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Mo-Fo, hometown hero, dead at 32
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Morris Foreman, one of Farmville Central's all-time
greatest athletes and a football star at East Carolina from 1992-95, passed
away suddenly on Thursday. A fan favorite with multiple on-field talents,
Foreman was instrumental in helping the Pirates gain back-to-back Liberty
Bowl berths in 1994-95. (Photo: ECU Media Relations) |
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Soft-spoken hero did his talking with his deeds |
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In her grief,
Renée Jacobs Foreman wanted to share a story about her
husband. A few years ago, Morris and Renée found
themselves in a financial crunch. Morris saw his hours
being cut down sharply at Collins & Aikman and with a
new house to be paid for, the short term solution was
that Renée would pick up a part-time extra job to help
make ends meet while Morris transitioned to a new job.
Down the street, there was a corner bar…
More from Ron Cherubini... |
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By
Al Myatt
©2005 Bonesville.net
One of East Carolina's homegrown legends,
Morris Foreman, has died of an apparent heart attack.
Farmville Central High School football coach
Dixon Sauls said he learned of his former star's passing via a phone call at
1:30 a.m. on Thursday.
"He was a folk hero in the era he played in
Farmville," Sauls said. "He united this community with his character and
success. He walked the walk. It's rare when your most talented athlete is
also your hardest worker but he wanted to make everyone around him better.
"He was Michael Vick before Michael Vick was
Michael Vick."
Foreman quarterbacked Farmville to a
conference championship in football in 1990 and played point guard on the
Jaguars' 2-A state title basketball teams in 1989 and 1990.
Foreman, nicknamed Mo-Fo, was recruited by
programs including Michigan, North Carolina, N.C. State and ECU. He appeared
headed for N.C. State but reversed field and became a Pirate after a year of
prep school at Fork Union. That choice became a trendsetter for ECU as
former coach Steve Logan was able to keep other talented players close to
home in recruiting.
Not long after Foreman finished his stellar
career with the Pirates, Logan said, "He contributed to the program
practically from the time he walked on the field as a freshman."
Foreman played outside linebacker and was a
return man at ECU. He was in on 254 career tackles and had seven
interceptions. He averaged 28.7 yards on kickoff returns and 10.4 yards on
punt returns.
Foreman was a tri-captain as a senior on the
1995 ECU team that topped Stanford 19-13 in the Liberty Bowl to finish 9-3.
A virtual lock to be enshrined in the
East Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame at some point, Foreman wore jersey No.
7.
Foreman, 32, was living in Farmville and
working at a correctional facility in Vanceboro, according to Sauls.
Foreman's son, Demetrius Staton, is a
sophomore linebacker/tackle for Farmville. The Jaguars meet Plymouth in
their season opener tonight.
Memorial arrangements were pending as
Foreman's brothers, Jerry and Willie, were returning from Georgia. A service
at Farmville Central has been discussed as a possibility.
Send an e-mail message to
Al Myatt.
Dig into Al's
Bonesville archives.
02/23/2007 12:33:24 AM
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