"Morgan Way" - Michelle Morgan honored by Amherst College

Amherst Golf Club celebrates the recent honor bestowed by Amherst College upon Coach and Professor Emeritus Michelle Morgan for her long-time service to Amherst College athletics, especially with regard to her guidance in pioneering women’s athletics at the college. In the coaching category, Morgan had two legendary careers at Amherst. She helmed the Amherst women’s golf program for 25 years (1991-2015), leading the Mammoths to 4 NCAA Tournament appearances. At the invitation of one of Michelle’s mentors, the late Tracy Mehr, Michelle began her tenure as the Women’s Golf head coach in 1991. Her 2002 team finished third in the nation. Michelle continued to assist the Women’s Golf team when Head Coach Elizabeth Davis came on board in 2016. Coach Davis said this about her predecessor:

“Michelle Morgan has made a lasting impact in women’s athletics within college sports. She is someone who I call a friend, but also mentor. She has shaped who I am as a coach and person. Michelle is someone who is always willing to lend a hand in every aspect of life. Michelle changed many lives for the better, including mine. I am thankful to have had her as a colleague and looking forward to continuing our friendship through the years. “

And then there is soccer . . . where Michelle was the head women’s soccer coach from 1978 to 2003 (25 years), leading the Mammoths to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2001 Div. III national championship game. From 2000 to 2003, the first four years the conference crowned a champion, Morgan guided Amherst Women’s Soccer to two NESCAC titles.

Beginning as early as 1978 when she joined the Amherst College faculty, Michelle also coached squash, basketball, lacrosse and tennis. Michelle stepped away from her storied career at Amherst College when she officially retired in June 2022.

Back to “Morgan’s Way” . . . to honor Michelle, Amherst College dedicated a path on the campus “Morgan Way” during a ceremony on May 6, 2023. A group of alums also created the Michelle Morgan Women’s Athletics Endowment Fund, the first of its kind at Amherst devoted exclusively to women’s athletics, as well as the first fund named for a female coach at Amherst.

During the dedication ceremony, her son Jesse Morgan IV – who retains the course record of 62 at the Amherst Golf Club he set in 2003, had this to say about his mom Michelle:

“You cannot articulate the amount of greatness my mother has acquired over the years and the amount of hard work and commitment required to achieve such legend. From the sidelines, I have witnessed first-hand the impact she has had on countless student-athletes, not to mention women’s athletics in general. Year after year, teams and accolades came and went, but she continued to be a a student of the sports she was coaching, classes she was teaching, staying true to the ‘educator first, coach second’ ideology that she prioritized, but also embodied.”

“I try to emulate the way my mother operates every day, ‘work hard, play hard, be a leader and not a follower’. Operate in such a manner, success is bound to follow. I am one proud son, and I am thankful to come from such good stock! Congratulations from your favorite son, to the best coach, teacher, wife, mother and mentor I have ever known. We should all follow the ‘Morgan Way.”

Michelle has been recognized numerous times, including he following:

In 2003, Michelle was recognized as the Division III Regional and National Coach of the Year for Women’s Golf
Michelle was awarded as the New England Coach of the Year in women’s soccer on three occasions
In 2013, she received the Women’s Golf Coaches Association top honor, the “Gladys Palmer Meritorious Service Award”
In 2014, she was inducted into the Western Mass Golf Hall of Fame.
Michelle was presented the NSCAA “Women’s Award of Excellence” in recognition of her contribution toward the improvement and advancement of women’s soccer in the United States.

Her contributions to Amherst Golf Club have been significant, and she is a 17-time Women’s Club Champion: 1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 . . . and counting . . .

Please refer to the following articles for more information on Michelle’s achievements:

May 2023 Article on the dedication of Morgan Way to Michelle

February 2022 Article on Amherst Athletics Pioneer Michelle Morgan to Retire in June of 2022

October 2014 Article on Michelle’s induction to the Western Mass Golf Hall of Fame

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