When I hear the name “Mike Morrison,” many memories quickly surface.

I remember long nights playing euchre, with Mike shouting “renege” whenever someone was too tired to remember how to play the game.

I remember a hilarious performance of “Wizard of Oz” when Mike, wearing an oversized lion suit, belted out what he would do if he were “King of the Forest.”

I remember countless choir performances, many long talks while working in the athletic department and plenty of competitive commentary every Western-Central weekend since I, much to his chagrin, chose to be a Bronco instead of a Chippewa.

Most commonly, though, I remember Mike’s voice over the speakers at so many athletic events that I couldn’t even begin to count.

Saturday night, I added a new memory with Mike: I heard him on the big speakers at Four Winds Field.

Roughly 50 of my classmates, teachers, administrators and friends’ parents from high school traveled to South Bend to cheer on a Brandywine alum Mike Morrison as he made a lifelong dream come true.

Microphone Mike, as most Bobcats know him, graduated in 2004 and announced all sorts of games since his early high school days. I’ve had the pleasure of having Mike as a pseudo-big brother for most of my life, and I couldn’t have been more proud this weekend.

With the help of the community, Mike won a contest last spring selecting an announcer for the South Bend Cubs, and has announced a handful of games this season. Saturday was his last game (for now) at Four Winds Field, and section 105 was filled with fans cheering on not the team on the field, but the man in the press box.

This support was certainly deserved. Mike has worked tirelessly in athletics for most of his life with a variety of titles including official, coach, volunteer, scorekeeper, announcer and more. A committed member of the Brandywine community, Mike gives up much of his free time to help young athletes, assist the athletic director in various projects and attend nearly every home game at Brandywine.

Most people who have attended a game at the high school have seen Mike in some capacity, as he’s always willing to do whatever is needed to make sure the games go on. More than once, I’ve heard Mike take the microphone when nobody was available to sing the national anthem so he could belt out the tune loudly and proudly.

So many people in the Brandywine community have been blessed to share Mike’s journey, and the pride and support was evident Saturday night as we all took turns taking selfies with our handmade signs, peppering social media (and the big screen at the game) with support for our friend.

It was truly powerful to see such a big crowd of fellow Brandywine community members — many of whom graduated or retired long ago — come out and share a night supporting a fellow Bobcat and his dream.

I feel so blessed to be part of a community that cares so much for its people.

Congratulations, Mike, on your success. I can’t wait to hear you in Brandywine’s brand new press box this fall.

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.