ALBION, Mich. – Morley Fraser, beloved Albion College coach and mentor to generations of students, alumni and colleagues, died Monday, June 28, after a battle with cancer. He was 82.

A legend on the field and off, Fraser had been a giant on the Albion College sports scene since the mid-1950s. He won a total of 11 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) championships in football and baseball during his career, and he continued to mentor generations of athletes and coaches throughout the Great Lakes region until his death.

“Few, if any, coaches at all levels of sports have influenced more athletes more profoundly than Morley Fraser,” said Albion College President Peter Mitchell, ’67. “Every school has an ‘athletic icon’ and for Albion, the legendary figure of icon proportions was Morley Fraser. Morley taught X's and O's, but also responsibility, loyalty, civility, and virtue. He touched thousands of lives through mesmerizing speeches and pep talks. But most of all, he lived the values, virtues, and lessons that he taught.”

Mitchell noted that Fraser’s fierce competitive spirit extended from the field of play to the final battle for his life.

“Morley found the strength to cheer the Britons football team to a come-from-behind victory against Hope last fall and the baseball team to winning both ends of a championship-clinching double-header against Calvin just a month ago,” Mitchell recalled. “Balancing his tenacity on the field or diamond was a gentleness and compassion as a loving husband, father, and friend.

“He and his beloved wife, Liz, exemplified the poignancy of wedding vows, the power of faith and the joy of love,” Mitchell said. “Their lessons and their lives will be our legacy, and Liz will continue to champion those causes that are just and important to Morley, to her and to society.”

The football field at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium was named Morley Fraser Field in his honor in 2002 as part of his 80^th birthday celebration. In 1990, his former players raised $120,000 to create an endowment for the Morley Fraser Leadership Award.

As Albion’s head baseball coach for 18 years, Fraser won six MIAA championships. But as a coach he is best remembered for the 14 years he prowled the sidelines leading the Britons in football. During that era, Albion won five MIAA championships, compiled an 81-41-1 record, had five MIAA Most Valuable Players, recorded two undefeated seasons, and established a winning streak of 15 consecutive games. An online photo gallery taken from the book "Life with Morley" can be found by clicking here.

Fraser befriended a long list of players and coaches throughout his life. Legions of former players remained dedicated to their former coach throughout the years, including former Britons star quarterback and current MIAA commissioner David Neilson, ‘66, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1966.

“To put into words what Morley meant to me is impossible,” Neilson said. “Simply stated, since 1961 he was a second father to me: my coach, counselor, mentor, golf opponent, and, ultimately my dearest friend. He gave the eulogy when my father died in 1999. He has always been there for me. For the broader community of Michigan, for Albion College, for the MIAA and for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes we have lost a ‘giant,’ and a loving Christian man. His entire family is in my prayers. For all who played for Morley, we each thought we were his favorite—and in truth, we each were.”

Fraser began his career in the high school ranks in 1947, coaching for two years in Kansas prior to moving to Newberry, Mich. At Newberry High School, he compiled a 22-0-1 record in football and had three conference championships in three years. His Newberry track team earned the 1951 conference title and regional championship. In a two-year stint at Lansing Eastern High School, he moved a last-place team to a second-place finish in the school’s 5-A conference. Fraser was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame and received its Distinguished Service Award in 1985. He was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Fraser came to Albion College in 1954 as a physical education professor and head football and baseball coach. He would later serve as the College’s athletic director. In 1961 he was selected as the Midwest Regional Small College football coach of the year. He was inducted into the Albion College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989. He received the Albion College Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hall of Fame dinner in 1999.

In 2002 during Homecoming weekend, the College community celebrated Fraser’s 80^th birthday—which actually had occurred earlier in the summer—by naming the football field in his honor. Fraser also received national recognition that weekend for his work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) by being inducted into the FCA Hall of Champions, located in Kansas City, Mo.

Through the years, Fraser also became well known for his pre-game talks to football teams on the college and professional levels, from the University of Michigan to the Detroit Lions and various teams in other sports. He also gave more than 200 motivational speeches each year to service organizations, church groups, corporate gatherings and athletic banquets.

A 1947 graduate of Washburn University, he earned a master's degree in 1954 from Michigan State University.

After leaving his Briton coaching position in 1972, Fraser began a 14-year tenure as executive director of Bellemont Manor, Albion College's conference center, retiring in 1987. He and his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth (Liz), continued to live in Albion after his retirement.

Fraser was involved in several organizations locally and nationally. In addition to the FCA, he was a member of the Albion Rotary, the Jackson Kiwanis, and served as the longtime Sigma Nu fraternity adviser at Albion College. He was a member of the Albion First United Methodist Church for 50 years.

Fraser is survived by his wife, Liz; daughter Linda Fraser, ’71, and her husband, Al Worrell, of Milford, Mich.; daughter Diane Fraser Clemons, ’84, and her husband, Barron, of Highland Park, Mich.; daughter Kathy Fraser Maguire and her husband, Don, of Greenville, Mich.; son Morley “Morts” Fraser, Jr., and his wife, Deborah, of Bay City, Mich.; son Douglas and his wife, Carrie, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Preceding him in death were a son, David, and a grandson, Steven Gilbert, ’93.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the H. Morley Fraser Football Field at Albion College, 611 E. Porter St., Albion, MI 49224; the Michigan Fellowship of Christian Athletes, P.O. Box 894, Jenison, MI 49429-0894; or the First United Methodist Church, 600 E. Michigan Ave., Albion, MI 49224.

Visitation will be at J. Kevin Tidd Funeral Home, 811 Finley Drive [directions below], Albion, Wednesday from 2:30 to 8 p.m., with family members present from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. in Goodrich Chapel, at the corner of Michigan Ave. and Ingham St. on the Albion College campus. [Directions to the funeral home and Goodrich Chapel are below.]

For more information contact the Albion College Communications Office at 517/629-0445.

Additional Information:
Photo gallery from the book "Life with Morley"
Albion College Athletic Hall of Fame listings and induction information

Directions and travel advisory:

Travel Advisory
All those planning to attend the funeral services for Morley Fraser on July 1, 2004 are advised to allow extra time if using area interstate highways, especially I-94 and U.S. 131, due to lane closures and other traffic delays. For more details, please go to the link below.

Directions to J. Kevin Tidd Funeral Home:
From the East: From I-94, take Exit 124 toward Albion. At the top of the ramp, turn right onto MI-99/I-94 Business Route. Continue to follow I-94 Business Route/Michigan Avenue 2.9 miles past Albion College to the third traffic light at N. Superior Street. Turn left onto N. Superior Street, driving through downtown Albion. Turn right onto W. Erie Street and drive 1.1 miles to Finley. Turn left onto Finley to the funeral home.

From the West: From I-94, take the I-94-Business Route Exit 121 toward Albion. At the top of the ramp, turn right onto I-94 Business Route/N. Eaton Street. Continue to follow N. Eaton Street 1.5 miles. Turn right onto W. Erie Street and drive 1 mile. Turn left onto Finley Drive to the funeral home.


Directions to Goodrich Chapel:
From the East: From I-94, take Exit 124 toward Albion. At the top of the ramp, turn right onto MI-99/I-94 Business Route. Continue to follow Michigan Avenue/I-94 Business Route to the second traffic light at Ingham Street.

From the West: From I-94, take the I-94-Business Route Exit 121 toward Albion. At the top of the ramp, turn right onto N. Eaton Street/I-94 Business Route. Turn left onto Austin Avenue/I-94 Business Route. At the flashing light, turn right onto Superior Street/I-94 Business Route. At the next traffic light, turn left onto Michigan Avenue/I-94 Business Route and drive 1/2 mile to Ingham Street.

 

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