Jim Morris Position: Head Coach Experience: 7th Year

Morris is the only head coach in NCAA history to appear in the College World Series in each of his first six years at a program.

Head Coach Jim Morris was once again honored as the nation's finest college baseball coach when Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA named him as its National Coach of the Year this past season. In 1999, Morris guided Miami to a 50-13 overall record and the coveted National Championship at the College World Series in Omaha, NE.

In addition, Morris extended his NCAA-record streak of guiding a team to the College World Series in each of his first six years with Miami. Morris set the record in 1998 with five straight trips.

Morris' 1999 Coach of the Year honor from Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA marked his second such national award as Baseball America named him the 1994 Coach of the Year following his first season with the Hurricanes.

It would be easy for Morris to be satisfied after leading his team to the national title, fourth consecutive 50-win season and six straight trips to the College World Series in 1999. But Morris has tasted success everywhere he has been, and he knew when he came to the University of Miami in the fall of 1993 that there was no better place for a winner to be than at the helm of the Hurricane program.

When he came to Miami, this is how Morris thought it would be. The Georgia Tech program he built in his 12 years in Atlanta took on a lot of the qualities that Coach Ron Fraser had been so successful with at Miami. Morris has brought back both prestige and winning to Mark Light Stadium, and has the old-time fans remembering the "good old days," when it seemed like almost every season under Fraser would end in Omaha. Morris first went to Fraser in 1982 when he was given the task of rebuilding the baseball program at Georgia Tech.

"Jim came to me wanting to learn. He not only wanted to know why we did the things we do at Miami, but how to do it in a first-class manner," recalled Fraser.

For about a week Morris camped out at The Light. He took notes. He asked questions. He learned.

"Coach Fraser is like the President. You should learn from the best, Coach Fraser is the best," said Morris.

The Perfect Choice
Athletic Director Paul Dee officially appointed Morris Miami's eighth baseball coach on November 4, 1993. With his wife, Denise, at his side, Morris graciously accepted and opened a new chapter in his storied coaching career.

"This is a great honor, I'm very excited," said Morris. "The University of Miami has a baseball program I've always respected. It is a program that I've always admired."

"I'm extremely pleased that we've been able to attract to the University of Miami one of the most outstanding collegiate baseball coaches in the country," explained Dee. "Jim's experience in a major metropolitan market with several professional teams was an important aspect of his background outside his outstanding coaching ability.

"Another important aspect of Jim's background is that he was able to have successful teams at a highly competitive academic institution." Leaving Georgia Tech, which was the preseason No. 1 team in 1994, had to be tough, but the always candid Morris put it in perspective.

"I'm going from the No. 1 team in the country, to the No. 1 program in the country," he said.

Welcome to Miami
Morris' admiration for the Hurricanes' baseball program began when he first came in contact with it in 1973, as a 22-year old ballplayer. He asked Coach Fraser's permission to take ground balls on the new Tartan Turf that would later become a part of Mark Light Stadium. His meeting with Fraser and his chance to practice at the Light left an impact on Morris that he would not forget as he began his professional career.

Morris ended up playing two seasons in the Boston Red Sox chain. Though his playing days came to an early end, he quickly saw that he had a future in coaching.

A 1975 coaching stint at Appalachian State set the ground work. In 1976, he accepted the challenge of building, from scratch, a baseball program at Atlanta's DeKalb Community College's South campus.

Building the Best
At DeKalb, Morris started with no players and no field. After settling those "minor" issues, he quickly made a name for himself. His Eagles were nationally ranked three times in four years and advanced to the 1977 Junior College World Series. DeKalb finished second in just his second season. Morris added two more winning years at DeKalb before moving on to become an assistant coach at Florida State University.

Carrying the Tradition
On May 23, 1981, Morris received his second dose of Mark Light schooling. On that night, an overflow crowd packed The Light for a game vs. Florida State. Fraser, ever the showman, wasn't about to turn away a patron.

"Coach Fraser asked us if it was all right to rope off sections of foul territory down the lines. We said sure, and they were packed 10-feet deep in there. It was most incredible thing I've ever seen in college baseball. Fraser also asked us if we'd consider roping off the warning track, but we balked at that," added Morris.

"I remember how exciting that game was and it was the first game I saw at the University of Miami. It was an outstanding day for me."

Miami defeated the Seminoles, 14-6, that night in front of 7,268 fans. It was a big night for the Hurricanes and one that Jim Morris would never forget.

A year later Morris would accept a huge challenge in accepting the head coaching job at Georgia Tech. It was a reclamation project as the Yellow Jackets were on the back-side of four straight losing seasons and were 4-23 in their first two seasons in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

At Tech, Morris became the winningest coach in any sport in the school's history as his Yellow Jackets accomplished the following:

1. 12 straight winning seasons.

2. Nine straight NCAA regional berths.

3. Four straight Atlantic Coast Conference titles in 1985-86-87-88.

4. A Tech record 51 wins in 1987 and average of 40 wins a year.

Over 100 professional baseball players have played collegiately under Morris, including Major League All-Stars Kevin Brown of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox.

Coaching Record

Education & National Honors

Morris' Baseball Experience

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