Morgan State Bears football

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 Bears football
2025 Morgan State Bears football team
First season	1898; 127 years ago (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

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
• 1973–1985: NCAA Division II
• 1986–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS^[12][13]

Conference memberships

• 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

• 1976, Morgan State played Grambling State in the first American college football game in Asia. Morgan State lost 42–16 in Tokyo, Japan.^[14]

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.^[15]

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.^[16][17][18]

Towson and Morgan State share a rivalry called The Battle for Greater Baltimore.^[19][20]

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.^[21]

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	[22]
1950s
Len Ford †	DE	NFL	Cleveland Browns	1950
Charlie Robinson	G	NFL	Pittsburgh Steelers	1951	[23]
Rosey Brown †	OT	NFL	New York Giants	1952	[24]
1960s
Oliver Dobbins	DB	NFL	Buffalo Bills	1964	[25]
Leroy Kelly †	RB	NFL	Cleveland Browns	1964	[26]
Willie Lanier †	LB	NFL	Kansas City Chiefs	1966	[27]
Tom Carr	DT	NFL	New Orleans Saints	1967	[28]
Carlton Dabney	DT	NFL	Atlanta Falcons	1968	[29]
Daryl Johnson	CB	NFL	Boston Patriots	1968	[30]
Alvin Mitchell	CB	NFL	Cleveland Browns	1968	[31]
Jeff Queen	LB	NFL	San Diego Chargers	1969	[32]
Clarence Scott	CB	NFL	Boston Patriots	1968	[33]
Bob Wade	CB	NFL	Pittsburgh Steelers	1969	[34]
George Nock	RB	NFL	New York Jets	1969	[35]
John "Frenchy" Fuqua	RB	NFL	Pittsburgh Steelers	1969	[36]
1970s
Raymond Chester	TE	NFL	Oakland Raiders	1970
Ed Hayes	S	NFL	Philadelphia Eagles	1970	[37]
Mark Washington	CB	NFL	Dallas Cowboys	1970	[38]
Willie Germany	S	NFL	Atlanta Falcons	1972	[39]
Ara "Sonny" Person	TE	NFL	St. Louis Cardinals	1971	[40]
John Sykes	RB	NFL	San Diego Chargers	1972	[41]
John "Tiny" Andrews	DE	NFL	Miami Dolphins	1972	[42]
Maurice Tyler	CB	NFL	Buffalo Bills	1972	[43]
Ron Mayo	TE	NFL	Houston Oilers	1973	[44]
Stan Cherry	LB	NFL	Baltimore Colts	1973	[45]
Greg Latta	TE	NFL	Chicago Bears	1975	[46]
Mike Collier	RB	NFL	Pittsburgh Steelers	1975	[47]
Bobby Hammond	RB	NFL	New York Giants	1976	[48]
Tim Baylor	S	NFL	Baltimore Colts	1976	[49]
1980s
Elvis Franks	DE	NFL	Cleveland Browns	1980
Mike Holston	WR	NFL	Houston Oilers	1981	[50]
Cornell Gowdy	CB	NFL	Dallas Cowboys	1986	[51]
1990s
Kelvin Moore	S	NFL	Cincinnati Bengals	1998	[52]
2000s
Willie Jones	DT	NFL	Kansas City Chiefs	2001	[53]
Visanthe Shiancoe	TE	NFL	Minnesota Vikings	2003	[54]
Cliff Johnson	DB	NFL	Detroit Lions	2005	[55]
Cliff Louis	OT	NFL	Cleveland Browns	2007	[56]
Chad Simpson	RB	NFL	Indianapolis Colts	2007	[57]
2010s
Joshua Miles	OT	NFL	Arizona Cardinals	2019	[58]
2020s

Legend
† Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of June 3, 2025^[59]

2025	2026	2027	2028	2029	2030	2031
at South Alabama	at Towson	Towson	at Towson	at Syracuse	at Towson	Towson
Towson		Saint Francis		Towson	Hampton
at Toledo		Virginia–Lynchburg		at Saint Francis
Central State
vs. Miles College (Indianapolis, IN) Circle City Classic
at Georgetown
Virginia–Lynchburg