Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 28, 2023 61 he was calling Notre Dame games and working for CBS. A typical weekend had him broadcasting a Fighting Irish game on Saturday, then jumping on a plane to work as an analyst for an NFL game on Sunday. Meanwhile, his business star steadily rose. He was general manager of a transportation company. He became one of the first agents in NFL history, representing Fighting Irish stars includ- ing Nick Eddy and Alan Page, securing NFL contracts. Morse also made sound investments in numerous businesses — radio stations, hotels, outlet shopping malls and, his favorite as a pilot himself, private jets and air travel services. He was a regular figure around the Mus- kegon County Airport well into his 80s. With his family, Morse gave away mil- lions, supporting a significant list of charitable organizations and causes. At Notre Dame, he became a member of the advisory council for the College of Arts and Letters. He served on the Ath- letic Alumni Development Committee and underwrote a football and base- ball scholarship. He made his aircraft available to the athletic department. His commitment to the academic progress of all students led to the 2001 dedica- tion of the James and Leah Rae Morse Center for Academic Services, a facility that serves athletes and all students in the First Year of Studies. In 2004, Morse received the Edward W. "Moose" Krause Distinguished Ser- vice Award from the Notre Dame Mono- gram Club in recognition of his years of service to the university. "It's very much the American dream come to fruition," said his daughter Lee Ann Bullough in a 2016 interview. "Very humble beginnings. Through a lot of hard work, persistence, he made him- self." Noted friend and teammate Hornung: "He's one hell of a man. He's what we all aspire to be — that successful and to handle people the way he's handled them. You can't do it any better." And Morse has a living link to the current Fighting Irish. Grandson Max Bullough, a former Michigan State stand- out, is a graduate assistant coach working with the Notre Dame linebackers. ✦ As a sophomore in 1954, Morse rushed for 179 yards, caught 2 passes and scored a pair of touch- downs to lead the Irish to a 23-17 victory over USC. FILE PHOTO The Knute Rockne Memorial Society wishes to congratulate the 2023 Rockne Award recipients Thom Gatewood '72 Living Legend Award Kevin Corrigan Champion Award Missy Conboy '82 Leadership Award Jack Nolan Communicator Award Larry Dwyer '66 Dis nguished Service Award Michael Leep Community Leader Award Jim Augus ne Heritage Award The Knute Rockne Memorial Society wishes to thank all who helped make the 2023 Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Awards Celebra on a great success. We appreciate your par cipa on and support. Relive this great event by visi ng www.RockneSociety.org Jim Lefebvre is an award-winning Notre Dame author and leads the Knute Rockne Memorial Society. He can be reached at: jim@ndfootballhistory.com