WSSU names Benny Morgan Interim Head Track and Field Coach

June 9, 2005

Winston-Salem, NC – Winston-Salem State University announced on Wednesday afternoon that W. Benny Morgan has been selected as the Rams’ Interim Track and Field coach. Morgan will begin his duties at WSSU on June 10 as he prepares the Rams and Lady Rams for their first season of track and field competition after nearly a five-year layoff.

W. Benny Morgan

Winston-Salem State University, who has not fielded a track and field team since 2001, will return to the track for their first season of competition in the spring of 2006 as the Rams have revived a program that, at one time, fielded one of the most talented track and field teams in the nation. The Rams will return to Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference track and field competition in the spring as Morgan looks to help WSSU capture a CIAA track and field championship.

The ultra-competitive CIAA, which already possesses several of the nation's premier indoor and outdoor track and field programs in Saint Augustine's College, North Carolina Central University and Livingstone College, will welcome WSSU into league competition next season. The Rams will bring with them a history of track and field excellence that directly mirrors the success of several other great traditions of track and field which proliferate the conference.

Morgan comes to Winston-Salem State after spending last season as the Assistant Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Campbell University (NCAA Division I). Prior to his season at Campbell, he spent four years at Southeast Raleigh High School in Raleigh, NC where he served as the Head Coach of the boys and girls cross-country teams.

Morgan led Southeast Raleigh High School’s women’s team to a second-place finish in the Triangle Athletic Association Conference (TAAC) and a sixth-place finish at the 2004 Mid-Eastern Track and Field Regionals. Morgan led Southeast Raleigh to a 2004 4-A State Boys Track and Field Championship as he has had success in coaching both the track and field and cross-country teams.

A 1995 graduate of Indiana State University where he served as the Sycamore’s Student Assistant Manager, Morgan brings with him 14 seasons of track and field and cross-country coaching experience. He has coached at every level, having coached several high school programs as well as serving on the coaching staff in various capacities at both the NCAA Division III, Division II, and Division I levels.

Morgan is currently enrolled in a graduate studies program at Campbell University as he is completing the degree requirements for a M.A. in Community Counseling.

Morgan was chosen as the Rams’ and Lady Rams’ head track and field and cross-country coach following a national search that produced a very diverse, and very qualified pool of candidates.

Speaking on WSSU’s decision to name Morgan the Rams’ and Lady Rams’ interim head coach, WSSU Director of Athletics, Dr. Chico Caldwell had the following comment:

“After having gone through a national search and the interview and selection processes, the candidate that was originally selected to fill the position as Head Track and Field and Head Cross-Country coach for us removed herself from consideration for unspecified reasons five days after being offered the position. Following the setback, and as a result of it, knowing that we were now late in the process, we chose Benny Morgan to fill the position in the interim. He has accepted the challenge of getting the Track and Field program at WSSU off the ground after a nearly five-year layoff as we try to return the program to the prominence of previous years, and as we transition to the NCAA Division I level. He is eager to get his foot in the door of an up and coming program, while working on his master’s degree at the same time. His plan is to establish himself and the program over the next year in an interim head-coaching capacity and to have the opportunity to submit the very first resume when the national search process re-opens in the upcoming months. However, we are pleased that we could bring Benny Morgan on board as we revive the track and field programs, and take our cross-country teams to the next level.”