Morgan State Bears football

Morgan State Bears football
2024 Morgan State Bears football team
First season1898; 126 years ago (1898)
Head coachDamon Wilson
3rd season, 14–19 (.424)
StadiumHughes Stadium
(capacity: 10,001)
Field surfaceTurf
LocationBaltimore, Maryland
ConferenceMEAC
Past conferencesCIAA (1929–1970)
All-time record448–444–38 (.502)
Bowl record2–3 (.400)
Claimed national titles7 (Black College): 1933, 1937, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1967
Conference titles21
RivalriesHoward (rivalry)
Towson (rivalry)
ColorsBlue and orange[1]
   
MascotBears
Websitemorganstatebears.com

The Morgan State Bears football team competes in American football on behalf of Morgan State University. The Bears compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, currently as a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).[2] The Bears play their home games at Hughes Stadium, a 10,000-seat facility in Baltimore.

Morgan State began playing football in 1898, 31 years after the school was founded. The team's all-time record is 405 wins, 379 losses and 38 ties.[3] 173 of those wins came between 1929 and 1959 when Edward P. Hurt was the head coach and the Bears won 14 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships. Earl Banks won four CIAA championships during the 1960s and an additional championship in 1971 after Morgan entered the MEAC. The Bears have won three MEAC Championships (1976, 1979 and 2014).[4]

History

Eddie Hurt era (1929–1959)

Coach Edward P. Hurt took over the Morgan Bears football team in 1929. The next year his teams won the first of the 14 CIAA championships they would win with him at the helm. More importantly, Hurt, and his assistant coach Talmadge L. Hill, built a program that allowed black athletes to show case their talents where such a venue had been non-existent before.[5] From 1931 to 1938, Hurt coached the Bears to a 54-game win streak without a single loss.[6] During his tenure, Morgan's football teams completed 11 seasons undefeated and, in the 1943 season, opponents failed to score a single point against the Bears.[7] Hurt is a member of the HBCU coaches Hall of Fame [8] and in 1952 Morgan named its new $1 million gymnasium facility after him.[6]

Earl "Papa Bear" Banks era (1960–1973)

Earl Banks succeeded Hurt and took Morgan football to the next level. Banks was the Head coach from 1960 to 1973. He coached the Bears to a 31-game winning streak, three unbeaten regular seasons, four CIAA titles, a MEAC championship, and four bowl games. Twice during his tenure, Morgan led the nation in total defense.[9] 35 of Bank's players went on to play in the NFL, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Leroy Kelly and Willie Lanier; two more players played professional ball in the CFL.[4][10] Banks was inducted into five sports Halls of Fame[9] including the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992.[11]

Modern era (1974–present)

Only two coaches have had winning records at Morgan since the departure of Banks at the end of the 1973 season. The Bears had suffered 23 straight seasons with a losing record until the arrival of former coach Donald Hill-Eley whose first team had a 7–5 record in the 2002 season. Lee Hull was named head coach on January 8, 2014 and his first team would also finish with a 7–5 record, would win a share of the MEAC championship and played in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs where they would lose to Richmond in the first round.

Classifications

  • 1956–1972: NCAA College Division
  • 1973–1984: NCAA Division II
  • 1985–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS[12]

Conference memberships

Historic first

Championships

National

Morgan State claims seven Black college football national championships.

Year Championship Coach Overall record Conference
1933 Black College National Champions Edward P. Hurt 9–0 CIAA
1937 Black College National Champions 7–0
1943 Black College National Champions 5–0
1944 Black College National Champions 6–1
1946 Black College National co-champions 8–0
1949 Black College National co-champions 8–0
1967 Black College National co-champions Earl Banks 8–0

Conference championships

Morgan State has won 23 conference championships.[14]

Year Conference Coach Overall record
1930 CIAA Edward P. Hurt 8–1
1932 7–0–1
1933 9–0
1934 5–0–3
1935 8–0
1937 7–0
1940 7–0–1
1941 6–1
1942 6–1–1
1943 5–0
1944 6–1
1946 8–0
1949 8–0
1956 5–2–1
1962 Earl Banks 8–1
1965 9–0
1966 9–0
1967 8–0
1968 8–1
1971 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 6–4–1
1976† Henry Lattimore 6–4
1979 Clarence Thomas 9–2
2014† Lee Hull 7–6

† co-champions

Rivals

Morgan State and Howard participate in the Howard–Morgan State football rivalry.[15][16][17]

Towson and Morgan State share a rivalry called The Battle for Greater Baltimore.[18][19]

Playoff appearances

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS

The Bears have made one appearance in the Division I-AA/FCS playoffs, with a combined record of 0–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
2014 First Round Richmond L, 24–46

NCAA Division II

The Bears made one appearance in the Division II playoffs, with a combined record of 0–1.

Year Round Opponent Result
1979 Quarterfinals Alabama A&M L, 7–27

Head coaches

Coach Tenure Wins Losses Ties
Dr. John Camper 1920–1923 3 14 1
Jim F. Law 1924–1925 6 3 2
Dr. Charles R. Drew 1926–1927 8 2 2
Bill Taylor 1928 5 2 3
Eddie Hurt 1929–1959 173 54 18
Earl Banks 1960–1973 95 30 2
Nat Taylor 1974–1975 9 10 1
Henry Lattimore 1976–1977 10 10 1
Clarence Thomas 1978–1980 17 15 1
Thomas Morris 1981 4 5 0
Nat Taylor 1982 4 7 0
James Phillips 1983–1984 2 18 0
Jesse Thomas 1985–1987 2 27 0
Edmund Wyche 1988–1990 6 26 1
Ricky Diggs 1991–1995 10 45 0
Stump Mitchell 1996–1998 8 24 1
Stanley Mitchell 1999–2001 5 27 0
Donald Hill-Eley 2002–2013 59 76 0
Lee Hull 2014–2016 11 12 0
Fred Farrier 2016–2017 4 18 0
Ernest T. Jones 2018 4 7 0
Tyrone Wheatley 2019–2021[a] 5 18 0
Damon Wilson 8 13 0
  1. ^ Due to COVID-19, Morgan State suspended the fall 2020 football season.

Notable alumni

Fifty three former Morgan players have gone on to play professional football. Thirty nine players went to the NFL, eight to the CFL, three to the WFL and one each to the AAFC, the Arena Football League and the AIFA. At least one player has gone to the NFL every decade since 1950 from Morgan State.[20]

Former Morgan Bears Len Ford, Leroy Kelly, Willie Lanier and Rosey Brown are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Professional players
Player Position League Team Years Ref
1940s
Elmore Harris RB AAFC Brooklyn Dodgers 1947 [21]
1950s
Len Ford † DE NFL Cleveland Browns 1950
Charlie Robinson G NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1951 [22]
Rosey Brown † OT NFL New York Giants 1952 [23]
1960s
Oliver Dobbins DB NFL Buffalo Bills 1964 [24]
Leroy Kelly † RB NFL Cleveland Browns 1964 [25]
Willie Lanier † LB NFL Kansas City Chiefs 1966 [26]
Tom Carr DT NFL New Orleans Saints 1967 [27]
Carlton Dabney DT NFL Atlanta Falcons 1968 [28]
Daryl Johnson CB NFL Boston Patriots 1968 [29]
Alvin Mitchell CB NFL Cleveland Browns 1968 [30]
Jeff Queen LB NFL San Diego Chargers 1969 [31]
Clarence Scott CB NFL Boston Patriots 1968 [32]
Bob Wade CB NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1969 [33]
George Nock RB NFL New York Jets 1969 [34]
John "Frenchy" Fuqua RB NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1969 [35]
1970s
Raymond Chester TE NFL Oakland Raiders 1970
Ed Hayes S NFL Philadelphia Eagles 1970 [36]
Mark Washington CB NFL Dallas Cowboys 1970 [37]
Willie Germany S NFL Atlanta Falcons 1972 [38]
Ara "Sonny" Person TE NFL St. Louis Cardinals 1971 [39]

John Sykes

RB NFL San Diego Chargers 1972 [40]
John "Tiny" Andrews DE NFL Miami Dolphins 1972 [41]
Maurice Tyler CB NFL Buffalo Bills 1972 [42]
Ron Mayo TE NFL Houston Oilers 1973 [43]
Stan Cherry LB NFL Baltimore Colts 1973 [44]

Greg Latta

TE NFL Chicago Bears 1975 [45]
Mike Collier RB NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1975 [46]
Bobby Hammond RB NFL New York Giants 1976 [47]
Tim Baylor S NFL Baltimore Colts 1976 [48]
1980s
Elvis Franks DE NFL Cleveland Browns 1980
Mike Holston WR NFL Houston Oilers 1981 [49]
Cornell Gowdy CB NFL Dallas Cowboys 1986 [50]
1990s
Kelvin Moore S NFL Cincinnati Bengals 1998 [51]
2000s
Willie Jones DT NFL Kansas City Chiefs 2001 [52]
Visanthe Shiancoe TE NFL Minnesota Vikings 2003 [53]
Cliff Johnson DB NFL Detroit Lions 2005 [54]
Cliff Louis OT NFL Cleveland Browns 2007 [55]
Chad Simpson RB NFL Indianapolis Colts 2007 [56]
2010s
Joshua Miles OT NFL Arizona Cardinals 2019 [57]
2020s
Legend
† Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Alfnzo Graham: SIgned to Stelers in 2022

References

  1. ^ "MSU Branding Toolkit: Colors". Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  2. ^ "Morgan State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  3. ^ "Morgan State University Directory". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  4. ^ a b Leonard L. Haynes IV, ed. (2007). Morgan State University Football Media Guide. Baltimore, Maryland: Morgan State University. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  5. ^ Wade, Herman L. (June 1, 2004). Run From There. United States: Word Association. p. 211. ISBN 978-1-932205-78-7. The arrival of the black athlete on the national sports scene in the 1940s and 50s goes directly back to Edward P. Hurt. There is not a single black sports figure in the world today who is not in some small way in the debt of Coach Hurt.
  6. ^ a b "The Edward P. Hurt Gymnasium Continues a Tradition" (PDF). Morgan Magazine. Spring 2004. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
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  54. ^ "All-Time Players: Cliff Johnson". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
  55. ^ "Team Roster: Cliff Louis". 2008 Cleveland Browns. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
  56. ^ "Team Roster: Chad Simpson". 2009 NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on October 31, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  57. ^ "Team Roster: Joshua Miles". 2019 NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.