Ohio coach Dan Morris has stepped down as the head coach of Ohio’s hockey team after spending the past 12 seasons on the Bobcats' bench.
Morris said he is stepping down because of the high demands from being both the director of Bird Arena and head coach, but will remain the director of Bird Arena, overseeing the administrative duties at the rink.
He said a decision on the next head coach could be finalized in the next week.
“Honestly, something had to give,” Morris said. “I have a young, growing family and for seven months of the year, it’s a difficult challenge — it’s a very long season, very demanding and it put a lot of stress on my family.”
Morris was a decorated player and coach at Ohio. As a player, he was twice named a First-Team All-American and won an American Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament Most Valuable Player award.
Throughout Morris’s tenure as the head man for the Bobcats, he coached Ohio to an ACHA National Championship in 2004 and received recognition for National Coach of the Year and picked up League Coach of the Year honors four times.
He won at least 20 games in each of his 12 seasons, while posting a 344-120 record.
“It will be strange,” Morris said.” I’ll still help direct the facility and oversee the facility and everything that goes on in it, so maybe game nights will be a little bit odd but I see it as a program growing and changing.”
Morris said he had the opportunity to speak with most of the players in the middle of June to inform them of his decision. He said the majority of the interaction was face-to-face communication.
Ohio will return the majority of its lineup this season, including its entire back line and three of its top five goal scorers. The Bobcats had a successful campaign last season, advancing to the ACHA National Semi-Finals and winning the Central States Collegiate Hockey League tournament.
Morris said he sees his departure as an opportunity for the program and will help the new coach as much as he can.
“I see it as a growth of the program,” Morris said. “I don’t necessarily see my departure as a shock to the system. I see it as more of an opportunity for the program to grow and if I can step aside for the growth of the program then it's an easy decision for me.”
mk277809@ohiou.edu
