The Morgan State Bears lacrosse team is the collegiate sports team representing Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Upon its founding in 1970, it was the only lacrosse team established to play NCAA-level lacrosse at a historically black institution.

In its early years, team defeated schools like Harvard and Notre Dame and upset a #1 ranked team in 1975. The team's exploits are recounted in the book Ten Bears, and the story is in production for a major motion picture. The program was later shut down, though a club team was created in the 21st century and a new intercollegiate team at the school won the NCL championship in 2023.

History Morgan State University was founded and chartered in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute. It was built on its present site, in northeast Baltimore, in 1890 and was known as Morgan College from 1890 to 1938. It became a public college in 1939, as Morgan State College.

The late 1960s were turbulent years with regard to race relations in the United States. Riots had broken out in major cities across the country, with at least three in Maryland. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated and formerly all white universities and colleges were opening their doors to African-Americans for the first time. But the major lacrosse powers like Johns Hopkins, Navy and Maryland still fielded mostly white teams.

The team was formed in 1970 when a former Baltimore high school lacrosse player and Morgan grad student, Howard "Chip" Silverman, realized that many of black Baltimore's high school lacrosse players were at Morgan, but were not playing lacrosse. Silverman had never coached before, but, he put up flyers around campus, and 30 athletes showed up for a meeting. Two-thirds were football players. Some would later star in the NFL, such as Stan Cherry. Silverman started the lacrosse club and two years later petitioned the NCAA for full membership as a college team. At that time, the NCAA had its best 40 teams in Division I and another 80 teams in Division II.Harrison, (2001), p.50 It was Division II that Morgan would soon dominate.

Ironically, by 1975 Morgan became noted for its lacrosse team because black high school lacrosse players from Maryland and New York still had trouble getting into the major white lacrosse colleges and universities. Morgan was the first (and until the turn of the 21st century) the only historically black university to field a lacrosse team.Harrison, (2001) p.5

During the period from 1970 to 1975, the Bears were ranked in the nation's top 25 in four out of five years. They made the championship tournament twice, and in 1975 were involved in one of the great upsets in intercollegiate sports history, when Morgan defeated then #1 ranked Washington and Lee University, a lacrosse team which would eventually reach the NCAA Division I semi-finals as the number seven seed. Washington & Lee had not lost a regular season or home game the prior two seasons.

After the 1975 season, Silverman retired as the Bears lacrosse coach, and Morgan never again had a winning season. By 1981 Title IX funding priorities required university athletic funds be equally distributed among women's programs and the school dropped lacrosse in 1981.

The 1981 Bears team featured some of the most talented players in the nation. Gene White, who would later coach the newly formed club team in 2005, and Lou Carter where NCAA Top 25 scoring leaders while goalie Cedric White was in the NCAA Top 10 in goals blocked during the season. In addition, there were a core of freshmen and sophomores who had played the game at early ages that gave the team even more potential for the next seasons that would not be. As a testament to the Bears' legacy, the 1981 team coached by National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee (2005) Sheldon Freed, defeated Notre Dame (13-12), Villanova (16-9), Michigan State and Georgetown in the span of a five-day schedule during the middle of the season. and lost to Loyola in the NCAA Division II Championship Semi-Finals to end an era.

21st-century comeback

More than 20 years after the original team was shut down, Morgan State returned to lacrosse. In 2005 a lacrosse club team was formed on campus and is awaiting acceptance into the NCAA. Coach Gene White, a player from the original incarnation, commented, "I think it is the greatest thing that has happened since I played for Morgan in '81". The 2005 club was not a sanctioned team in NCAA competition, but they did play exhibition games against teams that were.

NCL era In 2022, Morgan made another return to lacrosse in the form of NCL (Next Collegiate League), led by Kobie Johnson who also won 1st Team All League honors. In 2023 the leaders were Charles Pitt(1st Team All League) and Jaden Scott (2nd Team All League), the team had an outstanding record of 12 wins and 1 loss in the teams second season while also earning their place as the 2023 NCL champions. The team is now coached by Head Coach Skylar Hargrave assisted by Devin Richards, Ibukun Alo, and Bill Krehnbrink. In 2024 the Bears found themselves in playoff contention, but they lost I the first round to the Delaware State University Hornets. The team looks to have a successful 2025 season.

Morgan State University Division II / III All-Americans As listed by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association: 1971 - Wayne Jackson 1972 - Wayne Jackson 1973 - Wayne Jackson 1974 - Dave Raymond and Courtenay Servary 1975 - Dave Raymond, Courtenay Servary and Tyrone Jones 1976 - Joe Fowlkes 1977 - Joe Fowlkes 1978 - Joe Fowlkes

Morgan State University Representatives in the North/South Game As listed by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association:

1971 - Miles Harrison 1973 - Wayne Jackson 1975 - Dave Raymond 1978 - Joe Fowlkes 1981 - Mike McBride

Legacy In 2015, US Lacrosse announced that it would create a permanent exhibit in its new museum to honor the Morgan State lacrosse team.

Alumni Stan Cherry was signed as a linebacker in the National Football League.

Both Tony Fulton and Curt Anderson were elected to the Maryland House of Delegates

Three time all-American Joe Fowlkes became a security consultant, while George Kelley went into law enforcement.Harrison, (2001), p.240

Dr. Miles Harrison and Coach Chip Silverman collaborated on the book, Ten Bears, which is being made into a movie. Silverman died in March 2008. Dr. Harrison's son, Kyle Harrison, was the #1 draft pick of Major League Lacrosse in 2005, after leading Johns Hopkins to a national championship the same year and winning the Tewaaraton trophy.

In popular media Two documentaries have been shot on the team, one, produced by Jeremy Schaap, aired on ESPN in 2006 and the second, produced by Luke David, airs on PBS in early April, 2008.

Season-by-season results

SeasonWL 200607 2007310 200806

DateTimeOpponentW/LScoreSiteCity02/28/065:00pmUMBCL3-9UMBC StadiumCatonsville, MD02/25/063:00pmGeorge WashingtonL2-8GW-Mount Vernon Athletic ComplexWashington, DC03/11/062:00pmJohns Hopkins L5-8Homewood FieldBaltimore, MD03/11/063:00pmTowsonL2-14Homewood FieldBaltimore, MD3/16/066:00pmpmLoyolaL2-9Geppi-Aikens FieldBaltimore, MD4/09/063:00pmHowardL8-9Greene StadiumWashington, DC4/15/064:15pmWashington CollegeL0-1Shriver FieldChestertown, MD

DateTimeOpponentW/LScoreSiteCity03/03/0712:00pmMarylandL3-14Recreation Field 1College Park03/03/072:00pmWashington CollegeL3-13Recreation Field 1College Park03/07/075:00pmJohns HopkinsL1-13Homewood FieldBaltimore03/10/074:00pmSalisburyL4-13Intramural FieldsSalisbury, MD03/11/072:15pmMt. St. Mary'sW6-4Mt. St. Mary'sEmmitsburg, MD03/11/073:00pmFrostburgL8-9Mt. St. Mary'sEmmitsburg, MD3/30/077:00pmNavyL1-8Rip Miller FieldAnnaoplis3/31/074:00pmUMBCW9-8UMBC Club FieldsCatonsville, MD4/01/072:00pmLoyolaL2-15Geppi-Aikens FieldBaltimore, MD4/07/072:00pmDelawareL5-17Frazier FieldNewark, De. 4/14/074:00pmHowardW9-4Herring Run ParkBaltimore, MD4/15/076:00pmJohns HopkinsL8-9Homewood FieldBaltimore, MD4/28/072:00pmUniversity of BaltimoreL3-14Mt. Washington FieldBaltimore, MD

DateTimeOpponentW/LScoreSiteCity02/24/082:00pmUMBCppdrainUMBC fieldCatonsville, MD03/01/083:00pmMarylandL1-13Recreation Field 1College Park03/18/086:00pmNavyL1-15Rip Miller FieldAnnapolis03/29/081:00pmTowsonBurdick FieldTowson03/30/082:30pmLoyolaL0-1Herring Run ParkBaltimore4/05/082:00pmNYUL3-16UMBC TurfBaltimore4/06/082:00pmUMBCL6-8UMBC TurfBaltimore4/10/084:00pmDelawareL0-1Rollo StadiumDelaware4/26/083:00pmGeorge WashingtonGW-Mount Vernon Athletic ComplexWashington, DC

References

References

External links Videos uploaded to Vimeo (2016): The Morgan State University Lacrosse Team (1970-1981): One-on-One with Coach Sheldon Freed

Videos uploaded to YouTube (2015): 1979 Photos/Georgetown, Villanova and William & Mary 1979 - The Rebuilding Year The 1980 Game Between Morgan and Montclair State 1981 - The Final Season 10 Bears 4 Life Our History and Legacy The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Honorees Many Men But One Team If You Hear Any Noise, It's Just Me and the Boys The 10/17/2015 Last Team Photo and Lunch