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
Obituary at legacy.com and published in Klamath Falls Herald& News on July 23, 2017
