PARA to honor softball legend Paul Morrison in field naming ceremony at Sokol Park | Events

From the The Tuscaloosa Park and Recreation Authority:

The Tuscaloosa Park and Recreation Authority will dedicate a softball field in honor of Tuscaloosa softball legend, Paul Morrison during his naming ceremony on August 29 at 6 p.m. in Sokol Park South. The event will kick-off PARA’s fall softball season.

Morrison, a charter member of the West Alabama Softball Hall of Fame and a member of the Alabama Softball Hall of Fame, is recognized as one of the state’s best fast-pitch softball pitchers, but his contributions to area softball goes far beyond his playing and managing records.

Morrison began playing softball when he was 12 years old and started in Tuscaloosa’s fast-pitch leagues when he was 16 in 1952. He played with such teams as B.F. Goodrich, Pepsi Cola and Southside winning numerous state championships and competed with some of the best teams in the country.

Morrison, who could throw 95-98 miles per hour in his prime, pitched one season in Mobile in 1961, posting a 34-5 record while recording 521 strikeouts and allowing 91 hits and only 39 runs in 286 innings.

Morrison retired from fast pitch softball around 1974 when he started coaching Tuscaloosa youth.

“It was fun,” said Morrison on his fast pitch memories. “I made some of the best memories there.”

Morrison taught softball to over 500 kids in the Walker and Shelby counties and once held a softball clinic for over 182 girls one summer.

A 1953 graduate of Tuscaloosa High School, Morrison played in the 1953 Alabama High School All-Star basketball game. He is retired from B. F. Goodrich.

The event is free and open to the public. PARA encourages everyone who has ever been coached by Morrison, old teammates and friends to attend the event to show appreciation for Morrison’s accomplishments in softball history.