Morgan State Bears football
Morgan State Bears football | |||
---|---|---|---|
| |||
First season | 1898 | ||
Head coach | Damon Wilson 3rd season, 14–19 (.424) | ||
Stadium | Hughes Stadium (capacity: 10,001) | ||
Field surface | Turf | ||
Location | Baltimore, Maryland | ||
Conference | MEAC | ||
Past conferences | CIAA (1929–1970) | ||
All-time record | 448–444–38 (.502) | ||
Bowl record | 2–3 (.400) | ||
Claimed national titles | 7 (Black College): 1933, 1937, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1967 | ||
Conference titles | 21 | ||
Rivalries | Howard (rivalry) Towson (rivalry) | ||
Colors | Blue and orange[1] | ||
Mascot | Bears | ||
Website | morganstatebears.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
[edit]Eddie Hurt era (1929–1959)
[edit]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)
[edit]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)
[edit]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
[edit]- 1956–1972: NCAA College Division
- 1973–1977: NCAA Division II
- 1978–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference memberships
[edit]- 1899–1928: Independent
- 1929–1970: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- 1971–1979: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
- 1980–1983: Independent
- 1984–present: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Historic first
[edit]- 1976, Morgan State played Grambling State in the first American college football game in Asia. Morgan State lost 42–16 in Tokyo, Japan.[12]
Championships
[edit]National
[edit]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
[edit]Morgan State has won 23 conference championships.[13]
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
[edit]Morgan State and Howard participate in the Howard–Morgan State football rivalry.[14][15][16]
Towson and Morgan State share a rivalry called The Battle for Greater Baltimore.[17][18]
Playoff appearances
[edit]NCAA Division I-AA/FCS
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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 |
Notable alumni
[edit]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.[19]
Former Morgan Bears Len Ford, Leroy Kelly, Willie Lanier and Rosey Brown are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Legend |
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† Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
Alfnzo Graham: SIgned to Stelers in 2022
References
[edit]- ^ "MSU Branding Toolkit: Colors". Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^ "Morgan State Historical Data". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
- ^ "Morgan State University Directory". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Jennifer, Jacob (March 22, 2002). "Morgan Legend: Eddie P. Hurt". The Spokesman (University's newspaper). Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Hall Of Fame Induction List". The Onnidan Group. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ a b "Earl C. Banks". Morgan State University Sports Information. Archived from the original on October 29, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Rhoden, William C. (December 5, 1992). "Sports of The Times; Weaving Threads Of History". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Earl Banks". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ Huggins, Gerald J. (September 23, 2016). "Back in the day: 40 years ago, Morgan State and Grambling played in Tokyo". theundeafeated.com. Andscape. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "History & Records" (PDF). Morgan State University Athletics.
- ^ Wilbon, Michael (November 21, 1980). "Howard-Morgan State: The Game". The Washington Post. Washington. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ Freeman, Rasheim (October 2, 2005). "Rivalry And Revelry". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ "Howard & Morgan Take Rivalry North to a Big Stage in the Big Apple". The Afro (Baltimore). September 25, 2011. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ "Towson-Morgan State 'Battle for Greater Baltimore' football series to resume Sept. 2". Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Towson-Morgan State Hold Battle for Greater Baltimore Press Conference". Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ Leonard L. Haynes IV (ed.). "Morgan State University Football Media Guide" (PDF). Morgan State University. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ "Elmore Harris". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time players: Charlie Robinson". NFL Enterprises. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Rosey Brown". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Ollie Dobbins". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Leroy Kelly enshrined in Black College Football Hall of Fame". morganstatebears.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ "Famous Alumni". Morgan State University Alumni Association. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ "Tom Carr". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Carlton Dabney". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Daryl Johnson". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Alvin Mitchell". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Jeff Queen". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Clarence Scott". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Bob Wade". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ "All-Time Players: George Nock". NFL Enterprises. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: John Fuqua". NFL Enterprises. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Ed Hayes". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Mark Washington". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Willie Germany". NFL Enterprises. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Ara Person". NFL Enterprises. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: John Sykes". NFL Enterprises. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: John Andrews". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Maurice Tyler". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Ron Mayo". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Stan Cherry". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Greg Latta". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Mike Collier". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Bobby Hammond". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Tim Baylor". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Mike Holston". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Cornell Gowdy". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Kelvin Moore". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
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- ^ "Vishante Shiancoe". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "All-Time Players: Cliff Johnson". NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Team Roster: Cliff Louis". 2008 Cleveland Browns. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
- ^ "Team Roster: Chad Simpson". 2009 NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on October 31, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ "Team Roster: Joshua Miles". 2019 NFL Enterprises. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.