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BIOGRAPHY |
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 Entering
his 25th season as a collegiate head coach and 13th year at Utah
State, Stew Morrill has established himself as one of the most
respected coaches in the country. He is also the school’s
all-time winningest coach as he passed the legendary E. Lowell
Romney’s 225 career USU wins on Jan. 17, 2008 with an 82-78 win
against Boise State.
In 12 years as Utah State’s head coach, Morrill has taken the
Aggie Basketball program to unprecedented heights leading USU to
an incredible 294-99 (.748) record, including a 152-48 (.760)
mark in the Big West and Western Athletic Conferences.
While at Utah State, he has guided the Aggies to 11-straight
23-win seasons and 11-straight postseason appearances (NCAA-7,
NIT-4), both of which are school records. Prior to Coach
Morrill’s current run, USU had never posted more than three
straight 20-win seasons and participated in more than
three-straight postseason tournaments.
During the last 11 years, Utah State is one of just three teams
in the nation to win at least 23 games in each of those seasons,
along with Gonzaga and Kansas.
Morrill has also led Utah State to the fourth-best winning
percentage in the nation during the last 11 years at 76.4
percent with an overall record of 279-86. Against conference
opponents, Utah State has a 175-55 record with six regular
season league championships and five tournament titles during
that time, including appearances in its league’s tournament
championship game nine times in the last 11 years.
Under Morrill, Utah State has notched 11 of the top 13 seasons
in school history as the Aggies set a school record with 28 wins
during the 2000 season, tied that record with 28 wins during the
2001 season, set a school record with 30 wins in 2009 and won 27
games in 2010.
During the 2009-10 season, Morrill guided Utah State to its
third-straight WAC regular season championship, including its
second-straight outright title with a 14-2 record, and the
school’s 19th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Under Morrill, Utah State has appeared in the NCAA Tournament
seven times, including each of the last two years as USU won 17
straight games during the 2009-10 season and finished the year
by winning 21 of its final 25 games.
Furthermore, the 2009-10 Aggie basketball team led the nation
with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.63 and was third in the
nation in three-point shooting at 41.4 percent. USU also ranked
sixth in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.2), seventh
in assists per game (16.7), eighth in scoring margin (+13.2),
ninth in field goal shooting (.488) and 10th in free throw
shooting (.758), and was the only team in the country to rank
among the top 10 in all three shooting categories.
For the 11th-straight year, USU had at least one player earn
first-team all-league accolades as senior guard Jared Quayle and
junior forward Tai Wesley were both named first-team all-WAC.
USU also had two players named to the WAC’s all-newcomer team in
juniors Nate Bendall and Brian Green, while fellow junior Pooh
Williams was named to the WAC’s all-defensive team.
Overall, Morrill has coached 13 first-team all-league players at
Utah State who have won the award a total of 18 times.
Morrill was also honored during the 2009-10 season and was named
the WAC Coach of the Year for the second time in as many years.
He was also named the National Association of Basketball Coaches
District 6 Co-Coach of the Year.
All-time, Morrill has been named Coach of the Year (2000 BWC,
2002 BWC, 2009 WAC, 2010 WAC) four times in his 12 years at USU,
along with winning the Big Sky award while the head coach at
Montana in 1991.
Morrill has taken full advantage of the home court at USU, the
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. In Morrill’s 12 years, USU is an
amazing 176-13 (.931) at home, which includes a 92-8 (.920)
record in league play.
As for Morrill, he has won 20 or more games on 15 different
occasions during his career and has won at least 17 games 21
times.
Overall, Morrill ranks 19th in the nation among active coaches
and 67th all-time with his 512 career wins, while his career
winning percentage of 68.4 percent ranks 24th among active
coaches and 80th all-time. He is also one of 19 active coaches
with 500 career wins at the Division I level and one of just 12
active coaches to notch at least 15 20-win seasons. His current
streak of 11 straight 20-win seasons ranks tied for sixth among
active coaches and is tied for the 11th-longest streak at the
Division I level.
Academics and community service have been of top priority to
Morrill and his staff as all of the team members are involved
with USU’s CHAMPS/Life Skills Program within the community. In
his 12 years, Morrill has graduated better than 80 percent of
his players, and over the past eight years, Utah State has had
21 academic all-conference honorees.
Morrill, who was born in Provo, Utah and attended Provo High
School, owns a career record of 512-237 in 24 years of
collegiate coaching, including a 294-99 record at Utah State in
12 years, a 121-86 record in seven years at Colorado State
(1992-98) and a 97-52 mark in five campaigns at Montana
(1987-91).
“There are several reasons that I was attracted to Utah State,”
Morrill said when he was hired. “The first was being a Utah
native so that it is a homecoming of sorts for me. My mom,
brother and sister all live within an hour and a half of Logan.
“I am very familiar with the tradition of Utah State basketball
and can name the greats as well as any alumni could,” Morrill
added. “It is a good basketball situation and the premier job in
the Big West Conference. My family will love the quality of the
community of Logan. It is a great place to live and that is very
important to me and my family. It just made sense to us.”
The 58-year old ranks second on the CSU victory list and second
in winning percentage. He guided the Rams to back-to-back 20-win
seasons the last two years in Fort Collins, with identical 20-9
marks. During the 1997-98 season, CSU made its second trip to
the NIT in the last three years.
Morrill guided CSU to two of its six all-time 20-win seasons and
won at least 17 games five times in his seven years. In fact,
Morrill-led CSU teams own three of the top seven winning seasons
in school history.
During his tenure at Colorado State, he coached three first-team
all-WAC selections, one second-team pick and six honorable
mention choices. Three of his players were named to the WAC
all-tournament team.
After his collegiate playing career, which included being named
an All-American at nearby Ricks (Idaho) Junior College and a
two-time all-Big Sky selection at Gonzaga, Morrill played
professionally in Europe.
His coaching career began as an assistant at Gonzaga from
1975-78 and then to Montana where he was an assistant from
1979-86 working for Mike Montgomery, who spent 17 years as the
head coach at Stanford and is now the head coach at Cal.
Montgomery worked under Jim Brandenburg and Jud Heathcote, who
retired after a successful career, which included a national
championship at Michigan State.
Morrill took over the Montana program in 1987 before moving to
Colorado State in 1992. He is known for his deep-rooted values,
consistency, hard work, dedication, honesty, integrity and
concern for the welfare of his student-athletes.
Morrill earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Gonzaga in
1974. He was born July 25, 1952 in Provo, Utah.
He and his wife Vicki have four children; sons Jesse (32) and
Allan (30) and daughters Nicole (27) and Tiffany (24), and four
grandchildren.
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