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Community
October 6 – 19, 2012
Coach from page 1
Jordan helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 3A state championship game and earned a full scholarship to the Division I University of California at Berkeley. After sitting out the 2011 season, common with freshmen, he’s currently playing defensive back.
Tragedy, triumph
A proud father, Bill says his success at Valley Christian coupled with the state championship in 2009 drew the family back to the Pecos Ranch community, south of Chandler Regional Medical Center. “Valley Christian, in a way, saved our life,” says Morgan. “I was not in a good place before I went there, and the players, teachers and community welcomed us with open arms in 2005. As a whole, it was a great experience.” The “not good place” was the aftermath of the death of his oldest daughter, Mishell, from epilepsy at age 18. He took his first sabbatical from coaching afterward. “Any time you lose a child, it’s the worst thing that can happen to anyone,” says Greg Morgan, one of Bill’s four brothers. “I think coaching was an outlet for him. He’s pretty focused when he’s got his mind set on something.” Morgan says he still thinks of Mishell daily, and he and Carla routinely share stories about her. “We still laugh and tease what Mishell would say or do nearly every day,” says the Missouri native. Morgan’s four brothers and wife all feel he should return to his great love – football – as soon as possible.
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FUTURE CHAMP: Jordan Morgan, right, was the quarterback and defensive back during the 2009 Valley Christian season. Jordan is currently playing for Cal in the Pac 12. Submitted Photo
“I think he’ll eventually get back into coaching, he loves it too much,” Carla says. Brother Tom Morgan, a former high school superintendent, feels his “baby brother” should elevate his skills to a higher level. “I’ve always felt Bill should coach at Arizona State University,” Tom says. When told, Morgan, a devoted family man, shrugs and points out that coaching at the college level would put a tremendous strain on a family. Last year, he passed his time training his youngest daughter, Nicole, then a left fielder for sports powerhouse Hamilton High School’s junior varsity girls’ softball team. Nicole also plays for the club team, Chandler Lady Dragons. “I was just as nervous when she was up at the plate as I used to be when I was coaching Jordan in title games,” Morgan says. This year, Nicole transferred back to
Valley Christian – where it all began. She’s currently a varsity cheerleader and will play on the school’s softball team in the spring. Her father’s break from coaching football the past two seasons has other family benefits. “I just spent a week in California watching Jordan’s practice,” Morgan says. “If I was coaching, I wouldn’t have been able to do that.” Pushed a little harder on his future, Morgan offers a confession that should excite area football fans. “I’d like to coach on the 5A level,” he says with a smile. “One of the Chandler schools, preferably.
CELEBRATING MAGIC: Jordan, Carla and Bill Morgan relive the magical 2009 championship season at a formal banquet. Bill Morgan has since taken a sabbatical from coaching. Submitted Photo
www.SanTanSun.com
Raising domestic violence awareness October is National Domestic Violence Month, and to raise awareness about the “prevalence of domestic violence in our community,” residents are invited to the free 4th Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Breakfast at 8 a.m. Tue., Oct. 9 at Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. The keynote Speaker is Honorable Judge Elizabeth Finn of Glendale City Court, along with Chandler City Prosecutor John Belatti. The event brings community agency representatives and community members together, and showcases available resources. The Chandler Domestic Violence Commission is one of only a few of the country’s commissions dedicated to domestic violence, according to Commissioner Susan StevensClarke. The members are appointed to the commission and work on two subcommittees: Domestic Violence Public Policy and Education and Public Awareness. While there’s no charge for the breakfast, RSVPs are requested to Katie Cain at Kathleen.Cain@chandleraz.gov.
Cody Matera of Pecos Ranch is an intern with the SanTan Sun News and student at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
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DECORATING WORKSHOP AT THE DOWNTOWN CHANDLER LIBRARY
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