Randy Smith: Coach "Jo-Mo" Would Be Proud

It's hard to believe that former NFL great and former UTC head football coach Joe Morrison has been gone 26 years. Coach "Jo-Mo" as he was affectionately called around here, died of a heart attack while playing racquet ball when he was the head coach at South Carolina in 1988. It was no wonder that he was a winner everywhere he was; as a player and a coach. He was a member of the great New York Giants teams of the 1950s and 60s. He was a winner at UTC guiding the Mocs to at least a share of three straight Southern Conference Championships, before leaving for New Mexico. After a couple of successful seasons with New Mexico he was named the head coach at South Carolina, where he dressed the Gamecocks in all black uniforms and guided them to a couple of national rankings and a 10-win season.  

After Morrison left UTC, the program began a slow decline through the coaching tenures of Bill Oliver, Buddy Nix, Tommy West, Buddy Green, Donnie Kirkpatrick and Rodney Allison. One of Morrison's players at UTC in 1979 was a tough defensive back named Russ Heusman who was named the new head coach in 2009. Just this past weekend Coach Huesman's team ended its 2014 campaign with a 10-4 record, losing in the FCS quarterfinals 35-30 to top-ranked New Hampshire. After a long absence from the circle of success in college football, the Mocs have finally returned to glory under Coach Huesman. They tied for the SoCon title last year but failed to make the FCS post-season. This year, they were outright SoCon Champs with a perfect 7-0 mark in the league, and made the playoffs for the first time since 1984. They received a first round bye before blowing out Indiana State in the second round.

Everyone was proud of the effort the Mocs turned in at New Hampshire on Friday night. Football is now a positive relevant force in Chattanooga, and with most starters back including two-time SoCon Offensive Player of The Year Jacob Huesman, (the coach's son) the future is very bright for UTC football. The Mocs should have pulled off the upset of New Hampshire. A few questionable calls by the officials and a couple of turnovers by the Mocs allowed the Wildcats to pull out a five point win; even though the Mocs out gained them by almost 2-1.

But as Coach Morrison used to say, "If wishes and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a nice Christmas." After a great season like 2014, the coaches on Coach Huesman's staff and the Mocs themselves likely can't wait until off season workouts begin. 

There is a new attitude and a new swagger if you will, surrounding the UTC program.  No longer do football players hang their heads around campus, almost apologetically because they play football. No longer are they laughed at or ridiculed by fans from opposing schools. This may sound hard for some fans to believe, but with a first class facility to play in and with a consistent winning attitude in place now, the Mocs could develop into a "bell-cow" program in the FCS; a truly elite program that wins and does things the right way.

I'm sure that Coach "Jo-Mo" would be very proud of what Russ Huesman and his staff has done at UTC. I know I am! 

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