WHITESIDE: Earlier this month, a park in Halifax Regional Municipality was posthumously named in honour of Nova Scotia Hall of Fame inductee and Richmond County resident, boxer Carroll Morgan.
On Sept. 7, The Carroll Morgan Commemorative Park was officially unveiled in Timberlea to recognize Morgan, a Whiteside native who rose to international acclaim in the boxing world.
A member of the 1972 Canadian Olympic Boxing team in Munich, Morgan, a heavyweight, was ranked fourth in the world at the time. He also represented Canada at the 1974 Commonwealth Games as the sole Atlantic Canadian athlete on the 140-member team.
His career included seven provincial championships, four Atlantic titles, as well as Eastern Canadian and North American championships.
After an injury ended his competitive career in 1988, Morgan continued to contribute to the sport by sparring with and training younger athletes, many of whom went on to pursue boxing careers of their own.
“He was a role model for so many students, teaching, tutoring, inspiring, mentoring and, of course, training and coaching them in both boxing and football. He instilled in them a sense of fair play and sportsmanship,” Morgan’s wife, Marlene said, during the ceremony, which was attended by family, friends, and colleagues. “A lovely tribute to him, is that he is always known as a favourite teacher, mentor and coach.”
Morgan was inducted into five halls of fame throughout his career: the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame (1990); the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 1966 X-Men football team (1994); the St. FX Sports Hall of Fame with his 1966 football team (2006); the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame as a boxer (2008); and the Cape Breton Sports Heritage Hall of Fame (2018).
During a Richmond County council meeting on Sept. 9, Warden Lois Landry congratulated the Morgan family on the recognition.
“[An example] of somebody who went away and made it big, so congratulations to the Morgan family,” Warden Landry said.
In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Morgan earned a degree from Saint Mary’s University and went on to teach for the Halifax School Board for more than 20 years. His wife noted that he was often invited to attend award dinners, speak at schools, and serve as a guest speaker at community fundraisers.
Despite his career and life in Halifax, Morgan remained deeply connected to Richmond County, visiting frequently until his passing in 2018.
“We knew he was well known but never dreamed that he had touched so many lives during his life,” his son, Joseph said. “To be able to call him our dad is the biggest honour we could have ever had.”