The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 08, 1989, Page 10, Image 10
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
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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
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Joe Morrisc
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"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
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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."
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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
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