Spotlight
The names you should know
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Troy Morrell, Richard Scott, Brandon
Misener
Troy Morrell
Head Coach, Butler Co. Comm. College
Why You Should Know Him: Troy Morrell, in just about a decade,
has gone full circle.
As a two-time high school all-state offensive lineman from Buhler, Kansas, Morrell
continued his playing career at Butler County Community College. He earned all-conference
and All-America honors with the Gizzlies in both 1990 and 1991. After briefly
coaching at Thomas More Prep High School in nearby Hays, Kansas Morrell was hired
to coach the offensive line at BCCC. Two years later he was promoted to offensive
coordinator, helping the team to back-to-back national titles. He then was the
first choice for the head coaching position when James Shibest left in February,
2000.
Since that time, the Grizzlies have won three consecutive Jayhawk Conference
titles, 27 consecutive conference wins, own a 25-0 home conference record, and
the 2003 National Championship. Morrell’s teams have a overall 42-6 record
during that span. His first squad finished 10-2 in 2000 and finished sixth in
the nation. The next year the Grizzlies lost to Georgia Military College in the
title game. The following season they lost again in the championship contest,
this time to Dixie College. The two teams met again in last year’s national
title game with BCCC emerging victorious as Morrell was honored as National Junior
College Coach of the Year.
Winning is not the only thing associated with Morrell’s football program.
His players move on to higher levels of football, graduate on time, and are community
oriented. His philosophy: Finish everything you do whether on the field, in the
classroom, or in life.
You can reach Coach Morrell at tmorrell@butlercc.edu.
Richard Scott
Free-Lance Writer
Why You Should Know Him: Kansas City native and free-lance sports
writer Richard Scott recently completed his first book now scheduled for
publication in late August. According to Scott, “Legends of Alabama
Football” brought his respect for the Alabama program to a new level.
The most difficult part “was leaving out a lot of great players that
deserved to be in the book but couldn’t be included because of space
limitations.”
Scott received a degree in Journalism from Missouri in 1985, and graduated into
a job as the Missouri football beat writer for the Columbia Daily Tribune. He
covered Auburn and the SEC for the Birmingham Post-Herald (1989-1996) as a sports
writer and has been a writer for American Football Monthly since 1995.
“I’ve been blessed throughout my career by having coaches take the
time and teach me parts of their offenses, their defensive schemes, their overall
philosophy,” says Scott. “I’ve been fortunate enough to attend
tape sessions and see how an actual game plan is developed. Chan Gailey (now
head coach at Georgia Tech) was especially helpful and, as a writer, I was able
to realize how dedicated coaches are to their profession.”
“As a member of the media, I feel we have to do a better job of understanding
the coaching profession and what goes into it. Likewise, coaches have to know
that each member of the media has a responsibility to his or her readers, listeners,
or viewers. There should be ways to educate each other.”
Scott will be in-and-around the Tuscaloosa campus this fall once the book is
published.
You can reach Richard Scott at rscottfree@aol.com.
Brandon Misener
Editor, D2Football.com
Why You Should Know Him: What do you do when you keep searching
for information and find very little about the subject no matter how much
research you put into it? Throw your hands up? No... you start an exclusive
web site on that subject.
That’s what Brandon Misener did four years ago. The creator and co-editor
of D2Football.com, Misener searched the internet and found little information
about Division II football. It prompted him to create an all-inclusive site where
fans can find information relating to the site. After two years of preparation,
Brandon contacted ShoalsWEB Internet Services in Florence, Alabama and D2Football.com
is the result.
The results have been gratifying. Primarily spreading the information by word
of mouth, the site started with less than 1,000 visits per day. This fall Misener
estimates an average of 15,000-20,000 visitors a day. Says Misener: “There
is more interest than ever before in our polls and the research we provide. Major
newspapers call often wanting more information on a player, coach, or program.”
A graduate of Northwest Missouri State with a degree in broadcasting, Misener
has worked in the media since 1990. He has been a regular contributor to American
Football Monthly.
“Each year more and more members of the media become more aware of our
site and our weekly polls. There are a number of D2 players in NFL camps each
year and, as a part of our service, we provide information to pro scouts. We
also have a sponsor-related affiliate program with the National Football League
Coaches Association that has enhanced our image and credibility.”
You can reach Brandon Misener at misener@d2football.com