[12/1/05]

Brett Morgan’s topsy-turvy football career ended in jubilation Saturday with the former Warren Central standout in his most comfortable position on a football field: At quarterback.

Coach Sylvester Croom allowed Morgan, the team’s jack-of-all-trades player, to take the final snaps of the Bulldogs’ 35-14 win over archrival Ole Miss.

The snaps were a culmination to a career that saw Morgan get recruited by Jackie Sherrill, shuffled from position to position and see limited playing time.

Never did he complain. He just did whatever the team needed to be successful.

Most of this year he spent on special teams and as the holder. In high school, he punted, played quarterback and defensive back and held for the place kicker. But when he got to State, he battled and battled trying to follow his older brother Rob’s footsteps as the Bulldogs’ quarterback.

Then Jackie Sherrill resigned and Croom assumed the top position. Morgan again was shuffled around until finding a home as a special teams player. At one point, coaches tried to get Morgan to switch positions, but the senior said he would rather be listed as a quarterback and learn the intricacies of the game.

Sounds a lot like a coach, doesn’t it?

Of course if Morgan does not go into coaching it will be a bigger shock. His father, Robert, has been coaching at Warren Central in varying capacities for more than 35 years. Rob is an assistant coach at Starkville High and Josh, the middle brother, is a graduate assistant at Memphis.

Brett Morgan will graduate soon and likely end up coaching football somewhere.

More impressive than his team attitude, his willingness to sacrifice for the better of the team, is the fact that he was named one of three permanent captains for the 2005 Bulldogs’ season.

The other two captains? Jerious Norwood, the Conerly Trophy winner and the school’s all-time leading rusher, and Kevin Dockery, a defensive back who has played in 43 straight games since beginning at State. Both have made huge contributions on the field for a team that is seeking a return to its winning ways. Morgan made his biggest impact off the field.

Many times, players are judged by their physical size and playing statistics. If that were the case, someone like Brett Morgan would likely get overlooked for someone with bigger numbers.

The commitment and contributions he made in his four seasons in Starkville will be felt for a long time.

His being named captain validated that career.