Breaking the mold; Morrow’s love for family, football sets him apart

In a world where the fame and status becomes too much for some athletes, WSU redshirt freshman running back Jamal Morrow’s love of his family, team, friends and a role model allows him to stand apart from the rest. In the process he shatters many typical classifications for a football player.

Morrow’s high school coach, Kraig Broach, remembered an incident during the quarterfinals of high school playoffs when Morrow was sidelined with a torn meniscus and PCL. The backup running back was Isiah Morrow, Jamal’s younger brother, and when he scored a touchdown near the end of the game, his jumped off the trainer’s table and hopped on one leg down to the end zone to celebrate with his little brother.

Morrow has a unique capacity for love that few people share. In that moment football didn’t matter, despite the fact that he sustained a serious injury that could prohibit him from playing in the future.

Growing up the son of a Navy man, Morrow learned the benefits of hard work and perseverance. His mother and younger brother were also part of the tight-knit family that played a large role in Morrow’s life.

“When Jamal was a little baby… he used to always reach for that little football…So when he was a toddler my husband would throw the football with him,” Morrow’s mother, Vera Morrow said. “When he was the age for peewee sports we took him down to the YMCA and he started doing flag football and he really enjoyed it.”

As Morrow got older and wanted to play tackle football, he persistently asked his mother every year if he could move the more physically intensive sport.

“He goes ‘Mom can I play tackle football?’ and I’m all ‘No you are too little to play tackle,’” Vera said. “So finally he was in the sixth grade and he goes ‘Mom this is my last year can I play tackle?’ and I go ‘But you are too little!’ and he says ‘But Mom guess what? I’m really fast so they won’t be able to catch me and I won’t get hurt!’”

The persistence paid off. Although he had only played tackle football for three years, by the time Morrow reached high school his coaches realized they were dealing with a special player.

“Jamal is that positive energy that draws people with him…and then obviously, especially at the high school area at a very early point you knew there was something special with his vision and the way he was able to run the ball here at the high school level,” Broach said.

Throughout his time at Heritage High School in Menifee, California, Morrow’s tight knit family and strong faith shaped Morrow into a person that Broach refers to as “one of a kind.”

“My faith has been huge for me. When things get rough, and you really have nobody to talk to you can always turn to God himself,” Morrow said. “Just knowing that you always have somebody there other than your parents, friends, somebody spiritual that can help you get through things.”

While Morrow dealt with a tragic loss at the end of his junior year, he refused to let the grief dim his passion. A former teammate and friend of Morrow’s, Donovan Adams, who had graduated was killed in a car accident. Broach attributes part of Morrow’s compassion towards others as a lesson he learned from Adams before he passed away.

“When he passed, that was my motivation to just keep doing what I’m doing,” Morrow said. “It was hard to get over it. All the guys in the locker room got together and played for him…that helped me get through it a lot more and just having my guys back at home.”

During Morrow’s senior year of high school, that motivation lead to him tallying 2,902 yards and an average of 9.9 yards per carry. When Coach Leach recruited Morrow, he recognized his passion and work ethic that contributed to his senior season.

“He was a very focused guy, one of those alert, smart and aware guys,” Leach said. “He played real hard…he was good at coming out of his cuts…He had the feel of one of those guys that are used to being there and being an impact guy.”

The interest was mutual, and WSU fit Morrow’s desire for tight family bonds.

“It was a different culture, way different than back home. This is just more of a family-oriented place…That was important to me during my recruitment process,” Morrow said. “I wanted to have that family feel and to be able to enjoy it here, go home and feel like I’m safe. That was really important, just that family-oriented feel.”

Now, Morrow is well into his first season on the field and has 209 yards on 53 carries after passing a junior and senior in the depth chart the past spring.

“(Passing them on the depth chart) was huge…But they helped me too,” Morrow said. “I can’t just say that I did it by myself because I didn’t. They were there for me to teach me the plays, to teach me the ropes and the work ethic.”

Morrow is quick to give credit to those around him. When Morrow was in high school his mother recalled a time when they were at In-N-Out after a game. Morrow’s mother was talking to a friend about Morrow’s four touchdowns scored that game.

“He was like ‘Mom don’t tell them that. Just tell them we won the game. They don’t need to know my personal stats, just let them know we won the game.’ …he said, ‘No, it’s not an individual sport, it’s a team effort,’” Vera Morrow said. “‘I wouldn’t have scored those touchdowns if my lineman didn’t block for me.’ He doesn’t like the spotlight on him, he doesn’t like the attention on him, he likes giving the recognition to his teammates because without his teammates, without his blockers, he couldn’t get those touchdowns, those yards.”

Morrow still has three years of playing time ahead of him here at WSU, and plenty of desire to turn those three years into something special.

“I want to be a 1,000 yard rusher…that is one goal I really want to reach,” Morrow said.

As for life beyond college, Morrow has a positive outlook and big dreams for that as well.

“If the Lord lets me, I want to be in the NFL. But if not, just move back to California, get a job, wife and kids and just start my life really.”

His success on the field classifies him as a great athlete, his selflessness classifies him as humble and caring, and his treatment of others guarantees him a bright future. Most people fit into a mold; Jamal Morrow breaks that mold.