Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Field of memories
UM baseball coach Morris retiring with trove of magic moments.
CORAL GABLES — Jim Morris isn’t quite sure when it will hit him.
Maybe it will be Saturday night, after Miami wraps up its final homestand of the year against Boston College and he’ll walk off the field at Mark Light Stadium for what will most likely be the last time.
Or maybe it will happen next week in Durham, N.C., when the Hurricanes finish play at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Morris doesn’t know when the realization will truly sink in that his remarkable 25-year run as Miami’s baseball coach is over, but he does believe that run has the potential to go a little longer than some might have thought even just a few weeks ago.
The young Hurricanes are 25-25 and enter the final weekend of the regular season riding an 8-game win streak. If they win the ACC Tournament, the season will continue. Anything short of that, even with a sweep of Boston College, will more than likely have Miami on the outside looking in for the second straight year.
A final NCAA Tournament berth would mean the retiring coach would have a few more chances to wear the uniform that has become so ubiquitous on him players aren’t fazed when they see him sporting it hours before the first pitch of the day is thrown.
“It’s 8 a.m. and [No.] 3 is ready for a 1 o’clock game,” Hurricanes outfielder Michael Burns said laughingly, using the
“I’ve had all the fun and punishment any person deserves.” Jim Morris, UM baseball head coach
nickname players have bestowed on Morris because of his jersey number. “He has his pants on at breakfast and his hair’s always looking like he just got out of the shower. It’s the little things like that that I’ll always remember.”
There are, of course, many other memories Burns and other Miami players past and present can recall from Morris’ time in Coral Gables.
Heading into this weekend’s final regular-season series against the Eagles, there have been more than 1,000 wins at Miami and more than 1,500 wins in the entirety of his 41-year career. Morris has led the Hurricanes to 13 College World Series appearances and two national titles. While Morris has been at Miami, 166 of his players have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft, with 24 going on to play in the big leagues.
And then there are the moments that haven’t always been as glamorous, like when Burns — who was being recruited by Miami after a stint at Cisco Junior College — was diagnosed with a rare soft tissue cancer that could have ended his baseball career.
Morris didn’t stop recruiting Burns after the outfielder’s diagnosis or pull his scholarship offer. Instead, the coach and his staff provided Burns with encouragement and reminded him that when he was ready, they still wanted him to be a Hurricane.
“It made me feel like I did something just getting a call from Miami and that’s because of him,” Burns said. “Then to hear him call me back when I had things go wrong and he called and wanted me to still come here, it’s a testimony to the kind of people they are, all of them, and that’s all led by 3. It’s been awesome to play for him and pick his brain and listen to the stories that he tells. … He’s taught me how to handle hard times and he leads this program the way it’s supposed to be done.”
Burns is hardly the only Hurricane grateful for the impact Morris has had on his life. Earlier this year, dozens of former players returned to Miami for the baseball team’s preseason banquet and alumni game. Later, many of those former players surprised Morris with a sort of roast in his honor at a Coconut Grove hotel, regaling him with stories and their memories of their former coach.
When the Hurricanes hosted UCF last month, Knights coach Greg Lovelady — who was the catcher for both of Miami’s national championship teams under Morris — presented the coach with an inscribed wooden replica of home plate that recalls some of the time the two spent together.
Today, that gift is displayed prominently in Morris’ office, a sign of the bond between the coach and his mentee.
“You remember all the great things he’s done for the program and to take what coach [Ron Fraser] really built and continue that, it can’t be easy,” Lovelady said of Morris. “You look at all the championships, the trips to the World Series, he’s done such a great job with that and just in college baseball in general. He’s been one of the pioneers of taking this game and moving it forward to what it is today. I’m grateful for everything he’s done, not just for me, but for the program and for college baseball in general. … It’s just weird to think about the University of Miami baseball program without Coach Morris in the dugout, leading the way. … He’s done so many positive things for the program.”
Morris, who has often said he wouldn’t be at Miami without Fraser’s encouragement or without the commitment given to him by late UM athletic director Paul Dee, doesn’t know what will come next, once he takes off that Miami uniform for the last time.
He plans to spend time with his family, including his wife, Nhan, and 6-year-old son, Will, both of whom are regular visitors at Mark Light Field, along with the family dog, Bentley. There may be a few rounds of golf and some sessions at the gym. Maybe he’ll even pursue a kind of second career in real estate, which has always been one of his hobbies.
For now, Morris says he doesn’t foresee himself pursuing opportunities in baseball — or even coaching Will’s youth league team. After two tough seasons during which the Hurricanes have struggled, he acknowledges it’s the right time for him to leave the dugout.
That will might mean taking a break from the game that has defined much of his life since childhood.
He expects it will be bittersweet once the final out of his final game — whenever that may be — is recorded.
“I’ll miss going on the field, that’s for sure,” Morris said. “But it’s the right time for me. I’m 68 years old and I’ve spent 41 years as a head coach. I’ve had all the fun and punishment any person deserves. There’s been a little bit of both, but I’ve always had a lot more fun. … I’ll miss the players and the competition. There’s so much that has made this special.”
“I’ll miss going on the field, that’s for sure.” Jim Morris, UM baseball head coach