GAA mourns death of renowned Armagh coach Morrison

THE world of GAA coaching was in mourning yesterday following the sudden passing of Armagh’s John Morrison.

Morrison (pictured) was involved with several inter-county teams, including his own Armagh, Antrim, Donegal, Mayo and Leitrim. He has also coached the Monaghan ladies in the past.

Most recently he was listed for involvement with the Wexford senior football team. At club level he played for managed and was even chairman of Armagh Harps.

Morrison was a larger-than-life figure, known for his eclectic and diverse range of coaching skills. He teamed up with Mickey Moran for a number of those inter-county managerial jobs and they were together with Mayo for the 2006 Connacht title win and All-Ireland final appearance. They were also together in Donegal and Leitrim.

In 2006, when Mayo beat Dublin in an epic All-Ireland semi-final he was caught up in controversy when Mayo opted to warm up at the Hill 16 end, prompting then Dublin manager Paul Caffrey to barge into him as both teams warmed up in a congested space. But Morrison and Caffrey enjoyed a strong friendship since.

His coaching and psychological approach was legendary. He famously sent the Mayo players a Valentine’s card that year “from Sam with love” while Armagh’s Paul McGrane was among those whom he got to practise catching balloons above their heads to improve their fielding technique.

“You came to Mayo as a stranger & left a legacy of much more than just football,” wrote former Mayo player David Brady.

He was one of the GAA’s master coaching tutors.