GAINESVILLE, Fla. –
Kyle Morgan was one of those players you see celebrated today on social media in viral videos, a guy surprised by his coach with a scholarship.
A walk-on for the Gators from 2002-05, Morgan earned his scholarship at the end of spring practice in '05 when then-UF head coach
Urban Meyer, in his first months on the job, took notice of Morgan's attitude and work ethic.
After three years of ups and downs -- including a serious knee injury as a redshirt sophomore -- Morgan's hard work paid off.
"You are really playing for the love of it,'' Morgan told
Florida Today in October 2005, the same month he made his only career start at receiver in a home win over Mississippi State. "If you didn't get recruited to the school that you're walking on to, you've got to work for everything. Nothing comes easy. You're at the bottom of the depth chart. They play everyone ahead of you, first. You can't take one play off or they'll think you're a slacker."
Wed, Oct 5, 2005 – Page 27 · Florida Today (Cocoa, Brevard, Florida, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
Morgan persevered with the Gators to become a prominent special-teams player and reserve receiver, playing in 23 career games. His only career catch was an 11-yard grab in the 2004 Peach Bowl loss to Miami.
"I remember him coming here when we first got here,'' Gators head coach
Dan Mullen, a UF assistant in '05, said Wednesday. "He was a guy that worked his tail off to find a way to get on special teams. As a coach, you have so much respect for guys that do that."
A standout at Melbourne (Fla.) Central Catholic in high school, Morgan is being remembered for much more than his touch of success with the Gators following his death. Morgan went missing in the Tampa area late last week and his body was discovered on Monday night.
Family and friends have been active on social media the past 48 hours sharing their memories of Morgan, whose death reached all the way to London where his former roommate and training partner, professional tennis player
John Isner, recalled his friend fondly at the Nitto ATP Finals.
"When I left college, I worked out exclusively with Kyle for probably seven years. That's four, five times a week for seven years,'' Isner said
following his match on Wednesday. "We lived together, as well. Certainly very close. It's devastating not just for me, but for a whole bunch of people. He was a fantastic guy."
Kyle Steven Morgan was 35 years old.
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