Francis “Frank” P. Morris ’60 transformed scholastic basketball on Long Island as the highly successful varsity boys basketball coach at Rockville Centre’s St. Agnes Cathedral High School from 1961-87.
“Frank was ahead of his time, applying the pressing tactics he learned playing lacrosse to the game of basketball,” noted Lou Carnesecca, the former St. John’s University basketball coach whose squads included players from St. Agnes.
“Forty years ago, he was one of the first coaches to employ a pressing man-to-man defense and the fast break offense that is so popular today,” added Carnesecca. “His innovative style has left an indelible mark on the game of basketball on Long Island.”
During his 26 seasons at St. Agnes, Morris had a 494-101 record. His teams won 18 divisional and 10 league titles. His squads won the 1978 and 1979 state championships and were the runners-up in 1981 and 1982. Among the many future collegiate players he mentored was Billy Donovan, who played at Providence and has coached the University of Florida to the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Division I Basketball Championships.
Morris graduated from Great Neck (N.Y.) High School and served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951-55. He entered Cortland in 1956 and played football for four seasons as a halfback for Coach Carl “Chugger” Davis. He earned a degree in physical education in 1960 and later earned a master’s degree in physical education from Adelphi University.
He joined St. Agnes in September 1960. In addition to coaching basketball, Morris was the golf coach for 27 years, head football coach for 10 years and assistant for 11 years, and the junior varsity basketball coach for a season.
Working with the Rockville Centre Recreation Department for more than 30 years, Morris organized and operated an immensely popular summer basketball program at Hickey Field for junior high, high school, varsity and adult teams that attracted competitors from across Long Island.
Morris left St. Agnes in 1987 and worked with the RMJ Government Securities Brokerage Firm in New York City for five years. He returned to coaching in 1992 at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, where his basketball squads had a 67-42 record over four seasons, including the 1994 and 1995 ECAC championships.
In 1996, Morris headed south to Florida, where he became head coach of the Mariner High School boys’ basketball team. In seven years, the veteran coach amassed a 150-52 record, four district titles and advanced to the State of Florida elite eight in two of those seasons before retiring in 2003. His famous “numbered break,” with his well-conditioned players spreading the court and attempting to get up more shots than the opponents, had earned Morris the same acclaim in the Sunshine State that he achieved on Long Island four decades earlier.
Morris, who died in 2004, was predeceased by his wife, Gail Butler Morris ’60. His is survived by their six children: Kevin, Michele, Susan, Debbie, Christine ’90 and Michael.
