University of North Carolina Athletics
Remembering Coach Morris
February 28, 2017 | Men's Tennis
Allen Morris, the UNC men's tennis coach from 1980-93 and a revered and respected figure in the tennis community, passed away Monday in Greensboro, N.C., at the age of 84. An incredible player who went on to become an outstanding coach, he embodied the highest standards of sportsmanship and all that is great about collegiate athletics.
For Morris' obituary and memorial information, click here.
Following is a remembrance from one of his former players.
By Joe Frierson
“Everybody on the fence!! Down and Backs! Boys, I don't want you loafing!” Coach Morris would bellow as he summoned his players to put their hands on the fence for “Down and Backs,” repeated full sprints the length of six tennis courts and back. After not nearly enough time to catch your breath between sprints, it began again: “On the fence! Gooooo!”
Small break.
“On the fence! Goooo!”
Allen Morris' mark is all over the world of tennis. While at Presbyterian College, he reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1956. In 1977 and 1978, Coach Morris won the United States Senior Clay Court Tournament in singles and doubles. As head coach at the University of North Carolina, he guided the Tar Heels to two ACC Tournament Championships, in 1990 and 1992, and two ACC regular season Championships, in 1991 and 1992. For his vast accomplishments in the sport of tennis, Coach has been inducted into seven (yes…s-e-v-e-n) Halls of Fame. However, Coach Morris' greatest contribution was the enduring mark he left on the lives of 13 years' worth of players wearing Carolina Blue.
Like the eight teams that came before us, my teammates from 1988-1992 have endless stories about Coach Morris. He made us laugh, he taught us how to work, and he helped us grow as players, but his lasting influence was on how we lived our lives. Coach had very high expectations for us as students, athletes and representatives of the University of North Carolina. It was sacrosanct that we represent UNC in a first-class way – the Carolina Way.
Whether it was in a pre-season practice or the finals of the ACC Tournament, Coach Morris demanded that we compete the right way. He expected us to be ultra-competitive, but Coach was unrelenting that we represent the University of North Carolina with class and respect. We knew there was a line that we simply could not cross. Our entire team admired Coach Morris as a principled man who would never compromise his values to win a tennis match.
Coach Morris cared deeply that we had an all-around collegiate experience. Knowing that we were at one of the nation's finest universities, he implored us to keep our grades up but was very cognizant of the great social environment in Chapel Hill. During a pre-season 6 a.m. workout after having been up until 3 a.m. (after 20+ years, it escapes me whether I was at the library or the DKE house), my stomach was not cooperating with the unending Down and Backs. Coach Morris, likely knowing EXACTLY where I had been, was thoroughly enjoying watching me pay for my ambitious social calendar. As I crumbled to my knees after each sprint, he would have a good chuckle, bend over with a wry smile and mockingly ask, “Joe, how ya feelin' pal? On the fence! Don't you loaf! Down and back, Gooo!”
With Carolina Tennis and its great history, it is very difficult for a coach to leave the program better than he found it. Coach Morris had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of Don Skakle, a legendary coach, but Coach did just fine. After 13 years at UNC, Coach Morris' last four teams finished top 25 in the nation, including the 1992 team that went undefeated in the ACC, won the ACC Tournament and made it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. To this day, Carolina Tennis benefits from Coach Morris' sage vision in 1989 when he hired a young assistant coach named Sam Paul, who is now in his 24th year as head coach for the Tar Heels and has Carolina Tennis among the nation's elite programs.
Coach Morris made a difference in my life and the lives of so many guys who came through the Carolina program. Thankfully, a month ago, while Coach was struggling but lucid, several of his former players got the chance to express to Coach what he meant to them and thank him for the impact he had on so many Carolina players. We all praised his influence, his mentorship, and his friendship. Coach proudly shared what it meant to him to hear from his “boys” at a moment of need.
At a Carolina Tennis reunion two years ago, Coach Morris drove up from Greensboro to visit us at the tennis center. Coach's breath was labored, his gait slower and his sharp wit duller. Not surprisingly, Father Time had his way with even a Wimbledon quarterfinalist. Before Coach Morris could even get inside the reception area, he was swarmed by his former players, who started retelling old stories of great victories or sophomoric behavior. Coach's eyes began to light up as long-forgotten memories came back to him.
It didn't take long before he was beaming and leading the storytelling of his favorite Tar Heel moments and player shenanigans. In the lobby of the Cone-Kenfield tennis facility, holding court with his former players doubled over in laughter, Coach's joyful smile belied the toll of 80+ years of life. For one morning, on one day in November of 2015, Allen Morris was no longer sick or frail. He was surrounded by his boys and he was just Coach. Our Coach. My Coach. And that is how I will always choose to remember him.
“On the fence, boys! Down and back! Goooo!!!!!!”
