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). 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. 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).

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. From 1931 to 1938, Hurt coached the Bears to a 54-game win streak without a single loss. 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. Hurt is a member of the HBCU coaches Hall of Fame and in 1952 Morgan named its new $1 million gymnasium facility after him.

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. 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. Banks was inducted into five sports Halls of Fame including the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

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

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.

Championships National Morgan State claims seven Black college football national championships. 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. 1930 CIAA Edward P. Hurt 8–11932 7–0–11933 9–01934 5–0–31935 8–01937 7–01940 7–0–11941 6–11942 6–1–11943 5–01944 6–11946 8–01949 8–01956 5–2–11962 Earl Banks 8–11965 9–01966 9–0 1967 8–01968 8–11971 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 6–4–1 1976† Henry Lattimore 6–4 1979 Clarence Thomas 9–22014† Lee Hull 7–6 † co-champions

Rivals Morgan State and Howard participate in the Howard–Morgan State football rivalry.

Towson and Morgan State share a rivalry called The Battle for Greater Baltimore.

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

Head coaches Dr. John Camper 1920–19233141Jim F. Law1924–1925632Dr. Charles R. Drew1926–19278 22Bill Taylor19285 23Eddie Hurt1929–1959173 5418Earl Banks1960–197395 302Nat Taylor1974–19759 101Henry Lattimore1976–197710 101Clarence Thomas1978–198017 151Thomas Morris1981450Nat Taylor1982470James Phillips1983–19842180Jesse Thomas1985–19872270Edmund Wyche1988–19906261Ricky Diggs1991–199510450Stump Mitchell1996–19988241Stanley Mitchell1999–20015270Donald Hill-Eley2002–201359760Lee Hull2014–201611120Fred Farrier2016–20174180Ernest T. Jones2018470Tyrone Wheatley2019–20215180Damon Wilson2022–present18270

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.

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 playersPlayerPositionLeagueTeamYearsRef1940sElmore HarrisRBAAFCBrooklyn Dodgers19471950sLen Ford †DENFLCleveland Browns1950Charlie Robinson GNFLPittsburgh Steelers 1951Rosey Brown †OTNFLNew York Giants1952 1960sOliver DobbinsDBNFLBuffalo Bills1964Leroy Kelly †RBNFLCleveland Browns1964Willie Lanier † LBNFLKansas City Chiefs1966Tom CarrDTNFLNew Orleans Saints1967Carlton DabneyDTNFLAtlanta Falcons1968Daryl JohnsonCBNFLBoston Patriots1968Alvin MitchellCBNFLCleveland Browns1968Jeff QueenLBNFLSan Diego Chargers1969Clarence ScottCBNFLBoston Patriots1968Bob WadeCBNFLPittsburgh Steelers1969George NockRBNFLNew York Jets1969John "Frenchy" FuquaRBNFLPittsburgh Steelers19691970sRaymond ChesterTENFLOakland Raiders1970Ed HayesSNFLPhiladelphia Eagles1970Mark WashingtonCBNFLDallas Cowboys1970 Willie GermanySNFLAtlanta Falcons1972 Ara "Sonny" PersonTENFLSt. Louis Cardinals1971John SykesRBNFLSan Diego Chargers1972John "Tiny" AndrewsDENFLMiami Dolphins1972Maurice TylerCBNFLBuffalo Bills1972Ron MayoTENFLHouston Oilers1973Stan CherryLBNFLBaltimore Colts1973Greg LattaTENFLChicago Bears1975Mike Collier RBNFLPittsburgh Steelers1975Bobby HammondRBNFLNew York Giants1976Tim BaylorSNFLBaltimore Colts1976 1980sElvis FranksDENFLCleveland Browns1980Mike HolstonWRNFLHouston Oilers1981Cornell Gowdy CBNFLDallas Cowboys19861990sKelvin MooreSNFLCincinnati Bengals19982000sWillie JonesDTNFLKansas City Chiefs2001Visanthe ShiancoeTENFLMinnesota Vikings2003Cliff JohnsonDBNFLDetroit Lions2005Cliff LouisOTNFLCleveland Browns2007Chad SimpsonRBNFLIndianapolis Colts20072010sJoshua MilesOTNFLArizona Cardinals20192020s

Legend† Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Future non-conference opponents Announced schedules as of July 28, 2026 at North Carolina A&T vs Alabama State (Atlanta, GA)MEAC/SWAC Challenge Sacred Heart at Syracuse at Towson Towson at Arizona State at Richmond at Towson Towson Hampton Virginia–Lynchburg at Sacred Heart at Delaware at Towson Towson North Carolina A&T at Villanova Tennessee State Robert Morris at Robert Morris at Tennessee State Virginia–Lynchburg

References

External links Official website