Jul 3, 2017 6 min read

Jim Morris’ coaching and teaching career has been a pretty picture.

And the most successful and longest-tenured coaches will say there is an art to remain enthusiastic and excited after more than 50 years.

Morris has conquered the coaching art.

The excitement and nerves remain after all these years.

And the enthusiasm for coaching football and leading young men is evident in his voice, his smile and his actions.

At 75, and in his sixth decade of coaching, Jim Morris is one happy and motivated guy.

“I just love coaching,” Morris said. “I get excited when the boys pick something up we are teaching them – when we get a point across. I still have fire. I’m nervous before games. It’s just a part of me.”

Morris, an assistant football coach at Chartiers-Houston High School, coordinates the Bucs’ special teams. He also coaches the defensive ends and the offensive line.

His career began in the 1960s at Avella High School as an assistant coach. He became the leader of the Eagles’ football team and was an integral part of Avella advancing to consecutive WPIAL championship games in 1975 and 1976. Despite losing in both title games, the Eagles won the Tri-County South Conference both seasons.

Morris started his career in 1965 and served as Avella’s athletic director for 18 years. He was an Eagles assistant football coach for 12 years and the head coach for 17 years.

He was a career-long art teacher.

“When I came out of college, I was really interested in football and I was offered a job. I was really excited about it,” Morris said.

In addition to football, Morris also coached wrestling and baseball at Avella.

As the Eagles’ wrestling coach, Morris helped lead Avella to a WPIAL second-place finish. As baseball coach, Morris led Avella to three WPIAL playoff appearances.

He has also served as an assistant baseball coach at Avella and an assistant girls basketball coach under Jim Matalik.

“One of the differences between then and now is that when you asked them to run the field they did it without any thought or the slightest hesitation,” Morris said. “It also seems like in those days there wasn’t as much to do. There is so much for young people now. And there is much more parental involvement.”

Morris also had to deal with a difference between high school and collegiate athletes when he became an assistant coach at Washington & Jefferson College, joining former

Presidents’ coach John Luckhardt’s staff.

At W&J, Morris served as special teams coach and provided a experienced, steady hand to Luckhardt’s all-star-like coaching staff.

“The difference in high school and college in terms of game day is that instead of most of the players staying on the field for almost all of the special teams, in college there are numerous names on all the different specialties. My charts at W&J could have 30 names or so, six special teams and a much faster pace. At first, I was like ‘Oh, my God.'”

Morris stayed at W&J for 13 seasons, first under Luckhardt and then John Banaszak. Morris was part of the staff for two Alonzo Stagg Bowls – the NCAA Division III National Championship – where the Presidents lost to Wisconsin-La Crosse and later to Albion.

“There was a lot of excitement,” Morris said. “We had a great staff. We worked hard and had fun. And of course, Lucky (Luckhardt) would get into you if something wasn’t right or went wrong.

“Bannie (Banaszak) would laugh at me after a scolding from Lucky and say, ‘Jim, there’s a little bit less of you in the back.’ It was a special time and special people.”

Luckhardt counts Morris as one of the most special.

“He was a veteran coach and had seen so much,” Luckhardt said. “He took over special teams and did a tremendous job. It was difficult because if we got up 30 or 40 points, he’d be re-placing five or six starters and that could involve 30 or 40 guys. He did amazing.

“Because of his personality, he got along with the players and they understood him. He was always on top of things. He was the first coach to practice. He was instrumental in preparing our special teams’ game plan each week. He made it an essential purpose to ensure everything was right.”

Luckhardt also revealed that Morris used his artistic talent to develop a new logo for the football team that was used for more than 20 years.

“He is a great artist,” Luckhardt said.

Morris grew up in Rock Station, around Route 22 and Route 30 going toward Pittsburgh International Airport.

“If you blinked your eyes, you would miss it,” he said. “There were three streets.”

He attended St. Joseph’s in Mt. Oliver before going to South Hills Catholic – now known as Seton LaSalle High School – to play football. He was a four-year starter at halfback. He also played baseball.

Morris went St. Francis Prep School to play guard on the offensive line before going to Indiana Teachers College – present day Indiana University of Pennsylvania – to return punts before a career-ending injury.

His coaching career began as a volunteer at Canevin Catholic High School and as a volunteer at Blairsville High School, where he student taught.

He coached wrestling at Avella under Ray Bazolli before taking over the program and football under Dick Novak.

Morris wishes parents would allow their children to play multiple sports, rather than focusing on one sport year around.

“I’d like to see linemen compete as wrestlers,” Morris said. “And for kids to try different things. I believe in lifting at a certain age but the more well-rounded a child can be the better.”

While many coaches get burned out or no longer want to deal with obstacles, Morris continues to enjoy himself and retiring from coaching has not entered his mind.

“As long as I have the fire in my bell, and it certainly is there, I will continue to coach,” Morris said. “Working under John Luckhardt, Bannie and now Terry Fetsko, I have thoroughly en-joyed my opportunities. They all gave me autonomy and rarely overruled me. I appreciate that. And when they did, I under-stood that. I have had so much fun.”

Morris and his wife, Toni, who reside in the “Brown Town” area of Avella, have three children, Andrea DeFabbo, Nicole and Jason Morris and three grandchildren.

“I’ve never really felt like giving it up,” Morris said of coaching. “It feels comfortable for me at Chartiers-Houston and working with Terry. I like the atmosphere. I love the competition and the excitement I feel.”