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Morgan Wootten

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Morgan Wootten
Biographical details
Born(1931-04-21)April 21, 1931
Durham, North Carolina,U.S.
DiedJanuary 21, 2020(2020-01-21)(aged 88)
Hyattsville, Maryland,U.S.
Coaching career (HCunless noted)
1956–2002DeMatha Catholic HS
Head coaching record
Overall1274–192
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
5 high school national (1962, 1965, 1968, 1978, 1984)
22Washington, D.C.(1961–1966, 1968, 1970–1973, 1978, 1979, 1981–1984, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2002)
33WCAC(1961–1968, 1970–1976, 1978–1985, 1987, 1988, 1990–1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2000

Morgan Bayard Wootten(April 21, 1931 – January 21, 2020) was an Americanhigh school basketballcoach for 46 seasons atDeMatha Catholic High SchoolinHyattsville, Maryland.He led the Stags to five national championships and 33Washington Catholic Athletic Conference(WCAC) titles. In 2000, he was the third high school coach to be inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fameand the first high school only coach to be inducted.

Early life

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Wootten was born inDurham, North Carolinaon April 21, 1931, the son of aUnited States Navyofficer Charles Thomas Wootten, Jr. and grandson of photographerBayard Wootten.He grew up inSilver Spring, Marylandand attendedGonzaga College High SchoolandMontgomery Blair High School,from which he graduated in 1950.[1][2][3]

Wootten enrolled atMontgomery Collegeand in 1951 began coaching baseball, football, and basketball at St. Joseph's Home and School for Boys, an orphanage inWashington, D.C.He transferred to theUniversity of Maryland, College Parkin 1953 and became the junior varsity basketball and football coach atSt. John's College High School.He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1956 with degrees in physical education and history.[1][2][4][5]

Coaching career

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In 1956, Wootten was hired as a history teacher and the coach of the football and basketball teams atDeMatha Catholic High SchoolinHyattsville, Maryland.Led by star playerJohn Austin,the basketball team won its first conference title in 1961 and the national high school championship in 1962. In 1965, Wootten made national headlines when his DeMatha team beatLew Alcindor'sPower Memorial Academyand ended its 71-game winning streak.[5]

Although his football teams had won three league titles, Wootten decided to focus on basketball after the 1968 season. He continued to teach world history to every DeMatha freshman until reducing his class load in 1980.[1][5]

When he retired in 2002, Wootten's career coaching record stood at 1,274-192. In 46 seasons as the head coach of DeMatha basketball, he won five high school national championships, 22 Washington, D.C. titles, and 33WCACchampionships.[2][6][7]Wootten has the second most wins as a head coach in the history of boys high school basketball, behindRobert Hughes.[8]

Wootten never had a losing record, with his worst performance coming in the 1957–58 season, when DeMatha went 17–11, the only year his team did not have at least 20 wins. He had two perfect seasons, the first coming in 1977-78 (28-0) and the other in 1990-91 (30-0).

More than a dozen of Wootten's players went on to play in theNBA,includingAdrian DantleyandDanny Ferry.Mike Brey,head coach ofNotre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball,also played under Wootten.[4][6]

UCLA basketball coachJohn Wooden(1910–2010) described his admiration for Wootten when he said, "I know of no finer coach at any level – high school, college or pro. I stand in awe of him."[9]In 2000, Wootten became the third high school coach to be inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,[1][10]and the first to be admitted solely as a high school coach.[2]His overall record at the time was 1,210 wins and 183 losses.[11]Wootten was one of the founders of theMcDonald's All-American Game,whose annualplayer of the year awardis named in his honor.[7]

During his coaching career at DeMatha, located just two miles (3 km) away from his alma mater, he received job offers fromNorth Carolina State,[12]Georgetown,andAmerican,as well as interest fromDuke,Wake Forest,andVirginia.Wootten turned down the offers, according toSports Illustrated,because the Maryland job, which was not forthcoming, was the only college job he wanted.[5]

Upon retiring, DeMatha hired former player and 1991 graduateMike Joneswho led the Stags from 2002 to 2021 after spending four seasons an assistant under Wootten.[13]

Personal life and family

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Wootten resided inUniversity Park, Marylandwith his wife, Kathy, whom he married in 1964. He had five children, Cathy, Carol, Tricia, Brendan, and Joe.[14][15][16]

In 1996, Wootten nearly died because of a malfunctioning liver and was quickly rushed to the hospital for a liver transplant. Several years later, aged 75, one of his kidneys failed, and he received a transplant; the donor was his son, Joe.[15]

Joe became a basketball coach atBishop O'Connell High SchoolinArlington, Virginia.Wootten and his son both led one of the largest camps in theUnited States,Coach Wootten's Basketball Camp, held inFrostburg, MarylandatFrostburg State Universityand at Bishop O'Connell High School.[17][18]

Wootten died January 21, 2020, at his home in Maryland, at the age of 88. He was surrounded by his wife Kathy and family.[1][15]

Media

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Wootten co-authored two biographies with Bill Gilbert:From Orphans to Champions(1979), andA Coach for All Seasons(1997).[19][20]

In 1992, Wootten wrote a manual for coaching,Coaching Basketball Successfully,with co-author Dave Gilbert. As second edition of the book was published in 2003, and a third edition in 2012, co-authored with Joe Wootten.[21]

In 2017, the documentary filmMorgan Wootten: The Godfather of Basketballwas released. The film explores Wootten's coaching journey from a baseball coach at a small orphanage to the first high school basketball coach in theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,as well as his personal and family life. It was produced and directed byBill Hayes,and features top coaches, players, and sports journalists, includingCoach K,Roy Williams,Mike Brey,James Brown,John Feinsteinand more.[22][23]

Wootten appeared in the 2020 documentaryBasketball Countyalong DeMatha alumsVictor OladipoandAdrian Dantley.Wootten is one of the individuals memorialized in the ending of the film.[24]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Dematha Stags(Washington Catholic Athletic Conference)(1956–2002)
1956-57 DeMatha 22-10[25]
1957-58 DeMatha 17-11[25]
1958-59 DeMatha 23–10[25]
1959-60 DeMatha 22-7[25]
1960-61 DeMatha 27-1[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1961-62 DeMatha 29-3[25] 1st[25] High School National Champions
1962-63 DeMatha 36-4[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1963-64 DeMatha 27-2[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1964-65 DeMatha 28-1[25] 1st[25] High School National Champions
1965-66 DeMatha 28-1[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1966-67 DeMatha 26-5[25]
1967-68 DeMatha 27-1[25] 1st[25] High School National Champions
1968-69 DeMatha 27-3[25]
1969-70 DeMatha 28-3[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1970-71 DeMatha 29-2[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1971-72 DeMatha 30-1[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1972-73 DeMatha 30-1[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1973-74 DeMatha 27-5[25] 1st[25]
1974-75 DeMatha 26-5[25] 1st[25]
1975-76 DeMatha 28-5[25] 1st[25]
1976-77 DeMatha 29-4[25]
1977-78 DeMatha 28-0[25] 1st[25] High School National Champions
1978-79 DeMatha 28-3[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1979-80 DeMatha 27-4[25] 1st[25]
1980-81 DeMatha 28-2[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1981-82 DeMatha 28-3[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1982-83 DeMatha 27-4[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1983-84 DeMatha 29-2[25] 1st[25] High School National Champions
1984-85 DeMatha 31-3[25] 1st[25]
1985-86 DeMatha 26-7[25]
1986-87 DeMatha 28-6[25] 1st[25]
1987-88 DeMatha 30-3[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1988-89 DeMatha 27-5[25]
1989-90 DeMatha 26-8[25] 1st[25]
1990-91 DeMatha 30-0[25] 1st[25] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1991-92 DeMatha 31-2[25] 1st[25]
1992-93 DeMatha 20-10[26]
1993-94 DeMatha 28-4[26] 1st[26] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1994-95 DeMatha 26-7[26]
1995-96 DeMatha 31-5[26] 1st[26]
1996-97 DeMatha 27-7[26]
1997-98 DeMatha 34-1[26] 1st[26] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
1998-99 DeMatha 28-4[26]
1999-2000 DeMatha 28-5[26]
2000-01 DeMatha 29-6[26] 1st[26]
2001-02 DeMatha 32-3[26] 1st[26] Ranked 1st in D.C. Area
Total: 1274-192[27]

National champion Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion

References

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  1. ^abcdeAsher, Mark (January 22, 2020)."Morgan Wootten, winningest high school basketball coach, dies at 88".Washington Post.
  2. ^abcdGoldstein, Richard (January 22, 2020)."Morgan Wootten, Acclaimed High School Basketball Coach, Dies at 88".The New York Times.
  3. ^Hayes, Bill (February 19, 2019)."Letter to the editor: A legacy connecting UNC and Duke".The Daily Tar Heel.
  4. ^abBorzello, Jeff (January 22, 2020)."Morgan Wootten, Hall of Fame high school hoops coach, dies at 88".ESPN.
  5. ^abcdKeith, Larry (January 29, 1979)."The Wizard of Washington".Sports Illustrated.pp. 28–32.
  6. ^abBrady, Erik (November 6, 2002)."Winningest prep basketball coach Wootten retires".USA Today.
  7. ^abBoykin, Nick (January 20, 2020)."DeMatha Catholic basketball coach Morgan Wootten placed in home hospice care, school says".WUSA9.com.RetrievedJanuary 23,2020.
  8. ^NFHS Record Book
  9. ^Banks, Don (April 3, 1987)."Teacher FIrst, Seldom Second, Wootten Has Built Monument to Excellence at Maryland's DeMatha High".St. Petersburg Times.
  10. ^"The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:: Morgan Wootten".www.hoophall.com.
  11. ^Maxwell, John(2003).Equipping 101.Nashville:Thomas Nelson.p. 15.ISBN9780785263524.
  12. ^30 for 30: Survive and Advance, Jonathon Hock, ESPN 2013, television.
  13. ^McManes, Chris (February 2, 2024)."DeMatha names basketball court in honor of former coach".The DeMatha Stagline.RetrievedMarch 1,2024.
  14. ^Zielonka, Adam (January 22, 2020)."Morgan Wootten, legendary DeMatha basketball coach, dies at 88".Washington Times.
  15. ^abcZimmerman, Mark (January 22, 2020)."Faith came in first place for DeMatha's Hall of Fame Coach Morgan Wootten".Catholic Standard.
  16. ^Plummer, William (November 20, 2000)."Wootten's Way".People Magazine.
  17. ^Bratcher, Drew (March 1, 2008)."The Son Also Rises: The Story of the Woottens and Basketball".Washingtonian Magazine.
  18. ^Burke, Mike (June 19, 2009)."Another memorable visit for the Woottens".Cumberland Times-News.
  19. ^Wootten, Morgan; Gilbert, Bill (1979).From orphans to champions: the story of DeMatha's Morgan Wootten(1st ed.). Atheneum.ISBN9780689110115.
  20. ^Wootten, Morgan; Gilbert, Bill (1997).A Coach for All Seasons.Masters Press.ISBN978-1-57028-150-1.
  21. ^Wootten, Morgan; Wootten, Joe (2012).Coaching Basketball Successfully 3rd Edition.Human Kinetics.ISBN978-0-7360-8372-0.
  22. ^Morgan Wootten: The Godfather of Basketball,retrievedJanuary 20,2020
  23. ^"Morgan Wootten Film | The Godfather of Basketball".Morgan Wooten Film.RetrievedJanuary 21,2020.
  24. ^Langmann, Brady (May 15, 2020)."A County in Maryland Produces a Wild Number of Basketball Stars. This Documentary Wants to Know Why".Esquire.RetrievedMay 15,2020.
  25. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeafagahaiajakalamanaoapaqarasatauavawaxayazbabbbcbdbebfbgbhbibjbkGlauber, Bill (January 14, 1993)."DeMATHA'S SUPER SALESMAN Wootten gets great deal from players".baltimoresun.com.
  26. ^abcdefghijklmno"Players".
  27. ^"Morgan Wootten, Hall of Fame high school basketball coach, dies at 88".CBSSports.com.January 22, 2020.
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