Jackie Morgan

Oscar Floyd "Jackie" Morgan was born December 4, 1909, in Sardis, Alabama, the ninth of eleven children. He was called "Jackie" after his father Henry Jackson Morgan, Mayor of Albertville from 1915-1916. Henry and his wife, Ada Jane Smith Morgan, came to Sand Mountain in a covered wagon before 1900 from Coweta County, Georgia, moved to Albertville in 1914, and purchased and operated a cotton gin and sawmill. Jackie and his younger brother, Jesse, who was inducted into the Marshall County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, learned about hard work as youngsters in those Albertville businesses. This helped the brothers to become two of the most ferocious linemen in Aggie history. Jackie played left tackle for the Seventh District Agricultural School, S.D.A.S., later named Albertville High School, during the 1927, 1928, and 1929 seasons and Jesse played guard in 1929, 1930, 1931, and 1932. Jackie and Jesse were known to many as the "fearsome Morgan brothers" when they played together on the 1929 squad. In writing about the eleven members of the All-time Aggie football team, revealed by the Sand Mountain Reporter in 1969, Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal Hayes wrote, "Only the immortal Morgan is from the pre-World War II era... Morgan was the first Aggie to stand for two years in the spotlight of All-State. Team listings of 1927 and 1928 carried the name of this timber wolf tough athlete among its honorees." This year, Jackie and fellow All-Time Aggie team member Joe "Tubby" Roberts join seven other members of that fabled eleven-member team to have been inducted into the Marshall County Sports Hall of Fame. In his book, "Out of the Sand," T.J. Carnes stated, "The 1929 season was perfect except for the 7-0 loss to Gadsden. For some reason that game was the FIFTH game in 2 1/2 weeks played by the Aggies. Jackie played only a few minutes and some starters did not start...the team was beat up before the whistle blew." Concerning the 5-9, 220-pound tackle, the AHS Annual stated, "Jackie was just a big fat boy to all opponents this year at the beginning of the game, but when the game began he was a holy terror to all who opposed him."

Following graduation, Jackie was offered 13 scholarships and accepted the one to the University of Alabama; however, he only played one year, leaving to help one of his brothers in Georgia with his business due to the Great Depression. After his father died in 1934, Jackie took over the Morgan Gin Company, which was one of Albertville's primary businesses for many years. In 1935, Jackie married Ruth Alexander. In 1944, at age 35, and with three children, Jackie enlisted in the U.S. Army. At that age, he had to work hard to lose weight and get in shape, but Jackie did just that in order to serve his country. Jackie left Camp Shelby in Mississippi and was stationed in Okinawa on August 6, 1945, experiencing fall-out when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Jackie died in 1973 after a long battle with cancer. He will long be remembered not only for his prowess on the football field, but for his service to his country in WW II, to the First Baptist Church of Albertville, as a City Council member, for his support of the Albertville football program, and for his generosity to those with whom he worked. After Jackie's death, a folder was found in the back of his desk containing I.O.U.'s from those unable to pay their ginning bills. He believed that if a man could not pay without having to sacrifice for his family, the debt was forgiven. The family destroyed that folder in honor of Jackie's unselfish generosity to his fellow man. Jackie and Ruth reared four children in Albertville: Margaret and James who now live in Albertville; Jacqueline, who lives in Arkansas; and Oscar, who resides in California. He is remembered by his family as a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He would be happy to know that his great-grandson, Bennett Morgan, now carries the Morgan name in the game that he so loved...even though it is for the rival Boaz Pirates.