Former Blue Devil Junior Morgan Passes Away

DURHAM, N.C. ? Junior Morgan, a center on the Duke basketball team from 1953-56, passed away from prostate cancer on Saturday, June 7 in his Winnetka, Ill., home. Morgan, a native of Asheboro, N.C., was 74.

In the 1954-55 season, when Duke played in the NCAA tournament for the first time, Morgan posted a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game and fouled out of 13 of 28 games, setting a record for disqualifications that stood until 1974. As a senior, Morgan averaged 11.2 points and a team-best 9.8 rebounds per game to help Duke to a 19-7 record. For his career, Morgan averaged 8.1 rebounds per game, tied for 15th in the Duke record books.

Following his college playing days, Morgan was drafted in the seventh round by the NBA's St. Louis Hawks. He instead chose to start a career in manufacturing, taking a job at Goodyear in Akron and playing basketball for their semi-pro team, the Wingfoots.

In 1957, Mr. Morgan married Mari Pickard, whom he met at Duke. After seven years at Goodyear, he joined her family's Chicago-area business, Pickard China, as an executive vice president in charge of manufacturing.

After the death of his father-in-law, Austin Pickard, Morgan and his brother-in-law Pete Pickard led the company for 30 years. When Pete Pickard retired in 1995, Morgan was named the company's fourth president and CEO, the first to come from outside the Pickard family.

While working for Pickard, Mr. Morgan helped negotiate a deal to provide china for the company's highest-profile client, Air Force One. Morgan retired from Pickard in 2007.

Morgan also coached youth basketball, baseball and football teams on the North Shore for 20 years.

Survivors include three sons, Andrew, James and Richard; six grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

Former Blue Devil Junior Morgan Passes Away

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