By Stephen Dawkins
Benton Morton knew little to nothing about the sport when he accepted the position as Jemison High School tennis coach in 2002. Morton had played intramural tennis at the University of Montevallo, but that was just some fraternity brothers hitting the ball around.
Eleven years and much success later, Morton has learned quite a bit about tennis, but more importantly, he has passed that knowledge on to countless pupils. Some of those players have used the JHS program as a springboard to a college career, while others, students that might never have played one of the higher profile sports, have taken advantage of the opportunity to learn the lessons taught by athletic competition.
Morton became coach when his oldest son, Reece, was in the seventh grade. Reece’s friend Mickey Robbins wanted to play, and Mickey’s family asked Benton if he would coach the team. Morton agreed, and Reece ended up playing. So began the story of Jemison’s first family of tennis.
“With the rich tradition here, I couldn’t stand to see it go away,” Morton said.
As Jemison tennis was winning boys state championships in 1991-93, and a girls championship in 1996, Morton was transitioning the school’s softball program to fastpitch, the first in Chilton County to do so. Now, all of the county’s softball teams compete in fastpitch.
“Everybody hated me because we weren’t playing these teams around here,” Morton said. “I saw it coming.”
The tennis program under Morton had a modest beginning, winning four matches and losing four. But given Morton’s inexperience, it was cause for celebration.
“We were as excited about that year as anything because we didn’t have any idea what we were doing,” Morton said, but he did his homework by studying video and printed instructionals. “I just watched a lot of tennis, watched other coaches, just tried to learn something every time we played.”
One academic year behind Reece came Benjamin Morton. William Morton followed after one short year of there not being a Morton son at Jemison High School. William, 19, is a senior and the team’s No. 1 individual player; and last in the long line of Morton tennis players is Andrew, a 17-year-old junior.
If you think there have been a lot of Mortons on the JHS tennis team, think about all the ones on the other side of the fence during matches. There’s Benton, of course, but his wife Cindy is also a program fixture.
“I’m the momma,” Cindy Morton said. “I make sure they have a drink. I’m a support person. I don’t have an athletic bone in my body.”
And Reece, now 24 years old and a teacher at the high school after playing for a time at Central Alabama Community College, helps his father coach. Reece said he likes coaching, but being so soon removed from his playing days, it’s difficult sometimes having to explain the game to someone else instead of just grabbing a racket and doing it himself.
“I used to just have to worry about one match; now I have to worry about nine matches,” he said.
Most days, the worrying turns to celebrating a victory. In his 12th season as coach, Benton Morton has taken JHS tennis to the state tournament nine times—every year except his first two as coach. The Panthers boys have lost to rival Chilton County High School just once. In February, Morton celebrated earning his 100th win as coach.
“I didn’t do it myself,” he said. “I owe my success to my wife, my kids, my players and my parents. I’ve had a lot of help.”
Morton takes pride in the fact that the Jemison tennis program offers opportunities to students who might not have them otherwise. The program is a haven for those who don’t play the more recognized spring sports, baseball and softball, and it doesn’t take much to play: the cost of a uniform and five cans of balls.
“We’ll give you a racket if you don’t have one,” Morton said.
Next season, the last with a Morton on the Jemison tennis team, will be Morton’s 25th year in education. He thinks about what it would be like trying to coach a team that doesn’t include one of his sons, and he’s not sure that sticking around would be the right thing to do.
“It won’t be the same without the kids,” he said. “I don’t know if the motivation will be there. It takes a family to do it, and we’re a family. I don’t think we would have done it so long and enjoyed it so much had it not been that we were all involved.”
But if it comes to it, it will be hard for Morton, 47, to walk away from the position because of all the players that he isn’t related to—at least not technically.
“You get so attached to them that you start to feel like a dad to all of them,” he said.