Scranton Summer 2019
With the Fourth of July right around the corner, there is no denying it any longer: summer is officially here, even in the Electric City, and your Royal Family has spent the last month celebrating our sweetest time of year by gathering together at various alumni-focused events, both on campus and off.
Reunion Weekend 2019
Royals with class years ending in “4” and “9” returned to campus June 7-9 for Reunion Weekend 2019, the annual chance for alumni celebrating their milestone years to gather “together again, where it all began.” To see photos from the event, visit this link.
All alumni are invited to return to campus June 12-14 for Reunion Weekend 2020, when Scranton grads with class years ending in “5” and “0” will celebrate their milestone years. If you would like to join your class committee, please email alumni@scranton.edu for additional information. Registration will open in March 2020. Visit www.scranton.edu/reunion for updates and information on Reunion 2020.
Day At The Races
The Scranton Club of New Jersey held A Day At The Races at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey, June 23. To see photos from the event, visit this link.
The Carlesimo Golf Tournament & Award Dinner Honors Speedy Morris
The University honored Philadelphia area basketball legend Speedy Morris with the 2019 Peter A. Carlesimo Award at its annual Carlesimo Golf Tournament & Award Dinner at the Philadelphia Cricket Club June 24.
More than 200 guests attended the festivities, which raised more than $100,000 for Scranton Athletics. Quandel Construction Group served as the event’s title sponsor.
During his 50+ years in Catholic athletics, Morris, the winningest coach in Philadelphia Catholic League history, won over 1,000 games as a coach at the collegiate and high school levels..
Morris began his career by leading the CYO team at St. John the Baptist Church in Manayunk in 1960. Seven years later, he took over the boys’ varsity team at Roman Catholic High School, where he won a staggering 347 games in 14 seasons. After moving on to Penn Charter in 1982 and winning 41 more games, Morris was asked to coach the women’s program at La Salle University in 1984.
After coaching the Explorers women’s team for two seasons and posting a 43-17 record, Morris took over the men’s program in 1986 and became the first Division I level coach to lead both a men’s and women’s program at the same school.
As the men’s coach, Morris led La Salle to 238 victories, four NCAA Tournament appearances, four NIT bids, and four conference championships in 15 seasons. His best campaign came in the 1989-90 season, when Morris led the Explorers to a 30-2 record and a 12th-place finish nationally in both major polls with a team that featured star players Lionel Simmons and Doug Overton.
In 2001, Morris returned to the high school level, where he has coached the boys’ team at St. Joseph’s Prep to more than 300 victories over the last 18 seasons. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame in 2010 and received the Morgan Wootten Award for lifetime achievement from the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Since 2011, the Peter A. Carlesimo Award, named for the late University of Scranton head coach and director of athletics, has been presented to someone who has made special contributions to athletics and Catholic education. The Golf Tournament & Award Dinner serves as a fundraising event that supports and enhances the student-athlete experience at Scranton.
To see photos from the event, visit this link. For more information on supporting student-athletes, visit this link.
