Football a sideshow to fashion, festivities
WASHINGTON -- Years from now, members of Howard University's Omega Psi Phi fraternity will say they were at Greene Stadium when Howard lost its Homecoming game in a fashion almost as outrageous as the outfits on display at the school's signature fashion show two days earlier.
But the truth is the majority of the purple-and-gold-clad members of Omega Psi Phi were long gone when Morgan State defensive back Everette Baker, who got the ball on a lateral in the second overtime, completed an improbable 99-yard fumble return for an 18-12 victory.
How could they leave such an exciting game?
Howard alumnus and Omega Psi Phi member Milton Yates had explained it the day before at Yardfest, a concert/bazaar on the main yard at Howard that was more boisterous than the game. At the event, Omega Psi Phi members entertained the crowd with an impromptu step show -- a series of choreographed, synchronized chants and movements -- that is known in the school's parlance as ``Stompin' on the Yard."
``Homecoming isn't about the game," says Yates, Class of 2001. ``It's about the Yard. The game is just to pass time."
That's the essence of Howard Homecoming, when football is a sideshow and the best moves on the field usually belong to the band -- the Howard University ``Showtime" marching band.
``They hype the crowd up because we usually lose the football games," says freshman Chynna Cole. ``At halftime, people leave to go get ready for the step show."
The annual celebration at one of the country's most prestigious historically black colleges is a pulsating panegyric of African-American culture, camaraderie, and haute couture. At Howard Homecoming, the blitz has nothing to do with defense. It's a series of events: the fashion show, the Yardfest, and the step show, which comes after the game and serves as the capstone on the festivities.
Tickets to the two fashion shows and the step show are more coveted than football tickets.
``This is what attracts people to the Howard community," says senior Clint Malik, one of the more than 30 students who served as models in the fashion show, which was a year in the planning under the guidance of junior Yasmine Parrish.
``I've known people who heard about this in high school and came to Howard just because they heard about Howard Homecoming. I don't know if that's good or bad. This is a major, major attraction."
Milling about the main yard at Howard during Yardfest were people who had come from as far away as Louisiana and California, just to say they were there.
Howard Homecoming is both famous and infamous for its celebrity sightings. Music mogul Diddy and rapper Ludacris are regular attendees, and last year, rapper Cam'ron was shot while in town for the celebration. As Howard students proudly point out, Ludacris even went so far as to shout out the school in his song, ``Pimpin' All over the World."
Hip-hop culture and Howard Homecoming are inextricably linked. Rapper/actor Ice Cube was grand marshal of this year's parade and participated in the coin flip.
Even some football players admitted to getting caught up in the hoopla.
``We're all excited about the events that are going on," says Donrico Washington, a redshirt freshman safety from Oakland, Calif. ``We have to focus on the game. That's our first priority, but we're excited to see the different celebrities and all the people that are coming out to partake in all the events."
But there is a certain level of decorum the school tries to maintain because Howard, founded in 1867, is the alma mater of late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Nobel Prize-winning poet Toni Morrison. That may have been one reason a female host at Yardfest implored performers not to use a racial slur that is increasingly common in the hip-hop vernacular.
As for the heartbreaking defeat, it was almost expected. Howard closed last season with four straight losses on its way to a 4-7 finish and opened this season with three consecutive losses before snapping its losing streak with a victory over Fort Valley State Sept. 30. The Bison entered homecoming with a 1-4 mark.
The Howard faithful who did remain didn't seem to mind. They still had the step show and another Diddy party to look forward to.
``After the game, 90 percent of the people not only couldn't tell you the score, they couldn't even tell you who played," says sports information director Ed Hill.
Chris Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com 