Born July 1, 1941, Morrison is one of three contributors in this year’s class, joining Tim Gleason and Steve Leslie who will also be honored.
A 1959 graduate of New Wilmington High School, he is a 1965 graduate – he earned his undergraduate degree in business – of then Youngstown University, starting his professional career at YU upon graduation then moving over to athletics in 1967 when he became athletics business manager, a post that he held until his retirement in 1996.
He still serves as assistant director of the Penguin Club, the school’s tertiary support group of Penguin athletics and including his student time, he has spent seven decades as either an undergraduate or employee at his alma mater.
He began as a student assistant in the University business office, that coming in the summer of 1962, a post that he held until he graduated in 1965.
When he started his professional career, he was an administrative assistant in the YSU business office – they became a state school in 1967 – providing financial aid for students before taking over as the athletic department’s first ever business manager in 1968.
His first office in athletics was located in Kilcawley Center while the coaches offices were housed in Tod Hall. Those early years did not feature as many sports programs as the University offers today and he didn’t have the luxury of a computer, the internet, a cell phone or even a GPS.
Most notably, the teams had no home venue they could call their own with football relying on playing their home games at The Rayen School, Campbell Memorial High School or Austintown Fitch High School, and basketball relying on the South High School, Struthers H.S. and Austintown Fitch High School field houses.
Baseball played at either Evans Field, Pemberton Park or occasionally at Oakland Field while women’s sports were overseen by the AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) and still eight years away from being sanctioned by the NCAA at the time of his hiring.
When YSU had to rent portable lighting for games, it was Jim Morrison coordinating that effort and when snow became a challenge on game day, the entire Morrison family helped with the shoveling to clear seats for fans wishing to attend the game.
He coordinated road trips and fundraising events and was a huge part of the University’s effort to gain entrance into first, the Mid-Continent Conference and then the Ohio Valley Conference for its men‘s and women’s teams to participate.
Additionally, his expertise with numbers was called upon time and again as YSU built its very first ever home basketball arena, Beeghly Center, which was christened on December 2, 1972, in a game versus the Ohio University Bobcats then on September 4, 1982, Stambaugh Stadium became a reality and housed the Penguin football team when they played host to the Akron Zips on Dwight “Dike” Beede Field.
The ”Ice Castle,” as it has become known to opponents, has provided a home field advantage for the Penguins’ football teams and played host to some of the very best Division I-AA and FCS play-off teams.
In 1979, he served as President of CABMA (College Athletic Business Managers Association) and on two other occasions his services were summoned by the NCAA as he was chosen to serve on its Division I-AA football selection committee.
He played a key role in the development of the Penguin Club, which was started in 1974 and today, as its associate director, oversees its funding of scholarships and operating budgets for all athletics programs within the department.
He has worked under every YSU president and all six of its athletic directors, beginning with Willard Webster then with Paul Amodio, Bill Narduzzi, Joe Malmisur, Jim Tressel and current AD, Ron Strollo.
He has done everything from budgets, to travel, to ordering food, busing and scheduling, also taking care of housing for athletes as well as making sure cheerleaders and the band were taken care of at both home and away games.
He retired in from YSU in 1996 and has worked with the Penguin Club ever since his retirement.
He and his wife, the former Catherine Jean Gosnell, are the proud parents of two sons, Greg and Doug.
They have five grandchildren and reside in Poland.
