Morgan Arp first touched a basketball late in the autumn of 1960 when he was a seventh-grade student at Mineral Bluff Elementary School. He is a fast learner, however, and his accomplishments in the sport during the following six years have earned him a spot in the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame induction class of 2020.
Morgan grew up on 100-acre farm four miles from Mineral Bluff in a family that included four boys and two girls. Much of his time was spent in the outdoors, hunting, fishing and doing chores around the farm. Although he was always a robust, athletic young man, there was little time to devote to organized sports. That changed when Kenneth Wood joined the staff at Mineral Bluff as a teacher and coach at the beginning of the 1960-61 school year. It was the first stop for Wood in a 16-year basketball and football coaching career in the Fannin County School System at Blue Ridge Elementary School and West Fannin High School in addition to the two years that he remained at Mineral Bluff. It was Kenneth Wood who recognized young Morgan Arp’s latent athletic ability and persuaded him to join the Mineral Bluff basketball team.
At Mineral Bluff, Morgan joined forces with David Nichols and Johnny Rogers, and these three young men would be teammates throughout their basketball careers at Mineral Bluff and later at East Fannin High School. They were a formidable threesome who led the Mineral Bluff team to the 1962 Fannin County Tournament Championship with a resounding 53-17 victory over McCaysville in the finals. The McCaysville team, led by Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame member Steve Cheatham ran roughshod over every other team in the county but, in addition to the loss in the County Championship game, lost two regular season games to the Mineral Bluff boys by the lopsided scores of 48-28 and 63-21. Rogers, Nichols and Morgan Arp scored in double figures in all three games.
Morgan reported for his first basketball practice at East Fannin High School as a freshman in the fall of 1962. He was greeted by first-year coach Ron Ely, a lanky 6’5” 23-year old fresh out of Tennessee Wesleyan College. Ely, a native of Pennington Gap, Virginia had been a standout basketball player at Tennessee Wesleyan and brought discipline and some fresh, innovative ideas about the game to Morganton. He remained the Wildcat head coach for three seasons and Morgan Arp credits Ely with teaching him much of what he learned about the game of basketball.
Morgan was a starter for the East Fannin basketball teams all four years that he competed. He was a team leader and was elected as the team Most Valuable Player as a freshman, sophomore and senior. He stood just over 6 feet tall playing much of every game inside against taller opponents. He was tough as nails, giving no quarter and expecting none in return. Opponents could expect a rugged, relentless battle from him from the opening tip to the final whistle. One of his opponents who faced Morgan numerous times had these words to say about him: “Morgan was a very productive player. He played much taller than he was. Got the most out of his ability. Very aggressive, played with an attitude (very sharp elbows). Probably the most physical player I ever played against. Excellent defender, rebounder and inside scorer. Not stylish but very effective”.
When asked about his most memorable moments on the court, Morgan is quick to recall his battles with Larry Cantrell of Copper Basin. Cantrell was a giant for his era, measuring 6’8’ from head to toe. He would receive a basketball scholarship from Auburn of the SEC following his graduation from high school. Although giving up 8 inches or so to Cantrell, Morgan Arp was the aggressor in all of their battles, approaching the challenge as though the two stood eye to eye. In his six games against Copper Basin during the Cantrell era, Morgan and his Wildcat teammates managed to split the two games in 1962-63 and 1963-64 and dropped a pair of one-point games to the 1964-65 Cougar squad, arguably the best boys basketball team in Copper Basin history.
Another battle for Morgan were the annual games against cross-county rival West Fannin High School. It was something of a David vs Goliath struggle since West Fannin had roughly three times as many students as East Fannin. The Wildcats managed to defeat West Fannin twice during Morgan’s junior and senior seasons, however, including a 58-52 victory in a game at West Fannin on January 18, 1966. Morgan Arp poured through 20 points in this big victory which would be the last time that an East Fannin team would defeat a Tom Foster-coached Yellow Jacket quintet. Foster, another Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame member, retired following the 1973-74 season.
The East Fannin Wildcats finished the 1964-65 season with a 22-5 record and narrowly missed a trip to the State Tournament. In his three years in Morganton, Ron Ely had molded his team into a championship-caliber outfit and prospects were bright as the 1965-66 season loomed ahead. Fate intervened, however, and Ely received and accepted an offer to assume the roundball coaching reins at Cherokee County High School in Canton, Georgia. He would remain in Canton for 13 years and win two state titles during that time. Overall, Ely had 693 victories that also included stops at East Hall High School and Lakeview Academy. He is a member of the Cherokee County High School Sports Hall of Fame.
To replace Ely, East Fannin tapped Jack Myers to take over the boys basketball program. Myers, who played college basketball for two seasons at the University of Maryland, came to Fannin County after coaching several seasons at Sequatchie County High School in Dunlap, Tennessee. His coaching style was considerably different from the disciplined-style of Ely but he did inherit a strong hand of talent, including the irrepressible Morgan Arp. The 1965-66 Wildcat hoopsters would finally break through and earn a trip to the Class B State Tournament in Macon. It would be the only appearance at the big event in the 21-year history of basketball at East Fannin High School.
Again, fate intervened and East Fannin was matched with pre-tourney favorite Waynesboro High School in the first round of the State Tournament. Waynesboro lived up to the hype and eliminated the Wildcats 75-61 on their way to the State Championship. As something of a consolation prize, Morgan was named to the Chattanooga Times All Tri-State team, one of only three Georgia players to be named to the team.
In addition to his basketball exploits at East Fannin Morgan also played football for two seasons. He played end on both offense and defense. His recovery of a fumble for a touchdown in the 1964 North Gwinnett game was instrumental in leading the Cats of a 20-13 victory. He was also a member of the Big E Club and Key Club at East Fannin.
After graduation from East Fannin Morgan worked for a spell in Warner Robins before deciding to attend college. He chose Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia but faced an acute lack of funds dilemma. The Registrar at Piedmont was taken with Morgan’s determination and was instrumental in helping him pay for his college education through grants and work programs. Morgan graduated cum laude from Piedmont College with a B.S. in Social Studies in 1970. He later earned a Masters Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Georgia and a Specialist Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University.
Following his graduation from Piedmont, Morgan landed a teaching and coaching job at East Fannin High School. Under the mentorship of long time Fannin County education administrator/school superintendent Ed Dunn, Morgan soon moved into the newly-created position of home-bound teacher He remained in that position for 5 years and then moved on into positions of visiting teacher and then assistant school superintendent. In 1993, he threw his hat into the ring and ran for Fannin County School Superintendent. Morgan says that he and his family visited almost every home in the county seeking votes. In a crowded field of contenders, he emerged on top and served as Superintendent until his retirement in 2002. He points out that he was the last elected and first appointed Superintendent in the recent history of the county. Overall Morgan Arp devoted more than 30 years of service to the educational system of Fannin County.
Morgan Arp and Mary Jabaley were married in November, 1982. They live in a gorgeous home on Blue Ridge Lake where they enjoy boating and cooking. They also devote considerable time and effort to charitable endeavors in the area. Morgan also plays a little golf from time to time. They have two adult children, Thomas, who works for State Farm Insurance and Christy, who is the Fannin County Economic Development Director.
Epilogue – Mary Jabaley Arp passed away on September 16, 2019.
