Hall of Fame
Edward “Eddie” Hurt Eddie P. Hurt, a legend at Morgan State College, was head football coach from 1930 to 1959. In his 29 years as the football helm, he won 14 CIAA championships.
“The arrival of the black athlete on the national sports scene in the 1940’ and 50’s goes directly back to Edward P. Hurt,” wrote Herman L. Wade, Hurt’s biographer. “There is not a single black sports figure in the world today who is not in some small way in the debt of Coach Hurt. And to the extent that Hurt helped to break down racial barriers, our entire country owes him a huge debt of gratitude. We are a better nation because of him.”
From 1932-1939 his football teams played 54 games without defeat, one of the longest unbroken strings on record. Under Coach Hurt Morgan’s composite football record was 173 wins, 47 losses, and 17 ties.
Hurt also coached Morgan State basketball from 1929-1947. His Cagers consistently placed among the top basketball teams in the CIAA. During his tenure, the Cagers won four CIAA titles including top honors in three successive years: 1931, 1932 and 1933.
In track and field, his teams have produced 8 individual NCAA championships, 12 National AAU champions in individual events, 6 national AAU relay champions 1 Olympic champion – George Rhoden, who’s the record-holder in the 400 meter hurdles. In the CIAA, Morgan has won 18 track and field championships since entering the conference in 1930.
Coach Hurt, while at Morgan, served as instructor in mathematics, acting head of the Physical Education Department, professor of Physical Education, and Athletic Director until his retirement. Coach Hurt has won many awards and plaques and is known far and wide in this country as well as abroad.
Hurt began his coaching career at Virginia Theological Seminary and College. He was named assistant coach in 1921, then became head coach in 1925. Hurt earned a 15-11-4 record as head football coach, and led the basketball teams to two CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) championships.
His honors are too many to list at this time. Coach Hurt, a monument at Morgan although retired, is still much a part of the Morgan community and will go down in history as the greatest coach ever to come from a black college.
Was honored posthumously with the 2011 AFCA Trailblazer Award that was created to honor early leaders in the football coaching profession who coached at historically black colleges and universities.
In addition to receiving the 2011 Trailblazer Award, Hurt was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975 and the HBCU Hall of Fame in 1978. In 1952, the Morgan State gymnasium was named in his honor and the school holds the “Eddie Hurt Invitational” track meet annually. Hurt was named Coach of the Year in 1949 by the Washington Pigskin Club, and in 1950, he was named to the Outstanding Coaches of All-Time list by the University of Texas. Hurt was a member of the United States Olympic Committee from 1960-72 and was awarded the U.S. Olympic Committee Service Award in 1964.
When asked about his success, Hurt responded, “If I’ve done anything at all, it’s been because of other coaches; the men, the colleges, the administration, the alumni, friends, just everybody. I’ve only had one formula, and that’s hard work.”
