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Morrison re Former and present players mourn loss Did you know him well? "Yeah, 1 knew him well. If you talked to him for ten minutes you knew him well." ? Bill Watson, coordinator of security for the USC Athletic Department. By PHILIP O. CARDACI Staff writer At 9:03 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5., USC head football coach Joe Morrison died of a heart attack. In the days that followed, players that had once played under Morrison and players that are still active on the football squad found themselves in shock and disbelief at the loss of their coach. "You still don't know how to react," said former USC quarterback Mike Hold, who played for Morrison from 1984-85. "I was devastated and shocked. Coach Morrison was such a friend. 1 want to get back there so bad, but I don't think I'll be able to," said Hold, presently playing professional football in Italy. "A lot of us still can't believe it," said sophomore linebacker Cory Miller. "Like I said, it's going to be tough. . . I just try not to think about it right now." "It came as a shock to me and everyone in this part of the state," said former Gamecock wide receiver Ira Hillary from his North Augusta home. Hillary, who played under Morrison from 1983-84, currently plays for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. "He was the leader and always there for guidance and a lot of advice," Hillary said of Morrison. "When I went to Kansas City and then came back (after being cut), he told me, 'Listen, go back and try again.'" "When I was here, I looked at him more or less as a father, because after mine died, I always came back to him like you do with your father," said senior linebacker Kevin Hendrix. "When you come back to your father, you always want to tell him the good things you've done," he said. "And after I've done well in class or in a semester, he was always the one I went back to talk to and tell him how good I did, and he congratulated me, patted me on the back, always gave me that extra push to do good." Former USC cornerback Norman Floyd, on the injured reserve list with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, said he could imagine the loss current USC players must be feeling over the death of Morrison. "I'm sure the fellas that are there can't even comprehend their loss," Floyd said. "Coach Morrison really looked out for his players. He's the type of man that you really wanted to play for. They really lost a man who could do a lot for them." Of all the active Gamecock players, perhaps starting quarterback Todd Ellis was one of the closest to Morrison. "When I heard," said former quarterback Hold, "the first person I thought about was Todd." "It's not so much the football things," said Ellis, "but it's the stories that he told me, it's the things that he shared with me about his life and his feelings about certain subjects, and I'm lucky to have been part of that. "Coach Morrison was a man's man," Ellis said. "He expected things out of you. We are 19, 20 years old, and Coach Morrison expected us to act like men and was very proud of us when we did act like that. "He'll be remembered for the small things that he said ry*+A A'. A : 1 1 L-l- f " ,,A anu uiu uiai win ncip me ior me real or my lire.' When asked if there was one lesson that he had learned from Morrison, Ellis answered, "Be your own man. He let you live your own life. "When the world was coming to the end, or if he won the national championship or the biggest game, he was the Z I WINDHAM'S JEWELRY DISCOUNT H ^ OFF ALL GOLD & DIAMONDS ^ Take an extra 10% OFF with student I.D 710 Twelfth St. 739-18 /8k West Columbia Next to Tri-Cii L /St 'Sx /St /St /St /St /St /St /St /St /St /St /St /St /St /St 6See Jaime Run GOT MONO We urgently need people with Monor to aid in medical research. If you hav< had mono within the past 2 weeks, qualify for $100 per week for 3 hour; time. Call 254-6537. Serologicals, ln< I I 2719 Middleburg Dr. Suite 1 Columbia. S.C. 29204 Serologicals 254-6537 membered f Joe Morrisc JB JMI "I think that all of our coaches in one form or another ... try to help our ball players. They try to help them as individuals, they try to help them as players, and they certainly try to help them academically." Joe Morrison I same man every time," Ellis said of Morrison. "We've had some controversies over here, but I don't blame one of those things on Coach Morrison. I blame all of it on the individuals. He stood up and won through all the controversy." Perhaps the biggest controversy of the past year was a Sports Illustrated article written by former USC defensive lineman Tommy Chaikin accusing Morrison of overlooking steroid abuse on the Gamecock squad during Chaikin's career. In a telephone interview from his Bethesda, Md., home, Chaikin said he didn't feel the article contributed to Morrison's death. "He was a strong-willed man, a great athlete, and he took care of himself," Chaikin said. "1 don't think the article had anything to do with it. He's obviously had a history of heart trouble, but it's still tragic. It's very unuSwwgugwfr ;; Portraits Model Portfolios ( I0USE^ Rental Studio and Da iw ,9k H mil ft -fls I! WORK 100 f ji ty Music ;! 3008 Millwood Avenue /S^/Sw&v/S\ 1' Colijmbia, S.C. 29205 On Februar^ Day (25c ea All proceeds go to benefit The program for toddlers wit 7 AAA welcomes Ar.gie Addison Tina Crowe F Ashley Altman Lynn Crymes S lucleosis Ahlyn Anderson Margaret Donato T , Melrose Bradley Catherine Edwards K 5 Of hav? Betsy Brodie Lynn Evans L wz-m i mow Elizabeth Brown Susan Francis J; you may Alice Buist LibbyGuth N s of your Beth Chaplin Lauren Ha R Mary Chappell Karen Hammond N Jo Clark Joanna Hayes K L' j?$r i988_ 05 l|Sk/ CONGRj , or his accom /-< -/VrtAV m . .... ? IP 'INHI fortunate. When a man dies like that at 51, it's very tragic." "I couldn't tell if that (Chaikin's article) affected him (Morrison) at all," Miller said. "Every time that stuff happened, we'd have a meeting. He'd talk to us about it and make us all strong." "He (Morrison) never had a chance to clear himself from all that crap," Hold said. "People will only now realize what a loss it is for the university. He could have done so much more for it." In the end, it always seemed to come back to the same thing ? the man and those who play football the way he taught them. htu* 4.u:? i-- j i i nc menu iiung was, ne carea aoout tne players, Miller said. "He looked after us, wanted us to do right and stayed on us to make us better people and better players. That's the main thing 1 remember." Photographic Workshops '!! rkroom Advertising The NatiOl is accepting a | I year. S dents M ;; and universitie ^ |! USC tuition ar j; can take adva J. EDGAR EUBANKS !; visit Room 20i (803)252-5682 ;; y 9th, purchase a Valen- WE'VE e C.H.A.M.P.S. Booth WEDS FEB ur residence hall lobby I tuiidc IrlUno. sent to your sweetheart i campus on Valentine's BCHfilRME ich) I SAT Epworth Children's Homes' I .jif h Down's Syndrome. H ? I *?\ _ IN THE Bt ^SSSSSSSSSSSSS! Inviwj) 3 DfiYS 01 ' ^ ? ? ? ? ^ 1. CT|?fi Lots 0 i.L _l Willi ci & topp limope SSsislsl^! plishments Morrison successful as. player and coach By KEVIN ADAMS Sports editor It is only fitting that many of Joe Morrison's fans have been wearing black for the past few days. Perhaps Morrison's greatest accomplishment during his six years at USC was the 10-2 "Black Magic" year of 1984, when Morrison patrolled the sidelines of Williams Brice Stadium dressed in black from head to toe. The Gamecocks ran off nine straight victories at the beginning of that '84 season, over such big-name opponents as Georgia, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Florida State. And in leading the USC team to the unexpected fast start, "The Man in Black" captured the hearts of Gamecock fans all over the state. For his efforts, Morrison was named national coach of the year by the Walter Camp Foundation, Football News and Playboy Magazine. But his success hardly began or ended in 1984. Morrison took the Gamecocks to three bowls ? The '84 and '87 Gator Bowls and the 1988 Liberty Bowl ? and led USC to a 39-28-2 record in his six years with the Gamecocks. Before he accepted the USC head post on Dec. 5, 1982, Morrison had compiled an 18-15 record at New Mexico, where he led the Lobos to a 10-1 record in 1982. Morrison began his collegiate coaching career at Tennessee-Chattanooga in 1973 after former New York Giants teammate Sam Huff recommended him for the job. He directed the -Moccasins to a 44-29-4 record in his seven years at the school before leaving for Albuqqerque. Morrison's overall record as a college coach was 101-72-7. The man born in Lima, Ohio, was probably most remembered nationally for his All-Pro career with the National Football League's Giants. After a record-setting collegiate career at the University of Cincinnati, Morrison was drafted by the Giants in the third round of the 1959 NFL draft. He played for the club from 1959-72 and was nicknamed "Mr. Dependable" by his teammates for his clutch and consistent play. Morrison played eight different positions for the Giants and was named Most Valuable Player by the NFL Touchdown Club in 1972, his final season with the club. "He was such a versatile player," Giants owner Wellington Mara said. "He was the ultimate team player. He would do anything you asked him ? run the ball, catch, play on the special teams, anything." "I have never known a player who could play so many positions and have the quarterback's confidence at each of'them as Joe did," said former Giants all-pro quarterback Y. A. Tittle at an appearance in Columbia several years ago. Morrison is the all-time reception leader for the Giants, catching 395 passes for 4,993 yards and 47 touchdowns. He also gained 2,472 yards rushing in 677 attempts and scored 18 rushing touchdowns. His 65 career touchdowns put him fourth on the Giants' all-time scoring list with 390 points. In other wordsH virtually^everything the man did, he did well. He'll be missed. Morrison's USC Record | .... .. v #. Year Record Bowls 1983 5-6 1984 10-2 Gator Bowl 1985 5-6 1986 3-6-2 1987 8-4 Gator Bowl 1988 8-4 Liberty Bowl tal Student Exchange Program I pplications for the 1989 90 academic ; may exchange to one of over 75 colleges s across the United States, while paying id fees. For more information on how you ntage of this opportunity, call 777-6142 or 6 of the Russell House! NS101 | qoHTfiLLTHISWEEl^ 8 ? JAYCEE'S BATTLE OF THE BANDS FEB. 9 BEACH MUSIC LEGENDS IN OF THE BOARD $6.0ol FEB 11 TWO GREAT BANDS I E FEELIES $6.00 I YOLA TANGO ABC REGULATIONS ENFOnCtn' 1 18+Welcome With I.D. 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