JOHN MORRIS, Class of 1995

JOHN MORRIS
Class of 1995
Inducted in 2018

A distinguished two-sport standout, John Morris earned his place in the Lowell High School Athletic Hall of Fame by his illustrious accomplishments in the LHS pool, and on the baseball diamond.

John was a key contributor to the success of the LHS Swim team under Coach Tony Padvaiskas. During the 1994-1995 season, John was a member of the 200 Freestyle relay and the 200 1M Relay teams that established new school records. John was named as a Lowell Sun All-Star.

John was a member of Coach George Cunha’s LHS Baseball team for 3 years, during which he established himself as one of the most heralded, and elite pitchers in the 100 plus year history of Lowell High School Baseball.

As a sophomore (1993) John broke into the starting rotation for the Red and Gray, compiling a record of 3-0 with a minuscule Earned Run Average (ERA) of 1.17 as the Raiders went deep into the Division I State Tournament.

As a junior (1994) John led the Red and Gray in every pitching statistic. He finished the season with a 7-3 record, 52 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.28. John played a prominent role in Lowell’s 15-6 season and another appearance in the Division I State Tournament. He was selected as the Lowell Sun Player of the Year.

As a Tri-Captain during his senior season (1995) John enjoyed one of the most dominant seasons of any pitcher in school history, finishing with a 10-1 record, striking out 57, and fashioning a 1.83 ERA. When he wasn’t on the mound, John played 1st base, leading the team in home runs and triples. Due in no small part to John’s impressive contributions, Lowell once again went deep into the State Tournament. John repeated as Lowell Sun Player of the Year and was also named as a Boston Herald All-Scholastic.

During John’s career, Lowell compiled a record of 48-19. His 20 career wins account for more than 40% of the victories. John finished his career with a record of 20-4, a winning percentage of .833, a school record at that time. His total of 20 career victories and his senior year total of 10 victories both rank 2nd in the LHS Record Book. Those totals rank #1 among all Red and Gray left handers. John’s totals of 3 shutouts in a season (1994) and 5 in his career rank 2nd on the LHS all-time lists. His career ERA of 1.51 ranks 11th all time.

After graduation John continued his baseball career, first at the University of Connecticut, and then at UMass Lowell. At UML, John played on teams that twice (1998, 1999) advanced to the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament. John was named as a New England Academic All-American (1999) and was a 3-time UML Baseball Academic Student Athlete Award Winner.

John joins former teammates Brian Durkin, Joe Durkin, Garrett Gillick, Dan Graham, and Dave McNeil in the Hall of Fame.