Media

Joe Morrissey

Year Inducted: 1984

Category: Media

Schools / Organizations: Galesburg Register Mail

Biography: Joe Morrissey retired in May of 1981, after writing and serving as sports editor of the Galesburg Register-Mail. Barry Swanson, who played basketball at Galesburg High School and then served as its basketball coach, may have described Morrissey the best: “Joe Morrissey was a great high school sports reporter and editor. He gave many of us a gift that we will always cherish. His dedication to sports and young people never diminished during his tenure… His writing accurately and succinctly captured the moments of Silver Streak basketball history that many still consider legendary… As a youngster and Silver Streak fan, I could hardly wait to read Joe Morrissey’s account of the previous night’s game… As a player I appreciated Joe’s accurate reporting and concise language. He made the game almost as exciting as it actually had been… As a coach I even appreciated more the fact that Joe was rarely negative or critical of our team or the opponents… He too was a legend in his field of endeavor…” Morrissey served 19 years as sports editor and from 1963-1979 covered the state high school tournament. Morrissey, as late as 1980, was an Associated Press sports writing winner and certainly earned this tribute from former Galesburg coach, John Thiel: “One of the things that separates Joe from other writers is that he’s not a frustrated jock who second-guesses everybody. He’s a very knowledgeable writer who was determined to do his best and do it honestly. I’ve always had 1,000 percent respect for Joe and his ability.”  Morrissey was the author of three books — On the Rebound, Sports Memories and The Silver Streaks Years — all reprising columns, stories and anecdotes from his career with The Register-Mail.  Joe, a great fan of his beloved Cubs, died on January 14, 2016.