Earl C. Banks Field at W.A.C. Hughes Stadium

W.A.C. Hughes Memorial Stadium is the proud home of the Morgan State University football and track & field teams. The facility is named after William Alfred Carroll Hughes Sr., the 1897 Morgan alumnus who introduced football to the institution during his days as a student. Hughes spearheaded an effort to organize the first football team at his alma mater. The squad played in a vacant lot near the college’s old site on Edmondson Avenue.

Hughes went on to become a prominent Methodist minister in Baltimore, MD. His son, Attorney W.A.C. Hughes Jr., was a member of the first Maryland Commission for Higher Education of Negroes and helped to negotiate the transfer of Morgan State College from the Methodist Church to the State of Maryland. Morgan was a Methodist institution until it was purchased by the state in 1939. Hughes passed away in 1940.

Hughes Stadium was officially opened on October 16, 1937. The price tag for the facility was #360,000, and at the time it was considered one of the preeminent facilities in all of black college football.

The Bears opened the stadium with a bang, defeating Lincoln University (PA) 19-6 in front of 5,468 Bear faithful on a crisp fall afternoon. The Bears went on to post a perfect 7-0 record that season, and would make Hughes Stadium one of the most feared venues in the nation for many opponents over the next several decades.

Legendary Morgan State coaches, Eddie Hurt (1929-59) and Earl Banks (1960-73) built a football dynasty their tenures. The Morgan State juggernaut claimed 19 conference championships during the Hurt/Banks era. No less than four members of the NFL Hall of Fame sharpened their skills at Hughes Stadium. Len (Cleveland Browns), Roosevelt Brown (New York Giants), Leroy Kelly (Cleveland Browns), and Willie Lanier (Kansas City Chiefs) all played their college football at Hughes Stadium.

The facility also hosted track & field meets and was home to some of the most gifted athletes in the sport. Eddie Hurt built a track & field dynasty that rivaled the success he had on the gridiron. MSU built a storied track & field tradition that included conference championships and world class athletes.

A 14-million dollar renovation of Hughes Stadium was complete in 2001. The renovation included a state of the art scoreboard, complete with a video display system. Other buildings in the stadium include modern team rooms, officials’ rooms and storage space.

During the summer of 2017, MSU installed new LED video displays and an audio system. The end zone display at Hughes Stadium measures 24 feet high by 30 feet wide featuring 15HD pixel layout for exceptional image quality and contrast with wide angle visibility bringing a great view and exciting experience to fans in every seat.

These main video displays feature variable content zoning which allows them each to show one large image or to be divided into multiple zones to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.

A Sportsound® 2000HDaudio system is integrated into the video and scoring system to provide full-range sound reproduction while delivering clear and intelligible speech for a powerful audio experience for Bears fans.

Address and Directions
Google Directions/Map
Hughes Stadium / Stadium Drive, Baltimore, Md. 21218

From any direction via the Baltimore Beltway (I-695)
Get on I-695 and head toward the northeastern portion of the beltway. Go south at exit 30, Perring Parkway. The Perring Parkway exit is east of the exits for Towson and west of the I-95/I-695 interchange. Go south a few miles on Perring Parkway. Continue onto Hillen Road. Turn left onto East Cold Spring Lane. Turn right onto Morgan State Stadium Drive.

From south of Baltimore via I-95
Take I-95 north through the Ft. McHenry Tunnel. Get off I-95 at the Moravia Road Exit. You will head north for 2 miles on Moravia Road toward Aberdeen Avenue. Continue onto East Cold Spring Lane. Make a left onto Morgan State Stadium Drive.

From north of Baltimore via I-95
Continue on I-95 south past the interchange for the beltway, I-695. Shortly thereafter, I-95 will split into I-895 (right two lanes) and I-95 (left two lanes). Go to the right onto I-895. Get off at the Moravia Road Exit. Bear to the right off the exit ramp onto Moravia Road. You will head north for 2 miles on Moravia Road toward Aberdeen Avenue. Continue onto East Cold Spring Lane. Make a left onto Morgan State Stadium Drive.

From the south via I-97 from Annapolis Area and Eastern Shore
When approaching the beltway (I-695) take exit for Harbor Tunnel. After tunnel, get off at Pulaski Hwy. (Rt. 40 East)/ Erdman Avenue Exit. At end of exit ramp, go straight which will get you onto to Pulaski Hwy., Rt. 40 East. Exit right onto Moravia Road. Continue straight on Moravia. Do not take any of exits that you will see right after getting onto Moravia. You will head north for 2 miles on Moravia Road toward Aberdeen Avenue. Continue onto East Cold Spring Lane. Make a left onto Morgan State Stadium Drive.

From Downtown Baltimore
Go north on Charles Street. Pass Johns Hopkins' main campus on your left. At 33rd Street, make a right. Go past Johns Hopkins East and make a left onto Hillen Road. Go north on Hillen for mile. Make right turn onto Argonne Drive. Turn left onto Morgan State Stadium Drive.