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The University of Mississippi Athletics
From The Football Field To The Battlefield
7/10/2009 | Football
By Joey Jones
Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations
At 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, he wasn't one of the bigger guys on the team by stature. With 25 catches for 255 yards during his three-year career, he was a solid wide receiver, but not one of the squad's offensive stars.
What Sheldon Morris always was at Ole Miss, though, was a leader.
After transferring from Itawamba Community College following his freshman year there, Morris spent the 1997-99 seasons with the Rebels and helped lead the program to three straight winning seasons for the first time in over 20 years. His gritty determination, particularly on special teams where he racked up 34 tackles and a blocked kick during his career, was perhaps an unheralded reason for much of the team's success.
And it was at Ole Miss, as both a football player and decorated member of the ROTC program, that Morris formed and honed the leadership skills that would bring him much accomplishment as a military officer for the United States.
Now, Major Sheldon Morris serves in the U.S. Army as an HHT/6-9 CAV Troop Commander in Iraq.
Here at OleMissSports.com, we caught up with Major Morris about his experiences defending the U.S. and how his foundation as an Ole Miss graduate and former Rebel football player have helped him in his military career.
"The time I spent at Ole Miss from 1997-2000 greatly prepared me for the career I have now. The family experience and wealth of knowledge gained on and off the football field during those three years continue to shape the way I approach missions daily. Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Soldiers, Airmen and Marines had to learn to deal with not being around their loved ones for long durations. But where they may have lost contact with their loved ones stateside from time to time, they built stronger bonds with their brothers at arms. These life-long bonds are made stronger with the action of enemy contact, the pride felt after conducting a successful mission and unfortunately the loss of a fellow Soldier.
"My brothers and I developed strong bonds during our seasons on the Rebel football team. We went through countless hours of mental, physical and emotional stress in order to prepare us for the game and to build a family. Those bonds were tested on the fields of strife but persevered because we had prepared ourselves beforehand. Regardless of what we heard on the television days before and after the game, or what was said by fans that didn't quite like the outcome of the game, we believed and had faith in our brothers to the left and right of us that this is why we left everything we had on the field.
"As I prepare my Soldiers to operate in conditions of extremely high mental, physical and emotional stress, I fall back on my principles of preparation and strength in family bonds. My Soldiers and I have spent time together learning how we all thought, what moves the others would make in different situations and what each other needed when we were feeling down. We have built a family away from our families at home to lean on when times are hard, when we lose one of our own, when going out the next day means walking the same streets that exploded under us days before.
"In order to develop that family in war time, I also needed leadership training and experience. On the football field, preparation meets opportunity only if everyone maintains concentration and gives their utmost. Our team practiced hard, then met in the huddle to discuss the plans formed long before and executed plays with intensity. If parts went wrong, then we went back, trusted each other and fixed it. Our leaders on the field kept our heads up, found ways to be innovative, and led from the front with their own example.
"For a Company Commander in war, leadership must be personal, demonstrated down to the lowest of levels, constantly morphing to fit the situation and individuals involved, and motivational during the most dangerous and shocking of times. My time at Ole Miss developed in me the leadership skills necessary to be a Company Commander leading 110 Soldiers. We planned each operation down to the most simple turns, door kicks, handshakes and weapons engagements. Our Soldiers knew their jobs and executed them with intensity. Just like before, with my football team, there were times when parts of the plan could not be executed like we wanted, whether due to terrain restrictions or enemy actions. However, I had learned to be a leader in times of strife, and with my subordinates fighting with supreme intensity, we adapted, overcame, triumphed and helped a very large number of Iraqi citizens live safer lives.
"What I learned and experienced with my brothers at Ole Miss has helped me keep myself and my Soldiers alive through the toughest of times. We grew, lost, healed and overcame together. These traits are only harvested because I recognized the impact of my time at Ole Miss. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts."
Thank you, Major Morris, for your service.
