News Scrapbook 1959-1962

These are the last two installments of a three-feat11re series on University of San Diego baseball coach, rnke 11orrow. They werP. n\iblished on snccessi ve days starting Feb. ~3, 1960 in the San Diego Evening Tribune.

Duane Pillette, right in middle, .Taekle. Albright, U1ird from right in front. Chet Kehn. third from left in center and Louie Ortiz, bat boy on left. Two or Morrow' Legion teams won national title.

HIS BARK'S WO E THAN HIS BITE , Mor arns His 0 \\ Todd Jr, a hte- l)g fr end of l?rrow, tell th to y .of ho\\ he acquired th g. "Mike ,a ofliclat mg a football game with me l Ramona 11n turkey country). The fa began hrckling im ·Jo a couple of call he ma e. l!k,•'s ne<:k re red wit anger Finally, me one in the nd <:allcd out 'Hl'y re- Tu ·c) ec , call m right h name tu k "I ne, er J..n,·w a man who oyed s rts and comf)('ti• t1on of all kinds or who • uscept b!e to havmg j e playl'd on him as like' s y Todd Morrow al o was known "Bu ket ' and "Ducks 0 the Lak ., lorro V by hi fr1c d In and out of th coachln profe on ' ke \\ a 'i>n 11 flsh!-rig trip to the Cororado Is- net ,, 1th about 20 coe. es ) ea ago , ·hen the name B u c · e I , a hung on him, • Todd relate . ".Mike wa awfull) .sea Irk. While c o n d I t I on Bi!f Gard- ner aid 'It look like a bucket fish :>like'. When .i\Iike aw hi 'catch.' he diaserl me around the boat and wo md up throwing mt> m the ocean. • "Buckets" :,1orro\\ ,,as born. Todd can ~an sit and spin ) arn like th<' " for hours about the r faced Irlsllr-an. 1orrow \\rote an evlab!e ecorrl a an Ameriran Le- gion ba eball coach. He gJ1dcd Po t 6 to t ·o na- tional champion hip te m in '938 and 194 ard his 19-10 team reached tl'e na- tional fmal . ;\Jo O\\ ,1 a J..no\\ n a o ore dowr. all the l! In practice He'd

ames Ca\ er after battmg again their hard thro\, Ing coach. Morro\\ ne,·er 't ea y rdll- ers to hi. Wield In pie- game drill.·, either. He rifled the ball to hi mfielder. and sent ~creaming liners to the outfieldt'rs. A sen e of humor h'i bePn pa rt and parcel of orro1\ coarbing charac- ten tic It never wa more e1 dcr t than one day In the 1940's 111'en the Ca ers were pla:, m" In r son. Wi•h the ball game tied up, torrow becarnP tht' target of a Tue- on heckler. Then San Di- ego exploded for se\ eral runs in the eighth inning to take a commanding !Pad. As the runs poured aero the plate, a b am ng • lor- row turned to the tands and houted '"You oken; had b tter call the Tucson Fire Department to put us out:" The heckler was si- lenced

he ,,as lajing down in the ub!n we tied a bu<'ket on h! line. It looked like a strike and J\llke trugg!ed to t e line in a 1ckc1'ed

. pitch bat•ing practice to the kids like he wa pitching In the ·world ··erics. The prep i; tchers ,, ere 'Pas • for the

THE SOUTH RN CIIOSS, THUIISDA , FEBIIUAIY 25, 1960 Teams Slate Action In Pomona I

l\lE. IORIES - Mike forrow, veteran prep baseball coach, looks over list ot ome of hi past San Diego High

champions. More than 60 of his pro- teg have entered pro baseball ranks. He retires in June.

p iler' of

ard Seasons Philly; Duane Pillette, ex-New York Yankee, and Chet Kehn o! the Brooklyn Dodgers. Morrow stressed the "three C's" to his ballplayers. "They're confidence, · coolness and craft," says Morrow. "Without them, I don't think ,a kid has much of a chance of breaklqg Into the big time." Mike's gr ea test !>a(isf1H tlon from roaehing "was to iollo\ · the kids' ca- rl'ers and see them go on !n life." :Mor- row is as proud of the e 1°1 eers, poli<'e captains, coaches, teach $ and busi- nessmen he's had a hand i11 raining as he Is of the professional bn!l.player.11 w learned their fundamentals und<>r him. One of his most famous -student was Art Llnklctter, televi~,c,n personality, who played Class B basketball for like. l\lorrow has served undl'r, three princi- pals at San Diego High Glenn Perkins, John Hazeltine and Lorrie Can·. fter rl'linquishing the Cave scball r ms to Les a sie in 1950, Mike coachl'd sev- <'n yea1 at San Diego Junior College before taking 1he USD post. Oue of the highlighh or .\lorrow•s long c·oachrng ,·areer c-ame la,;t year when he rl'lurnr.d to the University of Califor- nia campus as head coach of the USD ha ebal! team. Mike J a. enjo victorie~. but none any morP th the Pionrers' Johnny Reb I that day, a 5-3 win over the vet tor's alma mater. Some of 1\ classmates were there in Ber watch him In his moment of glo . In the twilight of his long and colorful career, Mike still is enjoying the thrills and disappointments that have been such un Important part of his life. ['hat's what keeps the 62-year-old coach of ehampions going. e's• old Icy to

Is

(EDITOR'S NOTE-This in a series ol three artides tracing the colorful coaching career of Dewey J. (Mike) Morrow, who retires from the San Diego city schools system in lime]. illy l'A L COUR Ted Williams put his arm around :\like :'\1orrow at a reunion for the Boston Red Sox slugg1 r here last spring and said, "H<>rP's the g v th, t «poilcd our base- ball SPa ons at Hoo, er." Iloover never won a ~erws from San D"ego High \\hile Williams was pla ·in1< tor tht! Cardinals agn!nst the l\lorrow- coached Cave1 s. l\lorrow's club beat Hoo,·er, 13-11, ln the quartPrfinals o! the Southern California playoffs In 19.16 Williams' last high school game. Ted was the losing pitd1er. Morrow nc\·er ,viii forget the game end thf' long home run V."illiams smashed that day in Bal- boa Stadium. The next time Jorrow met n1111am wa a s1:1rpri e cetlng. Uke joined the avy ln 1913 and was nt the University of Korth Ca , for indoctrination. Coming out of c ape! onP day, Morrow 1P!t someone jab him in lhP rlbs. "Hi, coach," Ted greeted l\likl' As a boy, Williams spent many hours talking b seball Ith J\Ionow at the lat- ter's ho n . Mik oached :an Di<'go's most far;nous hall son or part o! one Legion se u 1, taking over the Hoo- , er Post entry uring the Ill ess of the. regular Cardinal co~(·h. More than 60 of :Morrow's prep pro- teges entered the profes ional ranks, Among those Mo r r o w students who • made it to tii major league were Solly Hemus. present ma 1ager o[ the St. Lou- ls Cardinals: J ck llat·SRman, Cleveland Indians: Bob l sher, Px-Wash!ngton Sen- ator; Jackie Alht·ight, ex-Philadelphia tlie last