Morgan State Bears football

Last updated
Morgan State Bears football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2023 Morgan State Bears football team
Morgan State Wordmark.png
First season1898
Head coach Damon Wilson
1st season, 4–7 (.364)
Stadium Hughes Stadium
(capacity: 10,001)
Field surfaceTurf
Location Baltimore, Maryland
Conference MEAC
Past conferences CIAA (1929–1970)
All-time record44844438 (.502)
Bowl record23 (.400)
Claimed national titles7 (Black College): 1933, 1937, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1967
Conference titles21
Rivalries Howard (rivalry)
Towson (rivalry)
ColorsBlue and orange [1]
   
MascotBears
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, Maryland.

Contents

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 went 7–5, won a share of the MEAC championship and also played in the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

Classifications

Conference memberships

Historic first

Championships

National

Morgan State claims seven Black college football national championships.

YearChampionshipCoachOverall recordConference
1933 Black College National Champions Edward P. Hurt 9–0 CIAA
1937 Black College National Champions Edward P. Hurt 7–0 CIAA
1943 Black College National Champions Edward P. Hurt 5–0 CIAA
1944 Black College National Champions Edward P. Hurt 6–1 CIAA
1946 Black College National co-champions Edward P. Hurt 8–0 CIAA
1949 Black College National co-champions Edward P. Hurt 8–0 CIAA
1967 Black College National co-champions Earl Banks 8–0 CIAA

Conference championships

Morgan State has won 23 conference championships. [13]

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

† co-champions

Rivals

Morgan State and Howard participate in the Howard–Morgan State football rivalry. [14] [15] [16]

Towson University and Morgan State share a rivalry called The Battle for Greater Baltimore. [17] [18]

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.

YearRoundOpponentResult
2014 First RoundRichmondL 24–46

NCAA Division II

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

YearRoundOpponentResult
1979 Quarterfinals Alabama A&M L, 7–27

Head Coaches

CoachTenureWinsLossesTies
Dr. John Camper1920–19233141
Jim F. Law 1924–1925632
Dr. Charles R. Drew 1926–1927822
Bill Taylor1928523
Eddie Hurt 1929–19591735418
Earl Banks 1960–197395302
Nat Taylor1974–19759101
Henry Lattimore 1976–197710101
Clarence Thomas1978–198017151
Thomas Morris1981450
Nat Taylor1982470
James Phillips1983–19842180
Jesse Thomas1985–19872270
Edmund Wyche1988–19906261
Ricky Diggs1991–199510450
Stump Mitchell 1996–19988241
Stanley Mitchell1999–20015270
Donald Hill-Eley2002–201359760
Lee Hull2014–201611120
Fred Farrier2016–20174180
Ernest T. Jones2018470
Tyrone Wheatley 2019-20215180

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. [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.

Professional players
PlayerPositionLeagueTeamYearsRef
1940s
Elmore Harris RB AAFC Brooklyn Dodgers 1947 [20]
1950s
Len Ford DE NFL Cleveland Browns 1950
Charlie Robinson G NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1951 [21]
Rosey Brown OT NFL New York Giants 1952 [22]
1960s
Oliver Dobbins DB NFL Buffalo Bills 1964 [23]
Leroy Kelly RB NFL Cleveland Browns 1964 [24]
Willie Lanier LB NFL Kansas City Chiefs 1966 [25]
Tom Carr DT NFL New Orleans Saints 1967 [26]
Carlton Dabney DT NFL Atlanta Falcons 1968 [27]
Daryl Johnson CB NFL Boston Patriots 1968 [28]
Alvin Mitchell CB NFL Cleveland Browns 1968 [29]
Jeff Queen LB NFL San Diego Chargers 1969 [30]
Clarence Scott CB NFL Boston Patriots 1968 [31]
Bob Wade CB NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1969 [32]
George Nock RB NFL New York Jets 1969 [33]
John "Frenchy" Fuqua RB NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1969 [34]
1970s
Raymond Chester TE NFL Oakland Raiders 1970
Ed Hayes S NFL Philadelphia Eagles 1970 [35]
Mark Washington CB NFL Dallas Cowboys 1970 [36]
Willie Germany S NFL Atlanta Falcons 1972 [37]
Ara "Sonny" Person TE NFL St. Louis Cardinals 1971 [38]

John Sykes

RB NFL San Diego Chargers 1972 [39]
John "Tiny" Andrews DE NFL Miami Dolphins 1972 [40]
Maurice Tyler CB NFL Buffalo Bills 1972 [41]
Ron Mayo TE NFL Houston Oilers 1973 [42]
Stan Cherry LB NFL Baltimore Colts 1973 [43]

Greg Latta

TE NFL Chicago Bears 1975 [44]
Mike Collier RB NFL Pittsburgh Steelers 1975 [45]
Bobby Hammond RB NFL New York Giants 1976 [46]
Tim Baylor S NFL Baltimore Colts 1976 [47]
1980s
Elvis Franks DE NFL Cleveland Browns 1980
Mike Holston WR NFL Houston Oilers 1981 [48]
Cornell Gowdy CB NFL Dallas Cowboys 1986 [49]
1990s
Kelvin Moore S NFL Cincinnati Bengals 1998 [50]
2000s
Willie Jones DT NFL Kansas City Chiefs 2001 [51]
Visanthe Shiancoe TE NFL Minnesota Vikings 2003 [52]
Cliff Johnson DB NFL Detroit Lions 2005 [53]
Cliff Louis OT NFL Cleveland Browns 2007 [54]
Chad Simpson RB NFL Indianapolis Colts 2007 [55]
2010s
Joshua Miles OT NFL Arizona Cardinals 2019 [56]
2020s
Legend
Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

See also

Related Research Articles

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The 1944 Morgan State Bears football team was an American football team that represented Morgan State College in the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1944 college football season. In their 16th season under head coach Edward P. Hurt, the Bears compiled a 6–1 record, won the CIAA championship, shut out five of seven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 218 to 5. The Bears were recognized as the 1944 black college national champion.

The 1933 Morgan Bears football team was an American football team that represented Morgan College in the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1933 college football season. In their fifth season under head coach Edward P. Hurt, the Bears compiled a 9–0 record, won the CIAA championship, shut out eight of nine opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 319 to 6. The Bears were recognized as the 1933 black college national champion.

The 1946 Morgan State Bears football team was an American football team that represented Morgan State College in the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1946 college football season. In their 18th season under head coach Edward P. Hurt, the Bears compiled an 8–0 record, won the CIAA championship, shut out four of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 151 to 31.

The 1949 Morgan State Bears football team was an American football team that represented Morgan State College in the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) during the 1949 college football season. In their 20th season under head coach Edward P. Hurt, the Bears compiled an 8–0 record, won the CIAA championship, shut out four of eight opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 226 to 33. The Bears were recognized by the Pittsburgh Courier, using the Dickinson Rating System, as the 1949 black college national champion.

The 1970 Delaware State Hornets football team represented Delaware State College—now known as Delaware State University—as a member of the Northern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in the 1970 NCAA College Division football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Arnold Jeter, the Hornets compiled an overall record of 6–2 and a mark of 4–1 in conference play, placing third in the CIAA's Northern Division. This was Delaware State’s final season competing in the CIAA, as they moved to the newly-formed Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 1971. Following the season, running back Steve Davis was selected with the 60th pick in the 1971 NFL Draft, becoming the first Hornet to be selected in an NFL Draft.

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