David Morgan (2023) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

David Morgan

Induction:
2023
Class:
1998

David Morgan
Wrestling (1995-1998)
Ferndale, Mich.
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2023

Records are meant to be broken, but for former Spartan wrestler David Morgan, his program-best 44 single-season victories at 118 pounds in both 1997 and 1998 pose a challenge that seems insurmountable in today's wrestling landscape.

"Looking back at it now, I don't know if anybody's going to break that record based on the amount of matches that guys wrestle now," said Morgan. "It's great to see after this many years that those records still stand."

This fall, Morgan is set to become the 10th Spartan wrestler and the 12th member of the Michigan State wrestling program to be inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame. Legendary MSU head coaches Grady Peninger and Fendley Collins are only non-Spartan grapplers among the bunch for a program that has now seen seven inductions over the last decade, a testament to the historic greatness of the program.

"I was really surprised when I took the phone call from (MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics) Alan (Haller)," said Morgan. "Shock was my initial reaction; the news almost brought me to tears. To be just the 10th wrestler inducted is unbelievable and is something that I'm really proud of. It's something that's going to be really good for our family and our community. It still feels like a dream, but at the same time it made me reflect on a lot of stories and the different people that had a hand in this happening."

With his father as his coach, Morgan started wrestling in the basement of his childhood home at the age of nine. Morgan's father, Charlie, wrestled on the first Ferndale High School wrestling team in 1968 and continued with the sport in 1969.

"My dad always tells a story of how he wished that he started wrestling earlier because of all the benefits that he got from the sport," said Morgan. "He made it one of his missions to train myself, my brother and other kids in the community to get them involved in the sport early."

Morgan spent one season at Morgan State wrestling alongside his brother, also named Charlie, before making the difficult decision to return to his home state and wrestle for the Spartans. At Morgan State, Morgan went 23-10 and was an NCAA qualifier.

"I was recruited to Michigan State out of high school, and I was really attracted to MSU at the time," said Morgan. "Even when I go back to campus now there's just this feeling about East Lansing, a good feeling in your stomach and your mind when you're walking on campus.

"My senior year I was deciding between Michigan State and Morgan State along with a couple of other schools. On my recruiting visit Coach (Tom) Minkel laid out what the plan was potentially going to be for me at Michigan State, and based off of what the situation would have been, I thought it was a better decision to go to Morgan State to compete for a starting spot immediately. I was able to do that my first year there, but although I loved it there as well, I didn't feel like it was going to be able to get me to the place that I wanted to be athletically."

Two members of the Spartan wrestling program that helped shape Morgan's career once he arrived in East Lansing were Kelvin Jackson and current Michigan State head coach Roger Chandler. Jackson was the 1995 NCAA Champion at 118-pounds, the same weight as Morgan, during Morgan's first year on campus as a redshirt. It was Jackson's record setting 42 wins during the 1994-95 season that Morgan surpassed the following year to break the program record.

"KJ and I were really tight," said Morgan. "When I transferred in, I was driving to campus and my car broke down. My dad had to pick me up and take me to the wrestling offices. I showed up with only two or three bags and Coach (Tom) Minkel, Coach (Dave) Dean and Coach (Joe) Pantaleo told me I'd be staying in an apartment with Kelvin. We were roommates from the first time I came to campus, so we were hanging out and working out every single day. It was important for everybody on the team at that time to see that you could win national titles at Michigan State and KJ and Dan Wirnsberger were in the finals that same year. For me to see him (Jackson) on a daily basis and be next to that provided some confidence that we could get it done here.

"Roger's first year at MSU was the year I competed for an NCAA championship, so we worked out together a lot when he came in as a graduate assistant my senior season and continued to train together post-collegiately."

Named Michigan State's George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year in 1995-96, Morgan finished his career at MSU with 129 victories, which was then the second-most in program history. A three-time NCAA All-American, Morgan placed as high as second at NCAA's (1998), while winning Big Ten championships at 118 pounds in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Morgan was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Big Ten Championships in 1996 after shutting out each of his opponents en route to the title. He is the only Spartan wrestler in history to record 40 or more wins in three seasons.

"The coaching staff knew what they were going to get out of me every single time I stepped on the mat, and I knew what I was going to give," said Morgan. "I prided myself on, especially in our home arena, that my opponent wasn't going to come into our home and beat me."

In fact, nobody ever beat Morgan within the confines of Jenison Field House. Morgan finished his career as a Spartan with a spotless 35-0 mark inside those walls.

"I prided myself on being able to show up every single day, every competition, being there and competing at a high level," said Morgan. "That single season wins record speaks for itself as far not only showing up but being able to consistently compete at my best."

Wrestling is a sport known for its teaching of discipline and principles. The principles Morgan learned while competing at Michigan State are still ones he thinks back on frequently and uses while coaching the next generation of wrestlers in the state of Michigan out of Wrestling University in Sterling Heights.

"I still use a lot of the same principles of wrestling that I learned from Coach Minkel," said Morgan. "He would always talk about having a foundation, pillars to support the foundation and a roof. I remember them off the top of my head and go through them all the time. It's not just showing up every day and training hard, there's more of a philosophy to it and there's more of a structure just like everything else in life and in business. Whether you're with a great company or a great team, surrounding yourself with people that continue to push you is important."