THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 4, 1996 TAG: 9610030192
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 17 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: SPORTS EDITOR'S COLUMN
SOURCE: LEE TOLLIVER
LENGTH: 64 lines
It's a good thing Dr. T.J. Morgan is doing.
When the former Kempsville and University of Richmond running back took over the Tidewater Sharks two years ago, he changed more than the name.
The Hampton Roads Sharks are not just a football team. The squad is a member of the community - spending time with schools and kids and giving clinics and talks.
Morgan has created as much of a family atmosphere at games as is humanly possible and the change is reflected in the stands.
Yes, it's a good thing he has done.
But is it enough to win championships?
Probably not.
In minor league football - where players are supposed to compete for no dollars and strictly for the love of the sport - it takes a certain kind of athlete to compete at the highest level. There are hundreds of amateur football teams across the country and the best have the kind of talent that is extremely hard to find when there is nothing but the game to offer.
And while it isn't commonly talked about, it is a certainty that many of the best teams do offer their players some incentives.
Mind you, there is some big-time talent on the Sharks. Undoubtedly some of the best amateur players in the country call Hampton Roads home. But not enough of them to make it to the top.
So where does that leave Morgan and the Sharks?
With expenditures like travel, uniforms, insurance, promotions and site rentals, there is little left. And with Morgan's philosophy, paying supposed amateur players in an amateur league wouldn't be on the up and up.
So, can the Sharks actually compete at minor league football's highest level? Yes. Can they win? Maybe.
They find out Saturday when the Sharks travel to Fredericksburg to play the Generals - the defending Mason-Dixon Football League champions and the only team to defeat Hampton Roads last year.
According to coaches who have either faced or seen both teams, Hampton Roads will again have trouble with one of the best teams in the country.
But Hampton Roads is also in the national rankings and easily defeated Richmond - another ranked team - last week. And in doing so, the Sharks looked better in the second half than they looked all year long. Better than at any time last season, too.
Maybe the Sharks are peaking at the right time. They are certainly playing their best football.
Morgan has assembled a pretty good football team that has finally started to play together - at least it did for the second half last week.
To win Saturday on the Generals' home field, Hampton Roads will have to improve on that effort. A victory would elevate the team to the highest level in its history.
And that would do two things - bring Morgan closer to meeting all his goals and attract the attention of some of the better players, who for whatever reason, love playing hard-hitting, brain-rattling football for no other reason than the game.
No matter what happens up north, Morgan and the Sharks can keep their heads up knowing that they have a top-notch football club and that what they are doing is a good thing. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Sharks owner Dr. T.J. Morgan says he won't stoop to paying players
in an amateur league. by CNB