Hawks Hall of Fame

Photo of the 1973-1974 UMES Hawks NIT Basketball Team

Ernie Neal

  • Class
  • Induction
    2004
  • Sport(s)

Ernie Neal was inducted into the UMES Hall of Fame in 2004 alongside the rest of his teammates on the historic 1973-1974 Hawk Men's Basketball team.

Under Coach John Bates, the Hawks capped off one of the most dominant seasons in UMES Men's Basketball history with a 27-2 (11-1 MEAC) record, winning both a MEAC Regular Season Championship and a MEAC Tournament Title. The Maroon and Gray won 20 games in a row to begin the regular season and finished first in the NCAA in scoring with 97.6 points per contest.

The Hawks earned a spot in the 1974 NIT Tournament. UMES went on to defeat Manhattan in the first round 84-81 at Madison Square Garden before falling to Jacksonville in the second round of the NIT.  

Neal played in 27 career games for UMES, shooting 66.7% from the free throw line.

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