Joe Leonard Morgan was a famous baseball player regarded as one of the greatest second basemen of history. He achieved both the heights of personal and team success with Cincinnati Reds. The manager of Cincinnati Reds, Sparky Anderson, stated in 1975 that “I have never seen anyone, and I mean anyone, play better than Joe played this year.”
In his early stage of baseball struggle, he was always ignored due to his small height. Until he signed for Houston Colt and made a considerable achievement, he was underestimated continuously even by professional teams. He also faced racism in his early career, and due to this, he even thought to quit baseball.
But Morgan eventually achieved the fame of being one of the best baseball player ever in history. With his excellent hitting and running skills, he helped his team win two “World Series Championships” in two consecutive years in 1975 and 1976.
In this article we’ll look at 20 amazing facts about Joe Morgan’s life and career.
1. Birth and Early Life
Joe Morgan was born on September 19, 1943, in Bonham, Texas to Ollie and Leonard Morgan. Ollie and Morgan had six children, and Joe was the oldest. When he reached the age of five, his family moved from Bonham, Texas to Oakland, California. He spent his childhood with an interest in ball games such as basketball, baseball, and football. Due to his small height, he got the nickname “Little Joe”. At that time, no one knew that this kid was going to make history in the game of baseball.
2. Morgan at Thirteen
Joe Morgan got his early education from Castlemont High School and played his first game of baseball at the age of thirteen. He played very well, but the pro scouts underestimated his skills due to his small physique. He also faced difficulties in playing because he couldn’t adjust his elbow at a proper height and thus couldn’t hit correctly. Then one of his friends suggested that he flap his back arm to keep his elbow straight. The advice appeared to be valuable, and Morgan gained a significant advantage in the swing. Morgan’s fans associate his flapping motion of arm with his height and shape of the body.
3. The Beginning of Morgan’s Career
Joe Morgan got admitted at Oakland City College. His career started by signing with the Houston Colt.45s in 1962 which later changed its name to Houston Astros. He polished his ultimate and stunning skills while playing for Houston Astros. Morgan loved his first team and stated that “I still have very close ties to Houston and the Astros because that was my first team.”
4. Ten years with Houston Astros
Joe Morgan played ten seasons for Astros from 1962 to 1971 and thus made his name in the game of baseball. His achievements at that time included 72 home runs and 219 stolen bases. In these ten years of performance, Morgan also suffered some serious injuries. One of these injuries was a knee injury during batting practice which resulted in him not being able to play in the next 40 games.
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5. Morgan’s Issues with Astros’ Manager
Joe Morgan was a faithful member of Houston Astros, but later he had some issues with Astros’ manager, Harry Walker. Due to these misunderstandings, he left Astros and transferred to the Cincinnati Reds and became the part of a high-profile team of 8 players.
6. Awards with Cincinnati Reds
Joe Morgan amazed everyone with his fantastic hitting skills with the Cincinnati Reds in 1972. Morgan, with the contribution of his team members, is the reason why the Reds won the “National League” and the “National League Championship Series.”
7. Five years, an Award, and Morgan
During the season of 1973, Joe Morgan won the “National League West Division” with the Cincinnati Reds. His deadly hitting skills, batting strength, running speed, and outstanding fielding won him the “Golden Glove Award” for the next five years from 1973 to 1977.
8. A Child’s Dream Come True
In 1975, his dream came true and the year also proved to be a landmark year for both the Cincinnati Reds and Morgan. They won the “World Series” after 35 years by beating “Boston Red Sox” with a score of 4-3. Moreover, Morgan was awarded the “National League’s Most Valuable Player” of 1975. He stated that “when you are a kid growing up, you say you want to make it to the major leagues, and when you reach that dream, that’s what it’s all about.”
9. World Record with World Series
In 1976, the Cincinnati Reds with Joe Morgan in again won the “World Series” and continued their perfect performance by beating the New York Yankees by a clean sweep score of 4-0. Morgan was again awarded again the “National League’s Most Valuable Player”. After winning the match against the New York Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds became the first National League team to win two consecutive World Series since 1921 to 1922.
10. Leaving Cincinnati Reds
1979 was the Joe Morgan’s last season with the Cincinnati Reds but they still won the “National League West Division.” Still with the Reds, Morgan played against the Pittsburgh Pirates but lost the “Championship Series.” Morgan was now 36 years old.
11. Re-joining Houston Astros
In 1980, Morgan moved to Houston Astros and helped the young Astros team. He worked very hard with the team’s young players and helped them win the National League West Division. But they lost the “Championship Series” against “Philadelphia Phillies” by a score of 2-3. After losing the Championship Series, Morgan moved to San Francisco Giants in 1981, where he stayed for two years. In 1982, Morgan won two awards: the “National League Comeback Player of the Year” and “the Silver Slugger Award for Second Basemen.”
12. Morgan Retires
Joe Morgan retired in 1984, after playing for several teams and achieving outstanding awards. During his career, Morgan won two “World Series” and two “National League Most Valuable Player” awards. He achieved all this after going through some tough times in his life, including discrimination against his color and size.
13. Post Retirement Life
Joe Morgan didn’t truly retire. He became a university student and a television broadcaster as an active baseball Commentator. He studied at California State College and graduated with a B.A. in 1990, just because he had made a promise to his mother 27 years ago that he would get a degree. In the meantime, Morgan worked with major broadcasting outlets, including ABC Sports, NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports USA. In 2000, Morgan was appointed as the vice-chairman of the board of directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
14. Involvement with Charity
Joe Morgan had a soft and kind heart, so he joined several charitable and civic organizations. He especially loves to help and spend time with physically challenged children. He also joined the board of directors of the Baseball Assistant Team. In 2010, he again joined Cincinnati Reds as a special baseball operation advisor. At the same time, he became the host of a weekly radio program called “The Joe Morgan Show” on Sports USA.
15. Joe Morgan’s Life Achievements
Joe Morgan’s life was full of achievements and awards. The most famous of them are the following. He won consecutive “Gold Glove Award” for five years straight from 1973 to 1977.
With Cincinnati Reds, he won two consecutive “National League Most Valuable Player” awards in 1975 and 1976. He was inaugurated into the “Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame” in 1987 and the “Baseball Hall of Fame” in 1990.
16. Joe Morgan’s First Wife, Gloria Morgan
Joe Morgan first wife was Gloria Morgan. They had been dating each other since high school and got married on April 3, 1967. They have two children named Angela and Lisa. Unfortunately, their union ended in divorce in 1988.
17. Joe Morgan’s Second Wife, Theresa Behymer
Morgan married Theresa Behymer in 1990 (the year when he was inaugurated into the Baseball Hall of Fame). He became the father of twins: Ashley and Kelly. At Morgan’s funeral, Theresa stated that “Joe was one of a kind both on and off the field, he fought for what he believed in and dedicated himself to helping others rise and thrive. His example will inspire people for decades to come.” Throughout his life, Joe Morgan believed that “family is everything.”
18. Morgan Mistaken for a Drug Dealer
Joe Morgan was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport by two undercover police officers on March 15th, 1988 and claimed he was a drug dealer. Morgan was waiting for a flight to Phoenix to join a charity event. During the arrest, one of the policemen kneed him in the back and knocked him down to the ground. Morgan referred to this event in his biography: “Over the next hours, the nightmare deepened, and it was all because I was just another black man. No longer a celebrity, as anonymous as any other black man, I was exposed to whatever fury was going to be meted out.”After the police found out that they had captured the wrong men, they allowed Morgan to go. Morgan submitted a complaint against the police accusing them of rough handling and, after five years, in 1993, the issue was settled by Los Angeles City Council who paid US$ 796.000 to Morgan.
19. Joe Morgan’s Zodiac Sign
Morgan’s zodiac sign was Virgo and his traits lies entirely in the that of the Virgo sign. He was strong and happily faced all the challenges of life. Morgan’s biggest challenge was the discrimination he faced. Further, the traits of the Virgo sign include cheerfulness, loyalty, passion, perfectionism, and dominance. Morgan’s personality contains all these characteristics, and he proved them all in his long baseball career.
20. Joe Morgan’s Death
Joe Morgan departed this earth on Sunday, October 11th, 2020, at the age of 77. According to the family spokesperson, he died at home in Danville, California. Morgan had been suffering of several illnesses for the past several years, including a nerve condition known as polyneuropathy. Since 2015, Morgan had also been suffering from the Myelodysplastic syndrome which later was diagnosed as leukemia. Although he received bone marrow transplants from his daughter, he still couldn’t fight his many afflictions.
Conclusion
Joe Morgan’s life is a motivation for everyone who feels depressed because of any kind of discrimination they might encounter. Morgan faced all challenges in his life with great courage and determination. His death was a great sorrow for his family and fan but his life and accomplishments will never be forgotten.
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References: al.com, Record Searchlight, Baseball Hall, SABR, Youth Inc., Globintel, Black Facts, Famous Birthdays, Famous African Americans, Sun Signs, Britannica, Fact Snippet
