Long-time MEAC football fixture Donald Hill-Eley is in his first season as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at NSU.
Hill-Eley, a native of nearby Suffolk, Va., comes to NSU after serving as head coach for 12 seasons at MEAC foe Morgan State (2002-13). He is the third-winningest coach in Bears’ history, tops during the school’s Division I FCS/I-AA era, and was instrumental in turning around the fortunes of the program.
In his first season at MSU, the Bears fell one game shy of winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship as they recorded their first winning season since 1979 (7-5). MSU followed that with a 6-5 mark in 2003, giving the program its first back-to-back winning seasons since 1970-71.
Much of Morgan State’s early success in Hill’s tenure was predicated on a balanced, productive offense. The Bears offense finished the 2002 season ranked third in the MEAC in total offense (381.2 yards per game) and scoring offense (30.3 points per game), and second in rushing offense (211.2 ypg). In 2003, MSU was second in rushing offense (198.7 ypg) and fourth in both total offense (359 ypg) and scoring offense (28.9 ppg).
The Bears’ best offensive output in Hill’s tenure came in 2004. Led by the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Bradshaw Littlejohn, the Bears ranked first in the MEAC in total offense, racking up 458.1 yards per game. MSU was second in passing offense (240.3 ypg) and second in scoring (36.6 ppg). Despite an uncharacteristic record in 2005, the Bears still finished with the top passing offense in the conference by throwing for 2,023 yards.
Hill’s efforts in 2006 took the Bears to a 5-6 finish. The Bears completed the season tied for fourth place and the defense improved to a first-place conference standing against the run, limiting teams to 117 yards per contest. The defense also ranked third in sacks. Offensively, the Bears ranked second in time of possession and fifth in rushing offense.
Morgan State completed the 2007 season as one of the top defenses in the nation. The Bears allowed 20.5 points per game (ranked third in the MEAC) and ranked among the national leaders in total defense (second in the FCS at 264.8 ypg allowed), rush defense (first in MEAC – 130.9 ypg) and pass defense (first in FCS – 139.1 ypg). The Bears were also very productive on offense, averaging 23.7 points and 348.4 yards per game.
The Bears completed the 2008 season with a 6-6 record, highlighted by a four-game winning streak. Morgan State ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense by limiting teams to 213.4 yards per game. The Bears allowed 19.5 points per game (ranked third in the MEAC) and ranked among the national leaders in rushing pass defense (second in FCS/first in MEAC – 118.8 ypg), defense (13th in FCS/first in MEAC – 94.7 ypg) and sacks (tied for third in FCS/third in MEAC - 32). Offensively, the Bears ranked third in the MEAC in rushing (170 ypg).
Hill had seven members of his 2008 squad selected to the All-MEAC teams and nine more in 2009, including back-to-back MEAC Defensive Player of the Year winners in linebackers Jarrell Guyton (2008) and George Howard (2009).
The 2013 season got off to a slow start, but MSU rebounded to finish 5-3 in MEAC play, tied for third in the standings. The Bears had the league’s third-best rushing attack, averaging 182.8 yards per game.
In all, Hill-Eley won 54 games as Morgan State’s head coach, including five or more in nine of his 12 years.
Several MSU players reached the professional ranks after playing for Hill-Eley, including tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and running back Chad Simpson. Shiancoe played with four different NFL franchises between 2003-13. Simpson played three years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl ring with the Indianapolis Colts following the 2009 season. Most recently, he played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
Hill came to Morgan State as offensive coordinator in 2001 before ascending to the head coaching post. Prior to MSU, Hill was offensive coordinator and pro liaison at Hampton University from 1997-2000. During his tenure, Hill was instrumental in the Pirates winning the mythical black college national championship, two MEAC titles and the 1999 Heritage Bowl.
Hill also has professional coaching experience. He worked for four seasons in the Canadian Football League, first with the Baltimore Stallions as receivers coach (1994-95) and next with the Toronto Argonauts as a guest coach (1996-97). Hill was on staff for Grey Cup championship teams for three straight years (1995-97).
Hill got his coaching start as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Virginia Union University, in 1991. In 1992, he left VUU to become a graduate assistant coach at Hampton.
Hill grew up in Suffolk, where he excelled as an athlete at John Yeates High School. After high school, he continued his athletic career at Virginia Union University, where his father had been an All-American linebacker. Hill played four years of football for the Panthers and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology/criminal justice in 1991. He earned a master’s in counseling from Hampton in 1995, and is scheduled to receive his doctorate in higher education and administration from Morgan State in the fall of 2014.
Highly respected by his peers, Hill is a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the Free and Accepted Masons. He has two sons, Ayinde (15) and Jacob (6).
