Linfielder Howard Morris: A 'humble man who never accepted his greatness'

‘Celebration of Life’ for Linfielder Howard Morris was held Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, in Klamath Falls on campus of Oregon Institute of Technology.

In 1958, Howard Morris (3/24/1936-7/17/2017) graduated from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. As a Linfield Wildcat, he competed in football (All-American, uniform #43 retired) and baseball. He went on to a long and illustrious career as a coach and athletic director at Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

…Wildcatville slideshow

...Baseball card created by Kyle Mauch, grandson of Howard and Ginger (Linfield Class of 1959) Morris.

Postscript: After the card was produced, a question came up about where (in which baseball park) was the photo on the card taken? It was initially believed the card shows Howard Morris as a Linfield baseball player. But, research shows it's of him as a member of the summer season Medford Cheney Studs.  Most likely the photo was taken in Fairgrounds ballpark, on Hwy 99 south of Medford, where the Studs played their home games. 

Although it does not appear in this story (below from Sunday Aug. 6, 2017, Klamath Falls, Oregon, Herald & News daily newspaper), at this event Ad Rutschman said that while he was Linfield head football coach, Howard Morris, as Oregon Tech athletic director, tried three times to hire him as Oregon Tech head football coach.

Howard Morris remembered by the community

By Steve Matthies, Klamath Falls Herald & News sports editor, Aug. 6, 2017

Howard Morris was remembered as a man who served others, cared about people and help mold young athletes into men during a memorial service Saturday at the Oregon Tech student union which drew upward of 300 people.

“His father taught him that anything you were going to do, it is worth doing right,” his children said in a eulogy read by long-time OIT coaching colleague Danny Miles, who said, on a personal level, it was a pleasure to have known Morris, who died July 17 at the age of 81.

“He was a humble man who never accepted his greatness.”

Former Linfield football teammates, former OIT football players, baseball players and wrestlers, current OIT personnel and community members heard stories and laughed often during the almost 90-minute service.

Among those who attended Saturday’s service was 1964 Olympic wrestling coach Takashi Hirata, who Morris stayed with during a wrestling exchange in Japan. Hirata’s daughter lived with the Morris family for her three years of high school before going to college at Oregon State.

“He was proud in all the right ways,” his children’s eulogy read.

He was student body president at Crater High School. He was a first-team All-American football player at Linfield, when there were more than 300 NAIA football teams. He was a standout OIT coach in football, wrestling and baseball.

He lived his faith quietly.

He was inducted into the Crater High School, Linfield College, NAIA national and Oregon chapter of the national wrestling halls of fame. Linfield College retired his No. 43. He played the violin and piano, and learned the love of reading from his mother, Dorothy.

What he cherished most was his love for family and friends.

“He changed people’s lives,” former wrestler and OIT’s last head wrestling coach Mark Haner said in a video tribute to Morris.

“Howard was a person I respected greatly,” former Linfield coach Ad Rutschman said. “I was honored to be asked to come here for this. I felt I needed to come. Howard tried to hire me three times, that shows you our relationship.”

The 85-year-old Rutschman coached Mike Morris, one for Howard and Ginger Morris’ three sons, at Linfield.

Miles, noted three former OIT head football coaches — Craig Howard, Neil Garrett and Morris — all have died in the past six months.

Larry and Dan are the other boys, and their sisters are Mindi and Carol.

“I met Howard when I was 8 years old in Medford, when he was a senior at Crater High School,” Miles said, calling Morris someone to be looked up to.

“I had a great job in Bend, was 23 years old and wasn’t sure I should go to OIT,” Miles said. “I talked with Howard for two hours. Because of Howard Morris, I came to OIT.”

The long-time OIT men’s basketball coach, Miles said one lesson he took for Morris was that there are not winners and losers, but champions and people who are not.

 “He was an Oregon Tech guy,” Miles said.

Morris’ legacy lives on at the school.

“He did so many things to pioneer the path of athletics at OIT,” current athletic director and head softball coach Greg Stewart said. “When you think of people who were visionaries for OIT, Howard is a big part of that group.

“He is the person who made me want to go out and be a better version of myself every day.

“There are many student-athletes who are beneficiaries of and testimony to what Howard established (in the Cascade Collegiate Conference),” Stewart said. “His influence will be long-standing. The legacy he left was to build and improve (people).”

A cousin, the Rev. Kevin Cavanaugh, said Howard had asked years ago if he would speak at his memorial service.

“Every once in a while you come across someone who is bigger than his life, bigger than he would ever say,” Cavanaugh said. “His heart was hardwired to bring people into his life. His was a faith lived out more by what he did than what he said.”

In celebrating his life, the program for Saturday’s memorial service had the words of Albert Pine: “What we did for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”