“I love Wabash College.”
There is no better way to sum up the career of Don Morel as he retires as the head coach of the Wabash College football program.
After four years as offensive coordinator, it was eight years on the sidelines as head coach, plus a missing year due to COVID. The final tally will show that Morel finished with a 61-20 record, including a 54-15 mark in NCAC play.
That includes two conference Coach of the Year Awards (2018 and 2019) and one appearance in the D3 national tournament (2019).
There are other numbers that Morel is even more proud of.
“We have 26 doctors and 40 lawyers who were members of the Wabash football team in my time here,” he said. “Wabash is just so special. As I reflect back on the last 12 years, I have been privileged to be part of three generations of Wabash athletes and Wabash men. There is no question that the time here has been the highlight of my career.”
That career started with a recruiting trip to Crawfordsville, just like an incoming recruit.
“I was coaching fifth and sixth grade football with Jim Snider, who eventually became a member of the board of trustees,” Morel said of his journey. “He obviously knew it was a special place. I was also talking with B.J. Hammer (Wabash football All-American), but I told B.J. I was done with football. They convinced me to come look, so in March of 2012 I took a recruiting trip. I met with Coach Erik Raeburn and he helped renew my faith in young men. I found that a work ethic was a commodity at Wabash. President (Gregory) Hess hired me as head coach and along with a long list of great Wabash Men, I have had the honor of being a part of this so-special place.”
Coach was of course asked about highlights, and while big wins came up, it wasn’t the first, as Morel looked back on a year lost to a pandemic.
“That was one of the hardest years ever,” he noted, looking back on the 2020 season lost to COVID.
“We had 65 freshmen committed to coming, knowing that there was no football that fall. It tells you about how special this place is.”
The 2018 team was next, although not because of the wins, honors and titles.
“That was the season we lost Evan Hansen,” the coach said. “It was devastating, but it opened so many doors to learning more about mental health. We learned how hard life can be. That team went on to a 9-1 record and the conference championship. That is a tribute to his memory and to Wabash College.”
There were others, from the playoff year to memorable Monon Bell wins, but he pointed to this season’s squad.
“We had so many really good seniors graduate last year,” he said, “and while there are always high expectations at Wabash, nobody gave us much of a look this year, and then we lost our starting quarterback early in the season. All this team did was go 8-2 and finish second in the conference (and qualify for a bowl game). We believed in ourselves and each other.”
Morel, who is moving into the Advancement Office, noted several people.
“From President Hess and President (Scott) Feller, to Jim Snider and B.J. Hammer, there are so many,” he said. “Alumni like Kevin Clifford, who has been so instrumental in getting Archie Manning involved with our football program through his quarterback camps, and Dr. (Donald) Shelbourne, Bill Cannon, Bill Wheeler, Dr. (Frank) Kolisek. These are just a few of the many giants for our campus.”
Morel will take the special relationships he has forged through football into his advancement work.
“I’ll be a part of Wabash as long as they’ll have me,” he said. “I feel it’s a natural relationship from my role as football coach to continue to work with all the great alumni we have. Wabash is about doing great things.”
In retiring, he has turned the reins over to Jake Gilbert, who was on staff this season as defensive coordinator, but was already named the next head coach.
“Don is a special guy,” Gilbert said. “He is so dedicated to Wabash and to coaching. I was able to spend a year on staff with him and work under his tutelage. He treated me with so much class. He was so clear on expectations. He turned the defense and recruiting over to me and he was very patient. I really enjoyed my time under him. He emphasized the brotherhood of coaches we have had at Wabash, the Gentlemen’s Rule and that the priority is always Wabash. He deserves a lot of credit. He kept the focus on the team the whole time.”
It was actually Morel’s idea to recruit Gilbert and bring him on board for the last year.
He summed it up easily and quickly.
“Jake is a special man, a Wabash man. He’s gonna do great.”
So the Don Morel coaching era ends, with eight winning seasons, a 75% win ratio and all those doctors and lawyers.
It might be safe to say: Don Morel is Some Little Giant, because as he said …
“I love Wabash College.”
