Info from Linfield website posted here 7/28/2017 Linfield College will go dark Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 at 10:15:56.5 a.m. as the City of McMinnville is in the “path of totality” for the 2017 Solar Eclipse. All are welcome to a free community event on Linfield’s McMinnville Campus to celebrate the eclipse. The gathering will be in the Oak Grove near Pioneer Hall, and guests are invited to bring camping chairs or blankets. Glasses Linfield College will provide free commemorative eclipse viewing glasses to the first 1,500 guests. Glasses are first-come, first-served and will be distributed at 8 a.m. outside Riley Hall, across from the Oak Grove. Q&A with Professor Michael Crosser Prior to the eclipse, Linfield will hold an eclipse Q&A with Michael Crosser, associate professor and chair of the physics department. The Q&A will be held from 8:30-9 a.m. in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium in Melrose Hall, across from the Oak Grove. Parking Parking at Linfield is available in designated parking lots, and along all public streets. Parking permits are not required for any parking lot at Linfield between 7 a.m. and noon on Monday, Aug. 21. Overnight accommodations Linfield’s academic year begins on Monday, Aug. 28. Many of our students will be living on campus at the time of the eclipse. Therefore, no residence halls or apartments are available for rent leading up to the eclipse or the day of. Additionally, RV parking is not allowed at Linfield. 8 a.m. Eclipse glasses distribution Outside Riley Hall 8:30 a.m. Michael Crosser Q&A Melrose Hall, Ice Auditorium 9 a.m. Eclipse begins Viewing party – Oak Grove, near Pioneer Hall 10:15:56.5 a.m. Total eclipse – lasts approximately two minutes
In Feb. 2004 photo, Howard Morris, outside his home in Klamath Falls, shows the Linfield football helmets he wore (1954-57) while playing for the Wildcats. He was an All-America guard for the Cats. Pat Caraher (son of Joe Caraher and brother of Jeanie Monterossi) photo for Wildcatville and the News-Register.
By TIM MARSH For the McMinnville News-Register July 3, 2004
A similar version of this story appeared in the Fall 2004 Linfield Athletics Newsletter. It was posted at Wildcatville on Oct. 11, 2011, and re-posted July 23, 2017, in memory of Howard Morris, who died July 17, 2017, in Klamath Falls. Longtime football fans of Linfield College know the Linfield Wildcats inside and out. But how well do they know the 'Cats football helmets?
Linfield helmets always have been white and they always have had the Wildcat logo on the side. That's a reasonable assumption, but it's not correct.
Research shows that before the 1955 season, Wildcat football helmets were cardinal red, reflecting the college colors of cardinal red and purple.
One of the best-known photos (black & white) of Ad Rutschman as a Linfield All-American football player in the 1950s shows him posing with his cardinal football helmet. Rutschman would later become the college's football coach and athletics director.
Starting with the 1956 season, the color of the helmets was changed to white. Beginning with the 1963 season, the Wildcat logo appeared on helmets for the first time.
Howard Morris played the 1954-57 seasons for Paul Durham, Linfield football coach from 1948-67.
"My first year at Linfield, our helmets were cardinal red, and we wore purple jerseys with cardinal numbers," he said. "I was among the freshmen on the team who campaigned the coach for a change. We thought we'd look better because the helmet color would not clash with the jerseys we were wearing then."
As part of Mike Rhodes' work on a video documentary about the tradition of Linfield football, he reviewed Wildcat game films.
"I noticed the logo on the helmets for the first time as I was dubbing over the 1963 season game films," Rhodes said.
What was the genesis of the Linfield Wildcat logo? Tim Marsh, Linfield class of 1970, was the college's sports information director for a year while a student. He said the original Wildcat logo decals came from the Linfield bookstore.
"The bookstore carried water applied decals, made by Potter Decal in Eugene to put in windows," he said. "Coach (Paul) Durham used those decals for the helmets."
But, there was a problem. Water applied decals don't hold up on football helmets, which are subjected to constant battering. They get brittle and chip away.
Responding to that problem, Rutschman ordered pressure-sensitive vinyl decals early in his 24-year (1968-91) tenure as Wildcat football coach. As with the water applied decals, the colors were cardinal and black.
Long-time Linfield assistant football coach Ed Langsdorf, succeeded Rutschman as coach in 1992, serving until 1996. Langsdorf changed the cardinal and black to cardinal and purple and slightly enlarged the logo. The reason was strictly cosmetic, he said. "I thought the logo was a little difficult to see, and black wasn't part of our uniform color scheme. I wanted to emphasize the purple in our uniforms a bit more."
No one at Linfield knows who originally designed the glaring, scowling Wildcat wearing a jauntily cocked sailor's cap — looking ready for battle.
Though it was originally off the bookstore shelf, the scowling Wildcat is now uniquely identified with Linfield College football.
Howard Morris, of Klamath Falls, Ore., passed away
peacefully at the age of 81 on Monday, July 17, 2017, surrounded by his loving
wife and children. He was a humble, honest man with deep integrity in his work
and a father figure to those he coached and mentored.
Howard was born on March 24, 1936, to Lloyd and Dorothy
(Baughman) Morris in Medford, Ore. He attended Crater High School, where he met
Ginger, the love of his life, best friend, and future wife of 60 years. During
his time at Crater, Howard was student body president, lettered in three
sports, and was chosen to play in the 1954 Oregon State AAA Shrine football
game. He was later inducted into the Crater High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Howard attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., where
he excelled at football and baseball. He earned football first team All-American
honors, was a three-time most inspirational player recipient, and finalist in
the 1958 Oregon State Athlete of the Year Hayward Banquet of Champions. Howard
was also a member of the 1956 Linfield Wildcat football team that began
"the Streak," which currently stands at 60 consecutive winning
football seasons. Linfield later honored him by retiring his football jersey
#43 and enshrining him into the Linfield College Hall of Fame. Up until his
death, he was a season ticket holder and contributing member of the Linfield
"Top Cat" Club.
The transition from athlete to coach began at Tigard High
School, where Howard became the head football and wrestling coach.
In 1962, he moved his family to Klamath Falls, where he
accepted wrestling and football coaching positions at the Oregon Tech old
campus up on Old Fort Road. This began a 30-year, deeply satisfying career with
OIT "Hustlin' Owls" athletics. He was instrumental in building the
athletic program at the new OIT campus. Through the years at OIT, Howard
coached football, wrestling, and baseball and taught health and physical education.
He and Ginger regularly welcomed athletes into their home, many times for
extended stays and Ginger always had a hot meal ready for hungry players. In
1974, Howard became the athletic director, a position he held for 18 years
before retiring in 1992.
Howard received many prestigious honors, including NAIA
District 2 Wrestling Coach of the Year (1969-70), Baseball Coach of the Year
(1980-1982), and NAIA District Administrator of the Year (1989). He was
inducted into the NAIA District 2 Coaches Hall of Fame and National Wrestling
Hall of Fame.
After retirement, Howard became the NAIA Cascade Collegiate
Conference Commissioner (1994-2003) and was inducted into the NAIA National
Hall of Fame.
Howard believed strongly in community service. He was on the
YMCA Board of Directors, president of the Kiwanis Club, commissioner of the
Klamath Wrestling Officials Association, a founding owner of the Klamath Gems
baseball team, a member of the First United Methodist Church, and volunteered
countless hours towards youth sports.
Away from sports, Howard was deeply committed to family,
friends and fishing. He and Ginger loved to take their 5th wheeler to Arizona,
visiting friends and relatives along the way and cheering for the San Francisco
Giants in Scottsdale. They also very much looked forward to annual January
trips to Hawaii, where they were treated like royalty by their extended
Hawaiian families. Howard's favorite place to relax was at Fish Lake in
Southern Oregon. His father Lloyd owned the resort in the 1950s. Howard and Lloyd
built several of the lakeside cabins and made improvements that are still in
use today. Howard and Ginger hosted annual "fish camp" family
reunions for more than 25 years and also welcomed friends and relatives to stop
by for a visit and go fishing. Many of the fondest Morris family memories with
Howard were during these summers at the lake.
Howard was a devoted family man and took great pride in each
of his five children, 10 grandchildren, and five great-grand-children.
He was preceded in death by his father and mother and
brother Bob Boyd. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife and
"buddy" Ginger, their children Carol and Harry Mauch, Larry and Laura
Morris, Mike and Erin Morris, Mindi and Phil Waggoner, and Dan and Kristi
Morris, grandchildren Jeff Mauch (Booie), Trevor Mauch (Carly), Kyle Mauch, Tim
Morris, Colin Morris, Paige Morris, Jacob Waggoner, Emily Waggoner, Haley
Morris, and Sophia Morris, great-grandchildren Mya Mauch, Koy Mauch, McKinley
Mauch, Colton Mauch and Sidney Mauch, along with his many beloved nieces and
nephews.
In lieu of flowers, Howard requested donations to the Howard
and Ginger Morris Scholarship at Oregon Institute of Technology.
When times are tough, as Howie often said, "Keep your
dobber up."
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5
at the OIT College Union Building on the second floor.
To share stories or donate to the scholarship fund, go to www.whowardmorris.com Obituary at legacy.com and published in Klamath Falls Herald& News on July 23, 2017
THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE Details are as follows: • Date: Saturday, August 5th, 2017 • Time: 2:00 pm (PST) • Location: Oregon Tech (OIT) Campus, Student Affairs Building Upstairs (old Student Union building) in Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Flowers Can be Sent to: Ginger Morris 250 Basin View Ct. Klamath Falls, OR 97603 • Donations: In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Howard and Ginger Morris Scholarship Fund https://www.oit.edu/…/o…/what-you-can-support/howard-morris…
………….. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR HOWARD STORIES The Morris Family would like to invite you to share your most memorable Howard stories with the family.
By STEVE MATTHIES, Klamath
Falls Herald &News sports editor, July 20, 2017
One of Oregon Tech’s true icons, Howard Morris, died Monday at the age
of 81.
“We talk about being an Oregon Tech Guy,” former
colleague Danny Miles said, “and Howard might be the original.”
“I think Danny’s right,” former OIT president
Chris Maples said.
“So many things go through my mind when I hear
his name,” longtime dean of students Tim Stanaway said. “He was a good person
with young people. Patient. He made sure kids worked hard. He was that kind of
person who really enjoyed what he was doing.
“Whenever you saw Howard Morris, you thought
about OIT.”
Morris, an All-American football player at
Linfield College, was inducted into several halls of fame. His football number
was retired by Linfield. He coached at Linfield, and coached wrestling and
football at Tigard High School before he moved to Klamath Falls.
His presence went beyond OIT.
“What a good man,” local rodeo announcer Scott
Allen said on Facebook.
“I came (to Klamath Falls 27 years ago) for a
job. I didn’t know a single soul. I was broke and homesick. Howard would call
me every couple of weeks and say: ‘Come on up to the college today and I’ll buy
you a bowl of chili.’
“He might of thought I was starving, but I
really think he was just a good guy trying to give a kid a break.
“Sometimes God sends you a friend when you
really, really need one,” Allen wrote. “He sent Howard Morris my way, and for
that I am grateful.”
Morris, along with Miles, Don Gresdel and Erik
Baker, also was among the early co-owners of the Klamath Falls Gems college-wood
team.
“He was one of the ones who treated us with so
much respect through everything (in our time in Klamath Falls),” Chuck Heeman,
the first general manager of the Gems, said when he heard of Morris’ passing.
“Very sad news.”
At OIT, Morris did about everything.
He was head football coach, assistant football
coach, head wrestling coach, assistant wrestling coach, head baseball coach and
served as athletic director from 1972-92.
Howard was the first Cascade Collegiate
Conference commissioner, a position he held from 1992 until 2003 when he
retired.
“When I took over (as athletic director), he was
one of the guys who met with me the first week and was a great mentor,” Mike
Schell said. “He offered me advice. He’s the person who reached out to me, and
was a great resource for me.”
Former sports information director Bobby
Thompson, who still does OIT basketball play-by-play, said: “He was the force
behind athletics (at OIT). It’s a loss. He did so much for the school.”
“He had such a knowledge of athletics, but also
what OIT is about,” Maples said. “He’ll be sorely missed. He was such an
institution. He got athletics off the right way, doing things the right way. We
all owe Howard a debt of gratitude for developing what the student-athlete
experience at OIT is.”
Stanway said he remembers Howard and the OIT
wrestling program finding whatever space it could for practice.
Howard was instrumental in bringing the only
NAIA national championship event to be hosted by Oregon Tech — the 1972
wrestling tournament.
His Hall of Fame honors include Linfield
College, NAIA and the Oregon chapter of the national wrestling Hall of Fame. He
also received OIT’s meritorious service award.
Howard and his wife Ginger, who recently
celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, were serious boosters of OIT and, in
2004, established a scholarship for a worthy student-athlete who demonstrated
outstanding citizenship and character, inspirational leadership skills and
could be described as a team player.
“He was dedicated to OIT,” Stanaway said.
“He was such a mild-mannered guy. Kind. Had
integrity. A man you felt easy talking to,” Miles said. “He was man you felt
always had your back. He was kind of like a second father to me when I came to
Oregon Tech when I was 23 years old. He was a guy I could go to.”
“Howard was an endearing person and well
respected among (Cascade Collegiate Conference) members and within the NAIA as
a true lead in intercollegiate athletes,” current conference commissioner Rob
Cashell said in a press release.”
Morris is survived by his wife, five children,
10 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Memorial Service Aug. 5, 2017 W. Howard Morris, 81, died Monday, July 17, 2017, at his Klamath Falls residence with family at his side. His memorial service will be 2 p.m., Saturday Aug. 5, 2017, in Klamath
Falls at Oregon Institute of Technology in the OIT College Union’s Mt. Mazama Room.
= From Linfield Sports Info Linfield legend Howard Morris passes away
July 18, 2017
Howard Morris, a giant in the sports annals of Linfield College and
the Oregon Institute of Technology, died peacefully on Monday at his home in
Klamath Falls. He was 81.
“We certainly lost a champion of a person,” said Linfield director
of athletics Garry Killgore. “As a Linfield graduate, Howard was a shining
example of what we would hope our current student-athletes would aspire to be –
someone who was a positive role model for so many over a long period of time.
His devotion to Linfield College was beyond admirable. He supported our mission
enthusiastically, both financially and by attending games, even though he lived
a great distance away.”
A Hall of Fame football player at Linfield in the 1950s, Morris
went on to a memorable career as a football and wrestling coach and
administrator in southern Oregon.
Morris' No. 43 football jersey is one of only three to ever be
retired by Linfield, joining those worn by Ad Rutschman and Vic Fox.
At Linfield, Morris was a four-year football letterman for coach
Paul Durham and played two seasons of baseball under Roy Helser. The NAIA,
Associated Press and Williamson System named Morris to their respective
All-America teams following the 1957 football season and he garnered United
Press Little All-Coast honors as an offensive guard. His work ethic and
on-field enthusiasm made him a three-time Most Inspirational Player award
recipient.
In 1958, he was a finalist for the Hayward Award as the state's top
amateur athlete at the annual Banquet of Champions, now the Oregon Sports
Awards. He was a key member of the 1956 and 1957 football teams which won
consecutive Northwest Conference championships. Those successful campaigns
launched Linfield's famous "Streak" of consecutive winning seasons,
now standing at a national all-divisions record of 61 in a row.
After starring at Linfield, Morris' career in education began at
Tigard High School where he taught biology and history and coached football,
wrestling, and baseball for four years. In 1962, he, together with his wife,
Ginger, moved to Klamath Falls and began a long association with the Oregon
Institute of Technology. At OIT, he served as head wrestling coach for 15
years, was head and assistant football coach for 24 years, and led the baseball
program for five seasons. Morris taught health for 10 years and later was
athletic director for 20 years while serving as chair of the physical education
department for 18 of those years. Morris retired OIT athletic director and was
accorded the distinction of professor emeritus.
After retiring from Oregon Tech, he was commissioner of the NAIA
Cascade Collegiate Conference, of which Oregon Tech is a member.
His pursuit of excellence in athletics is remembered in six halls
of fame. In 1996, Morris was presented for induction to the NAIA Hall of Fame
in Tulsa, Okla., by Paul Durham. He is also included in the NAIA District 2
coaches and players halls of fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the
Crater High School Hall of Fame. In 1999, he joined the second class of
inductees into the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame.
“The thoughts of our entire athletic department are with his family
and friends during this difficult time.”
Howard is survived by his wife Ginger, five children, 10
grandchildren and five great grandchildren. The Morrises recently celebrated
their 60th wedding anniversary.
The Morris family has asked for privacy but will announce memorial
service information in the coming days.
=From McMinnville
N-R/News-Register
Linfield Hall of
Famer Howard Morris, 81, succumbs
By Rusty Rae, Sports Editor, McMinnville N-R/News-Register, July
17, 2017 (posted online)
A member of the Linfield
College football team that started the Wildcat 61-year winning streak, Howard
Morris, 81, succumbed at 4:22 p.m. today in Klamath Falls where he lived.
In 1999, he was in the
second “class” enshrined in the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame, which was
established in 1998.
Morris, who lettered four
years in football, and his jersey, number 43, is one of only three football
uniform numbers retired by the college. The other two retired numbers are those
of Ad Rutschman and Vic Fox.
For the Linfield Wildcats,
he lettered four years (1954 through 1957) as a football guard and two as a
baseball catcher and outfielder.
Morris Wildcat football
playing honors include 1957 All-American first team guard by NAIA, Associated
Press, and Williamson System, and United Press Little All-Coast.
In 1958 he was a finalist
as one of Oregon's outstanding sports figures, determined by a Hayward (now The
Oregonian) Banquet of Champions judges' votes.
The last two Linfield teams
on which we played -- 1956 (6-1-2) and 1957 (8-1) – were the first two teams of
Linfield’s famous “Streak.” Both teams were Northwest Conference Champions,
too.
Linfield's most
inspirational football player award winner three of his four seasons, Morris
was chosen 1956 co-team captain and 1957 team captain.
Voted the team’s best downfield
blocker for the 1957 season it was said that a review of Wildcat football game
film found his with three downfield blocks. Game film caught three blocks made
by Howard on one play.
He makes a block,
disappears off the edge of the screen, only to reappear making another block,
disappear again and reappear to make a third block.
That is the Linfield way
and Morris’ way has been inspiring Linfield football player for more than half
a century.
After graduation he taught
biology and history and coached football, wrestling, and baseball four years at
Tigard High School.
In 1962, he moved to
Klamath Falls and began his association with Oregon Institute of Technology.
The OIT Owls gained from Morris' hard work and leadership. He served as head
wrestling coach for 15 years and also served as head baseball and football
coach. For 10 years, he taught health and was athletic director and chair of
the physical education department for 18 years. Morris retired in 1992 as OIT
athletic director and became a professor emeritus.
He served as commissioner
of the NAIA Cascade Collegiate Conference, of which Oregon Tech is a member,
from 1994 to 2003. In 1996, Morris was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in
Tulsa, Okla., with Paul Durham, his Linfield football coach, presenting him.
Other honors for Morris include NAIA District 2 coaches and players’ halls of
fame, administrator of the year, and wrestling coach of the year.
Morris and his widow,
Ginger Dew Morris -- both graduates of Crater High School in Central Point,
Oregon, High School -- graduated from Linfield in 1958 and 1959 respectively.
They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Sept. 1, 2016.
Information for this story
was supplied by the Linfield College Sports Information web site. Tim Marsh
assisted with this article.
=From Klamath Falls Herald
& News
OIT athletics hold fond memories for Howard Morris
By Steve Kadel, Aug. 6, 2007 Klamath Falls, Oregon, Herald &
News
The football game was
played decades ago, but Howard Morris remembers every critical play.
That includes Southern
Oregon State College quarterback Dan Miles rolling out against Oregon Institute
of Technology and taking a hard hit on a touchdown run. The blow knocked out a
tooth and left Miles unconscious.
Referees called timeout as
Miles pulled himself together. The next thing OIT coach Morris saw was Miles
lining up to kick the extra point — despite a rule requiring injured players to
leave the game for at least one play.
The kick was good, and Morris
was livid.
He ran toward referees to
complain, and was sacked with a penalty for coming onto the field illegally.
Morris can now laugh about
the incident, and a narrow loss to the visitors, from the comfort of a living
room chair in his Klamath Falls home. It was just one of the memories he
recalled during a recent interview.
Always loved sports
The longtime OIT teacher,
coach and athletic director was born and raised in Medford. He was passionate
about sports from an early age, joining his pals for marathon baseball games on
vacant lots.
“We’d leave home at 8 a.m.
to play, and we came home for dinner,” Morris said.
He played baseball and
football at Crater High School, earning a spot in the school Hall of Fame for
football. He continued in athletics at Linfield College, where his football
prowess earned Morris a spot in the college Hall of Fame as well as first-team
All American honors.
He taught and coached for
four years at Tigard High School before bringing his coaching expertise to OIT.
He began as head OIT wrestling coach, and assistant coach in baseball and
football in 1962. By 1965, he’d taken the head football coaching job.
Morris said football was
his favorite sport because of its intricacy.
“More than other sports I
participated in, it was a chess game,” he said.
Greatest Service Award
A milestone came in 1967-68
when OIT began offering four-year bachelor degrees. Before that, the school
gave only two-year certificates and recruiting was a constant preoccupation.
Morris wasn’t athletic
director when Miles was hired as an OIT coach. However, he gave a positive
recommendation for hiring the man whose name has become synonymous with OIT
Hustlin’ Owls basketball.
Miles has nothing but
praise for Morris.
“Howard was a tremendous athlete,”
Miles said, “and he’s always been a kind, good man. He was soft-spoken, but
I’ve seen him get fired up a few times.
“He was a very good man to
work for. You felt like his door was always open.”
Morris received one of his
highest honors during the 2004 OIT Alumni Awards banquet — the Greatest Service
Award.
OIT President Martha Anne
Dow said at the time that Morris’ efforts helped establish Hustlin’ Owls teams
for their emphasis on excellence, scholarship and sportsmanship.
Morris and Ginger have
given to the school by establishing an endowed scholarship at OIT in 2003.
Honeymoon had to wait
Morris married his wife,
Ginger, as a Linfield College student. Their honeymoon was supposed to be a
trip up the Oregon Coast, but Morris came down with flu and Ginger caught it
from him.
Their trip was postponed as
other things dominated their time.
“Our honeymoon was a trip
to football practice,” Ginger joked.
They got an unsettling
welcome to Klamath Falls after arriving in 1962. Main Street was buzzing with
activity as they sought a place to eat the first night in town.
“Every block there were one
or two bars,” Morris said.
They found a diner called
the Chuck Wagon, which Morris called “the only respectable place to take a
family.”
Just as they were about to
enter, a man wearing a cowboy hat emerged from the door, firing pistols into
the air. The Morris family recoiled in shock, thinking they’d encountered a
hidden pocket of the Old West.
It turned out to be Pistol
Pete, a town legend, and it was all an act with blanks in the guns to generate
atmosphere for the Chuck Wagon.
From athletic trips to
Klamath Falls from Medford, Morris said, he’d come to consider the city “at the
end of the world.”
“I came (for the OIT job)
and thought I’d be here for a couple of years,” he said.
That stretched into a
lifetime.
“We found it was a good
place to raise our kids,” Ginger said.
“We fell in love with the
place,” Morris agreed.
The couple still attends
sports events, especially football games. They have season tickets to Linfield
and Oregon State University football games.
Morris and his wife enjoy
spending summer days at Fish Lake, where they have a fifth-wheel. Family
reunions there include their five children, 10 grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
For all the top-level
sports teams he’s been part of, Morris and his wife form the best team of all.
They will celebrate their 51st anniversary on Sept. 1.
=From Oregon Tech Sports
Info
Former Oregon Tech Athletic Director Howard Morris Passes Away
July 18, 2017
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Former Oregon Tech Athletic Director and Head
Coach Howard Morris passed away at his home in Klamath Falls on Monday
surrounded by family and friends. He was 81.
Morris began his wrestling and football coaching career at Tigard
High School in 1958 before taking over the head coaching job at Oregon Tech
from 1962-1977. Other coaching duties at Oregon Tech included head football
coach from 1965-67 while assisting for 24 seasons, head baseball coach from
1978-1983 and assisting for three years. Morris also served Oregon Tech as the
Athletics Director from 1972 until his retirement in 1992. Howard became the
first ever Commissioner of the Cascade Collegiate Conference in 1992 and
retired 2003.
Along with his induction to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame,
Morris was also a member of the Crater High School Hall of Fame for football in
2003 and at Linfield College in 1999, where Morris was named a 1st Team
All-American, along with his jersey being retired at the University. Howard was
inducted into the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame -
National Service Award in 2008 and NAIA - National Hall of Fame, and received
Outstanding Achievement and Meritorious Service at OIT in 1996.
Howard and his wife Virginia "Ginger" also became avid
Oregon Tech supporters and supplied scholarships for student athletes. Howard
and Ginger Morris established the Howard and Ginger Morris Scholarship in 2004
to assist a worthy student athlete who has demonstrated outstanding citizenship
and moral character, inspirational leadership skills, average to outstanding
academic and athletic ability and could be described as a "team
player."
"Our sympathy goes out to the Morris family," stated CCC
Commissioner Robert Cashell. "Howard was an endearing person and well
respected among the CCC members and within the NAIA as a true leader in
intercollegiate athletics."
Ginger and Howard had recently celebrated their 60th wedding
anniversary. Howard is survived by his wife Ginger, 5 children, 10
grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. The Morris family has asked for
privacy but will announce services in the coming days.
=Crater High School (Central
Point, Oregon) Foundation Hall of Fame
Howard Morris, Crater High Class of 1954
Howard earned 9 varsity letters in football, basketball and
baseball. Howard was All Conference in football and baseball and played in the
1954 Oregon Shrine All Star Game.
Howard played football at Linfield College where he was All
Conference and All District two times; 1st team All American in 1958; Most
Inspirational Player all three years at Linfield; finalist for the Oregon
Athlete of the Year at the Hayward Banquet of Champions.
He was voted into the NAIA District Hall of Fame in 1966.
Howard was Athletic director at OIT for over 30 years and was voted
Coach of the Year in wrestling in 1969, Coach of the Year in baseball in 1980
and 1981, and NAIA District 2 Administrator of the year in 1989.
In 1991 he was inducted into the NAIA Coaches Hall of Fame and in
1996 was inducted into the NAIA National Hall of Fame.
=From Medford Mail-Tribune
Where
Are They Now: Howard Morris, Crater High School Class of 1954 By Tim Trower, Medford, Oregon, Mail Tribune, Dec. 18, 2010
Howard Morris has spent a lifetime in athletics, but it was one of
the great upsets in Rogue Valley high school history that remains among his
most memorable events.
Fifty years ago, Morris was a member of the Crater High football team
that stunned vaunted Medford High, 20-14. It was the 2-A Comets’ first-ever
game against a 1-A team and remains the Central Point school’s only football
win over the Black Tornado.
The 1953 team held a reunion in early September, when it was
inducted into the school’s hall of fame.
“I told everybody that after some 40 years of playing and coaching,”
says Morris, a longtime athletic director and coach at Oregon Institute of
Technology, “there are a handful of games that stick out. And that
Medford-Crater game was one of the first ones.”
Morris, 67, resigned six weeks ago as Cascade Conference
commissioner. He was the OIT athletic director from 1974-92 and was the head
coach in football, wrestling and baseball during a 30-year stint at the Klamath
Falls school.
In addition, he served on a number of NAIA national committees, is
a past president of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches Association, was honored as the
NAIA administrator of the year in 2000 and was inducted in the NAIA Hall of
Fame in 1996.
Through it all stands that game a half-century ago.
“We were probably initially wondering what we were getting
ourselves into, says Morris, but the coaches did a good job of building us up.
You know that old adage ‘They put their pants on one leg at a time.’ Sizewise,
we matched up pretty good with them. We had a good football team.”
Early in the game, Morris blocked a punt and recovered it, then
minutes later recovered a fumble to set up Crater’s first TD. While Harvey Tonn
and Gordie Carrigan were scoring TDs, Morris and Melvin Harsh were leading the
defense.
After high school, Morris planned to attend Oregon State and follow
in his dad’s footsteps in the forest service but changed his mind after the
1954 Shrine Game.
“I found out I could play with those guys, he says, adding that
best friend Larry Bigham was headed to Linfield. I just jumped on the bus and
went up there with him.”
What he thought would be two years of ball and then on to Oregon
State turned into four years, many postseason honors and a career in athletics.
Morris spent four years teaching and coaching at Tigard High, then
latched on at OIT. He retired in 1992 but continued his NAIA and conference
work.
A couple of things he hasn’t retired from are fishing (his parents
used to own Fish Lake and Willow Lake resorts) and spring baseball trips to
Arizona, where he and his wife, Ginger, have Giants season tickets.
=From Wildcatville
Both graduates (Howard in 1954 and Ginger in 1955) of Crater High
School in Central Point, Oregon, Howard and Ginger Morris celebrated their 60th
wedding anniversary Sept. 1, 2016. William Howard Morris (Linfield Class of
1958) and Virginia “Ginger” Dew Morris (Linfield Class of 1959) married in
Medford, Ore., Sept. 1, 1956. There is no good way to summarize Howard Morris’ resume. Thus, this
is not a resume summary. It is a few highlights of a resume full of them:
--Professional activities include Evergreen Conference president,
NAIA District 2 chair and NAIA National Council of District Chairs
--Oregon Tech institutional committees include Faculty Senate charter
member.
--Related to Klamath Falls community Kiwanis Club president and
Klamath Gems baseball team minority owner
--Education in addition to graduating from Crater High School in
Central Point and Linfield College in McMinnville, he earned an Education M.S.
degree from Oregon State University and he did graduate study at the University
of Oregon.
=Photos
To those who
received this information via email, to see photos described below, visit wildcatville
(dot) blogspot (dot) com to see them
=Two black & white photos of Howard as a Linfield football
player from Linfield “Oak Leaves’ student yearbooks.
=Color photo (by Todd
E. Swenson of the Klamath Falls Herald & News) of Howard wearing a light
green polo shirt. Photo accompanied anAug. 6, 2007, Klamath Falls Herald & News story by Steve Kadelabout Howard.
=Black & white photo from when Howard Morris was with Oregon’s
Tigard High School. Photo provided by Linfielder Tom Rohlffs. Howard is in lower
left hand corner as an assistant football coach, posing along with two players
and the THS head football coach.
=Color photo of Howard Morris as OIT athletic director from OIT
Sports Information website. He’s wearing a white dress shirt and a necktie.
=Black & white photo of Howard and Ginger Morris from a Crater
High School (Central Point, Oregon) alumni newsletter.
=Color photo of display case which includes one of the #43 jerseys
Howard wore playing football for Linfield 1954-1957 and the #53 jersey he wore playing
in the 1954 Shrine high school All-Star football game in Portland. The case is
in the home of Harry (son-in-law of Howard & Ginger) and Carol (daughter of
Howard & Ginger) Mauch. Beneath the case on the wall is a certificate Howard
received upon being named an All-American football player for Linfield, his
Linfield Athletics and Crater High School Halls of Fame plaques and a Shriners
1954 All-Star. Football game patch.
=Black & white photo of Howard wearing a bow tie from Crater
Foundation, Central Point, Oregon.
Linfield Football practice (starts Aug. 15, 2017) and games
(first game played Sept. 9, 2017) are just around the corner. That means Ryan Carlson of Catdomealumni.com is
gearing up to cover the football Wildcats in 2017.
(Photos of Ryan with this posting by
Wildcatville from Linfield football game Dec. 7, 2013, at Whitewater.)
Here's a McMinnville N-R/News-Register
sports column from Dec. 18, 2010, about Ryan:
Carlson just loves shooting these 'Cats
His name is Ryan Carlson. If you follow Linfield College football, you probably
know his name. If not, I'll bet you've seen his work.
Carlson runs a fan site that covers the Wildcats - called CatDomeAlumni.com -
and gets a lot of hits. He shoots video, including highlights that have made
their way to our NewsRegister.com site.
I'd love to say that's the most high-profile place they've landed, but I'd be
lying to you. Earlier this month, ESPN "SportsCenter" used one of
Carlson's video clips as its No. 3 pick on the "Your Highlight"
segment that's growing in popularity.
The play was a touchdown run by Linfield quarterback Aaron Boehme in the
Wildcats' 55-14 victory Oct. 9 at Puget Sound. Boehme hurdled a UPS defender on
the way to the end zone and a 28-0 Linfield lead.
The following Monday, Linfield coach Joseph Smith was asked what he told Boehme
when he came to the sideline.
"I just told him 'Let's don't do that anymore.' It was a great play,"
Smith said, "but I think all of our coaches went from 'Oh, no' to 'Wow.'
That was quite a football play, but it's a very dangerous position to put
yourself in."
In the home opener against Willamette the weekend before, Boehme left his feet
in scoring a touchdown.
"Anytime you leap, you leave your feet, you're pretty vulnerable to some
nasty falls if you get upended and somersault," Smith said. He noted he
didn't want Boehme to make leaping defenders a habit.
"He's learning," Smith said. "He's getting better at avoiding
unnecessary hits."
Hits are exactly what the play against Puget Sound generated on the World Wide
Web. Carlson's video was the Play of the Week on the popular site
D3Football.com for Week 6.
Did I say hits? Carlson says he had 47,500 visitors to his website in the past
year.
A Linfield graduate (1998) and former football player for the Wildcats, Carlson
played for Jay Locey, and Smith was his position coach.
Carlson stuck around.
"I've been following the program since I graduated and have been helping
out as a volunteer for the program ever since - and just enjoy small college
football more than any other level of sport," Carlson said during an exchange
Friday after we learned about the video airing on ESPN.
Carlson explained his love of Division III, noting it has a tight-knit
community of followers that's developed over the past decade in large part
because of D3Football.com.
By following that site, Carlson said, he became exposed to other programs and
discovered a fan from Mount Union running his own fan site.
Around that time, Carlson began "tinkering" with video footage and
soon realized he is - in his words - a huge "A/V geek at heart."
(That's audio-visual, for those geek-challenged.)
Carlson said the spring of 2006 was his come-to-the-mountain moment with the
Mount Union site.
"I thought to myself 'Why can't Linfield have their own fan site where
those that love the program have another outlet to follow the 'Cats, or if they
have an itch they can click on a site where they can watch some old
highlights?'
"That's when I decided to start CatDomeAlumni.com."
At first, he said, the site was just some old videos, but as time and the years
went on he added a blog (2007) and developed a bit of a following.
Considering he's simply a fan running his own site, it's impressive Carlson's
place on the Web had 47,500 visitors in the past year.
"I'm just running a little fan site as a hobby," he said, "and
it's not my 'real' job."
Carlson said he doesn't make money off the site.
"It's just a way to express my passion for two things I really enjoy:
Linfield football and A/V work."
For about four years he's volunteered as the videographer for the football
program, a role that includes putting together the annual highlight DVD.
Carlson said maintaining the blog and the site are enjoyable because the
Linfield staff and administration are fully supportive in what
CatDomeAlumni.com is trying to do - bring Linfield fans, parents, players, and
alumni inside the walls of the 'Catdome.
Carlson's wife, Kelly, is also a Linfield graduate (2000). A former stand-out
basketball player for the college, she is now in her 10th year of teaching at
McMinnville High School.
The couple welcomed their first child in early November, a daughter named
Gracie.
They live in Lafayette. That's where Carlson works at his "real job,"
in the operations department of a software company.
He's been friendly to the News-Register, allowing us to post his videos on the
game blogs done by Whitney Bermes, who recently left the newspaper to return to
her home state of Montana. By helping us, Carlson helped you.
By sharing his love of Division III football, most notably Linfield football,
he's brought his passion to a lot of fans around the world ... wide ... web.
This month, ESPN gave some love to one of the best plays shot by the man whose
love comes through the lens.
Look for the play on YouTube. Look for Carlson on the sideline next season.
(Written by Carl Dubois, who was McMinnville N-R sports
editor at the time this ran in 2010.)
::::::::::::::::::::::::
LINFIELD FOOTBALL 2017
SEASON
--Linfield football team practice
begins Aug. 15, 2017
--Linfield first game of 2017
season:7 p.m. Sept. 9 in Orange,
Calif., vs. Chapman
--Linfield first home game of 2017
season: 1:30 p.m. Sept. 16 vs. UMHB
