Hall of Fame
Ali D. Culpepper, a native of Baltimore, MD, played high school football at Dunbar High School where he was a two-time All-Metro honoree and led the Poets to back-to-back state championship titles. Mr. Culpepper began his collegiate athletic career at Syracuse University where he competed in six games as a true freshman. After transferring to Morgan State University in 1998, Mr. Culpepper ended his career holding the school records for rushing yards (2,727), rushing attempts (605) and most rushing touchdowns (28), all records that still stand today.
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Arguably one of the best football players to ever wear a Morgan State University uniform, Mr. Culpepper began his Bear career in emphatic form rushing for 168 yards on 36 carriers and scoring one touchdown in his first two games before suffering a season ending knee injury. However, he came back stronger during his sophomore season, leading the team in rushing yards for the season (660) and posting a team high seven touchdowns while also tying the Morgan record for most touchdowns in a game (4) during the season finale. Mr. Culpepper again led the team in rushing yards (853) and touchdowns (7) for the season in his junior year, despite experiencing the misfortune of a broken thumb that forced him to miss the last two games of the season.
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In his final collegiate season, Mr. Culpepper provided a multitude of record shattering performances. He finished the season setting a new school record for most yards gained in a season (1,046) becoming just the second Morgan running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He set a record for most rushing yards in a single game (229) in the season’s first contest, and rushed for 212 yards in the season’s final contest to reach 2,727 yards for his career. Mr. Culpepper also set a new Morgan record for touchdowns in a season (13) while finishing second in the MEAC for all-purpose yards (1,134), second in the MEAC for scoring (78 points), and second in the MEAC for touchdowns (13). He concluded his Morgan football career as a First-Team All-MEAC running back selection in 2001.
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Mr. Culpepper continued his football career after Morgan, playing in the National Indoor Football League in 2006 with the Billings, MT Outlaws. He led his team to a National Championship Title, earning an invitation to try out with the Seattle Seahawks. Since completing his football career as a player on the field, Mr. Culpepper has enjoyed success with his real-estate investment and fitness training businesses. He married former Morgan State University softball standout Leon’e Gilkey in 2006, and together they have two children Cassius and Aliyana Culpepper. They currently reside in Seattle, WA, where Mr. Culpepper enjoys coaching his son, training athletes and staying connected to his true passion of football by volunteering for local football organizations in the Seattle area.Â
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