University of Oklahoma Athletics
Signature Series: Lee Morris
September 18, 2019 | Athletics
It's a moment I'll never forget. I had a feeling I was going to be put on scholarship soon, especially after the FAU game. When Coach Riley mentioned my name that day after practice, joy just ran through my whole body and all my teammates attacked me. It just felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I'll never forget it.
The first thing I did after practice was call my parents. I ran inside, grabbed my phone, went in the hallway and called them. I remember my mom telling me whenever I get put on scholarship to make sure she was at home first and not in public because she was scared that she would start screaming and embarrass herself. This meant a lot to my dad as well because, like myself, he started his career as a walk-on at OU and eventually earned a scholarship. Following in my dad's footsteps is important to me and it means a lot to have a similar route he had.
When I received my scholarship, the support from the community of Norman and my hometown in Allen was tremendous. The video that went viral resulted in a lot of people congratulating me on Twitter. The outpouring of support was absolutely incredible. Back home in Allen, I had a bunch of old classmates, coaches and teammates all reach out and congratulate me, which really meant a lot.
In high school, I won three straight championships. It felt like I had reached the pinnacle of high school ball. Having the opportunity to end my career at Oklahoma as a national champion would be a storybook ending to my career. We've been knocking on that door every year since I've been here. With it now being my fifth year, I'm ready to take that next step. Since this is my last year with the program, it's my turn to be a mentor to all the younger guys here, just like the seniors were to me when I was an underclassman.
Earning a scholarship at the University of Oklahoma has meant the world to me. Coming to OU and having access to one of the nicest facilities in the world and having access to all other resources has really helped us improve as humans and athletes. Whether it is being able to work out in one of the nicest facilities in all of college football or having access to all the tutoring and nutrition we need, the resources we have as athletes is extremely important to us. It means a lot to us that people are willing to put their money on the line to help us all improve.
Project coordinated by Jett Johnson.
