SPORTS HALL of FAME COACH
Mary 'Mandigo' Morrison
A classic piece of advice heard by young people for generations goes something like this: "If you don't like the way something is done, find a way to make it better".
For Mary Morrison ("M"), or Mary Vredenburgh ("Mrs. V") in her early days, that line rang true during a quarter century of coaching at Sidney -1972-96. She brought girls sports literally from play days to the playoffs, especially in field hockey. Title IX may not have come into being while she was in high school, but when it finally hit in 1972, she was ready and she definitely made things better!
There she played intramural sports and was a cheerleader. She remembers the of inequity toward girls sports, which may have driven her toward her goal of being a physical education teacher. By 1969, she had graduated from SUNY Cortland and quickly landed a position at Sidney High School. She coached the same intramural sports that she herself had played at Forks, but that would soon change.
Tittle IX was indeed passed, allowing girls to participate in sports with the same opportunities as the boys. Mary's first group was the field hockey team in the fall of 1972. The girls went 4-2-2 and placed 2nd in the Susquenango League. She also coached volleyball and basketball that first year.
Over the next few seasons, Mary's hockey teams were always in the thick of the action. The Lady Warriors played more games, earned more wins, scored more goals, and gained more respect around Section 4 with each passing year. 1979 ended with a then-best record of 14-3, plus a Sus League and Section IV Class A title. By then, there was talk of a state tournament for New York State.
By the 1982 campaign, the brackets had reached the state semifinal level Mary's high powered team seized the opportunity and fired off a 17-2 season (another record), then took the Sectional crown, the Central Region title and first-ever Western State Championship, all in Class A. They were not a large-size school, but they beat all large school competition!
They would keep progressing. In 1983, the NYS playoff system expanded to include the first authentic State Championship ... and Sidney was there!! They played national power Centereach High School at Manhattanville College. The Lady Warriors hung tough but came up on the short end of a 4-2 score. Keep in mind Centereach had the nation's top player in Tracey Fuchs and their defense had not allowed more than one goal in any game the entire season. Yet there was small school Sidney trailing only 3-2 late in the game when the potential tying shot smacked against the goal post. It was that close. Respect? They definitely earned it that day.
Another solid year followed (14-2-2) in 1984 which resulted in a North Regional loss. Fast forward to 1990, when Sidney again finished 2nd in the State's largest division Class A at 19-3-1. It was merely a preview for the next season when, bolstered by an incredible defense and timely offense, Mary's team put it all together: A school record 20 wins with no losses and two ties. They swept through the playoffs, playing on Hartwick's All-Weather Field in Oneonta (their "home away from home"). The Lady Warriors captured the 1991 NYS Class A Championship over defending champ Lakeland HS.
Mary's successful run continued for a few more years. When it was all said and done, she retired with a coaching mark of 262-100-46, which was among the best in all of New York State.
Later, Mary "dabbled" in coaching modified girls basketball and boys tennis. She moved from her position in phys. ed. to that of a middle school guidance counselor in 1987 , then earned her degree in counseling from SUNY-Oneonta in 1989. She totaled 32 Y2 years in education and 25 years in coaching.
In all, Sidney Field Hockey won eight Sus League, five Section 4, and six Regional titles, plus three State semifinals and of course one NYS crown. There was only one losing season and several .500 teams along the way, But the girls who played for Mary will attest to learning much more than field hockey skills. Which is why many of them are here tonight to honor Mary Morrison's induction into the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.