer.

Other allegations included players on food stamps, unexpected financial commitments and overcrowded housing that left players sleeping in living rooms. One player allegedly slept in the kitchen of an apartment unit.

Brodsky, when contacted about the recent development, pushed back against those allegations and explained that corrections have since been made.

"The story is old," Brodsky told USA TODAY Sports in an email response. "We conducted (an) independent investigation, found and corrected (said) problems (which were) a lot less in reality than was mentioned in the negative article a long time ago. It is just a lack of funds, currently a common case for small independent schools."

USA TODAY'S previous reporting included interviews with 46 then-current and former Oaklander players, as well as five former assistant coaches.

Brodsky told USA TODAY Sports that previous allegations about team conditions had nothing to do with their joint decision to end all football-related activity at the university.

"Lincoln University is a non-profit educational institution and our mission is to teach students, not winning any games," Brodsky said. "We use athletic activities as a bonus to education if the university can afford it. At this moment, we cannot afford a football team and it has nothing to do with winning or losing games."

The football tab on their athletics website has since been removed, leaving only basketball and soccer to remain, for both men and women.

USA TODAY Sports reached out to Gumbs for comment, but he was not available before the time of publication.

Gabe Zaldivar contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oakland's Lincoln University football coach steps down, program paused

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