Harlem native and Princeton alum Bruce Lincoln founded Uptown Lacrosse to bring one of America’s oldest sports to kids in Upper Manhattan who would otherwise never get a chance to play
Bruce Lincoln was the only African American player on his high school varsity lacrosse team at Towson High School in Maryland. He won the state championship in 1974 and went on to play at Princeton University. Decades later, the Harlem native came back to the game with a mission. In January 2025, Lincoln founded Uptown Lacrosse, a nonprofit bringing youth lacrosse to children ages 5 to 12 across Upper Manhattan. One year in, the program has reached more than 150 Harlem families and is heading into its first full spring season.
What inspired you to found Uptown Lacrosse, and why focus on kids ages 5 to 12?
The sport is growing, and one area of focus is Upper Manhattan. When I was growing up, you started playing lacrosse in first grade. I didn’t start playing until high school, but all my friends who taught me had been playing since first grade. In order to grow the sport, they’ve determined it’s good to get kids in early so they can learn the basic fundamentals, but also just learn to have fun and love the sport. That was the reason behind Uptown Lacrosse. I’ve been able to play this sport and it’s been good to me, and I wanted to give back.
In your first year, you served over 150 Harlem families. What did you learn from that?
You’re always surprised, and nervous when you put on these events. We launched at the Police Athletic League, and one reason we did it there was to make sure it was community-based and that people started to look at the tie-in to basketball. We had a VIP breakfast, and by 10, we had 150 families who were there wanting to get their kids into the sport. It was fantastic. I didn’t think some of the kids would be as young as they were, but we had 5-year-olds. My original idea was from 3rd grade to 8th grade, but once we saw how the demographic skewed, it made sense to start with 5-year-olds and go up to 12-year-olds.
The 2026 spring season starts April 11. What can families expect?
We had our community lacrosse clinic on Feb. 28, meant to make it available to parents and to have returning parents bring their kids back. We’ve had open houses, with another one on the 21st. Then we’ll take a break, get organized, and start our full spring season on April 11.
It’s going to go every Saturday except Memorial Day weekend. We finish up in June, and our last date is June 20. That’s our signature event called Uptown L-Ball at the Rucker. We play a form of 3-on-3 lacrosse that we call L-ball. Think 3-on-3 pickup basketball meets lacrosse. Our kids play at the Rucker basketball court, and other teams come and demonstrate their abilities to play this brand of lacrosse.
You also have a Princeton visit planned?
Yes, we’re going to visit Princeton during their season, once it gets warm, more than likely during the Ivy League portion. Our kids are also exposed to Princeton alums who come as volunteer coaches on weekends. Princeton is our university partner, and for our initial launch, all the sticks were provided by Princeton. We make sure kids get exposed to Princeton early on.
Princeton has this idea of the athlete-scholar, where the athlete is looked at as someone just as disciplined as the student. Kids get to meet young men and women who played lacrosse there. We also have coaches from Georgetown and McGill, and Howard came up with their men’s lacrosse team. The kids get exposed to athletes who have used lacrosse and are now successful in their professional lives.
How does Uptown Lacrosse create access and opportunity for youth of color?
We immediately connect them to the broader community of lacrosse. Uptown Lacrosse has been recognized by STX, the stick maker who invented the plastic sticks. USA Lacrosse has done two articles on us and recognized us as one of the leading programs. In September 2025, independent private schools reached out to start building a relationship. They’re interested in kids in 4th and 5th grade who can play lacrosse, so we hope kids who go through Uptown Lacrosse will have that avenue to pursue the sport at top schools like Buckley and Masters.
We also make sure kids are immersed in the culture of lacrosse, learning it was developed by Native Americans, the Haudenosaunee. We have an Uptown Lacrosse Creed modeled after the Haudenosaunee’s creed. It also recognizes African American lacrosse players like Myles, Harrison and Dave Raymond.
On Feb. 18, we had a book signing for The American Game with author Scott Price, moderated by Farrell Evans. We had Mendoza Wallace in the audience, a Black lacrosse player from Long Island, and the kids got to meet an actual famous African American lacrosse player.
What is the goal for Uptown Lacrosse over the next 10 years?
We want to instantiate the sport of lacrosse into Upper Manhattan and make it as accessible as basketball, soccer, and football. We want kids to learn they can get into non-traditional sports and that there are opportunities. You can actually play pro lacrosse now. Early on, it’s going to give kids opportunities to go to some of the best schools in the country, and those schools are looking for them. We also want to produce good lacrosse players who can catch and throw. But right now, it’s about fun, fundamentals, and spreading the sport so people know they can participate.
How can kids join Uptown Lacrosse?
Go to the website, it’s very simple. We have a full description of our 2026 program. We provide all the equipment. Every kid gets protective goggles, gloves similar to hockey gloves, and a lacrosse stick provided by Princeton, STX, or USA Lacrosse. The website is www.uptownlacrosse.org.
