Subscribe today for full access on your desktop, tablet, and mobile device.
Already a print edition subscriber, but don't have a login?
Manage your account settings.
View the E-Newspaper
View your Insider deals and more
Member ID Card
Dan Morris deserves Hall of Fame distinction | Opinion
Dan Morris deserves Hall of Fame distinction | Opinion Dan Morris deserves Hall of Fame distinction | Opinion Check out this story on jacksonsun.com: https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/opinion/2019/07/12/dan-morris-deserves-hall-fame-distinction-opinion/1712643001/
Brandon Shields, Jackson Sun Published 7:36 a.m. CT July 12, 2019
We need to take a minute and recognize an accomplishment for probably the most well-known, loved and missed former staffer from The Jackson Sun.
Dan Morris was officially inducted this week into the Tennessee Sports Writers' Association's Hall of Fame for his career as sports writer and sports editor.
After growing up in Cheatham County, Dan came across to the good side of the Tennessee River when he went to UT Martin for college and stayed here when he got a job in The Sun's sports department after graduation.
Dan was definitely good enough at his job to move up in the world of journalism in the 1970s and 80s, but he met a girl in Jackson named Lisa, married her and settled here, raising two children while working as sports editor and later transitioning to columnist and features writer in news.
Truth be told, when former editor Steve Coffman knew there was a good idea for a story or series of stories to be written and he wanted done right and in a way that would win awards, he knew to walk to Dan's desk, tell him his idea and let Dan run with it. Dan was our ringer at awards time when he was on staff.
My arrival as sports editor in 2008 ended Dan's final run as interim sports editor, which lasted nearly a year as the paper went through a time in 2007 when it was trying to fill multiple positions, including publisher after Ed Graves' departure made way for Roy Heatherly's return to Jackson.
As good as Dan was at his job, he kept his priorities in line with his faith and his family being more important than his job. And he made sure to make that point to me when I came here. After finding out we had similar raisings in church and coming up in the same denomination, Dan directed me to a church of that denomination that was full of old friends of his and his family's that I began attending.
I didn't come into work for my second day on the job because Dan learned on my first day that my dad was set to have surgery in Birmingham the following morning when I took a call from my sister when we were at dinner. Long story short – he told me to get to Alabama to be with my family if I felt the need to because the job would still be here when I got back. That's the kind of man Dan is.
I'd learn over the following years what kind of journalist he was. Stories he wrote between 2008 and 2012 included one that caused the state of Tennessee to review how persistent they are in their inspections of dams across the state and another that looked at local public swimming pool inspectors' slacking in maintaining high health standards for our local places to keep cool. Retail store owners around here took the alcoholic beverage Everclear off their shelves after Dan did a story shining a light on its dangers as it was linked to multiple deaths related to alcohol poisoning with little consumption by the victims. And many remember the series he did highlighting the greatest generation with many local World War II veterans' stories of military service and life afterward.
His most remembered story is from his sports days when he did his job as a journalist and went back to do a thorough story on legendary Milan football coach John Tucker when he was about to become the winningest football coach in TSSAA history. Dan researched all the years Coach Tucker coached and found that his win total was off and he wasn't as close to breaking the record as everyone thought he was. Dan did what he had to do and told Tucker about what he found privately in his house in Milan. Tucker initially was irate with Dan but eventually was glad to make sure to have the record set straight.
I can say from experience that Dan has set the bar for journalists at The Jackson Sun. I hope to do this job for two or three more decades, and I doubt I'll ever work with a reporter as good as Dan.
It was good for the TSWA to recognize Dan for his work over his career. But those of us who know Dan knew he was a Hall-of-Famer long before this week.
Brandon Shields is the editor of The Jackson Sun. Reach him at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 731-425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon or on Instagram at editorbrandon.
Read or Share this story: https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/opinion/2019/07/12/dan-morris-deserves-hall-fame-distinction-opinion/1712643001/
Commission could've avoided nepotism concerns in Sheriff's Office | Opinion
A culture of ignorance | Opinion
Training with JPD was an eye-opening experience | Opinion
An update on the Medicare wage index rule | Opinion
A letter from Doris Black | Opinion
New city leaders need to be ready to make tough choices | Opinion