Yough hires Scott Morrison as athletic director

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 | 6:22 PM

Scott Morrison plans to take sports at Yough in a different, fresh direction.

That’s not to say his longtime predecessor, Tom Evans, did not have things running smoothly as athletic director in Herminie.

It was quite the contrary.

Evans is well-respected in WPIAL circles for his decades-long work as an administrator, official and overall contributor to youth athletics on this side of the state.

Morrison plans to learn a lot from Evans, who is retiring after 27 years in the department. But just the same, he wants to put his own stamp on the position as he guides the Cougars past a troubling 2020 and into the future.

“I have huge goals for Yough athletics.” Morrison said. “I will be encouraging my coaches to think big and make sure our athletes think big. Our athletes will come first, and you will see new and fun things happening.”

Morrison, 43, is a Norwin graduate who works as a personal trainer at the Sampson Family YMCA along Golden Mile Highway in Plum. He played football, basketball and baseball at Norwin before playing a season of basketball at Mercyhurst Northeast and then transferring to St. Francis (Pa.) where he played football.

All along, even before he played some semi-pro football for the Pittsburgh Colts, Morrison knew he wanted to work in athletics in an official capacity.

“My career goal was to always be an athletic director at a local high school,” he said. “I have a deep passion for working with athletes and helping them achieve their goals.”

Morrison, who coached football as an assistant at Norwin and Plum, plans to meet with coaches and athletes soon.

The covid-19 dilemma that has plagued prep sports since March will be an added challenge but one Morrison is ready to face.

“One of the reasons I love sports so much is the life lessons that sports teach us,” he said. “We learn to focus on the things we can control and to use those things that we can control to try to overcome adversity. That is the mindset I will have taking over during these unprecedented times and during future adversity.”

Upcoming time spent with the departing Evans, Morrison said, will be the key to his transition.

Morrison interned at North Allegheny under Tigers AD Bob Bozzuto while completing his masters degree in sports management at IUP.

“I appreciate the members of the school board and hiring committee for believing in me and entrusting the athletic program with me,” Morrison said. “Tom Evans leaves a great legacy and huge shoes to try and fill. I will do my best to make him and the Yough community proud and continue on the path of greatness that Tom has left. I will most certainly take advantage of learning from his wisdom and experience. I am up for this great challenge and can’t wait to get started.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Yough