Viva Las Vegas
George Morales (BSE ’01) left his job in New York City after the 9/11 attacks and dove into teaching. He’s now an educator and award-winning flag football coach in Las Vegas
By Reggie Hayes
Photography by Marissa Gates and provided by George Morales (BSE ’01)
The subway train came to a stop and the life trajectory of George Morales (BSE ’01) changed forever. It was Sept. 11, 2001, and he was commuting from his home in New Jersey to Manhattan for his work with a financial firm on Wall Street.
“They made everyone get off the train and I could see the buildings on fire,” Morales said of the World Trade Center twin towers. “They said, ‘Everyone has to disperse, get out of here.’ It was kind of crazy.
“I had to walk back to another train station, and I turned and saw the buildings collapse.”
Nothing was the same after that act of terrorism. Morales took a short time away in Fort Wayne and then returned to New York City, but the devastation proved to be too much. “Downtown Manhattan was like a war zone—Humvees everywhere, people in masks, military everywhere. After about a month and half of that, I just wanted to get out of there.”
After a tip from a friend, he applied for a teaching position at Whitko Middle School in Larwill, Indiana, and landed the job. A new trajectory. A football player on Saint Francis’ inaugural team of 1998, Morales also returned to that love as an assistant coach at South Side High School in Fort Wayne. A year later, Morales made another bold move after being laid off as a teacher.
“I just decided to move to Las Vegas—packed my stuff and moved out here,” he said. “I wasn’t really tied down. I had a childhood friend who lived out here so, why not? Give it a chance. I’ve been teaching out here since that day in 2003.”
Morales taught elementary school and later moved into his current role as a high school special education teacher. As a return to his sports passion, he started playing men’s flag football and kept playing for 15 years. He also coached a variety of youth and high school sports, including girls soccer and softball. During that time, he married Darlene, a fellow teacher, and they eventually had three children: daughter Danielle and sons George and Gio.
As Danielle became serious about flag football, Morales stepped away from coaching. That didn’t last long. He compiled statistics for her high school team when she was a freshman, but after the head coach and assistants departed, Morales landed the head coaching position.
This latest trajectory put father and daughter together, and the results have been spectacular. Arbor View High School reached the state championship game, losing on a last-second touchdown. Last season, Morales led Arbor View to a #1 seed in the tournament before losing in the semifinals. Morales was honored as the Class 5A Coach of the Year by the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders. Danielle, a running back, broke the national record for rushing yards and is being recruited by several colleges.
“The real reason I got into coaching flag football was because of my daughter and wanting her to find as much success as she can,” Morales said. “This is her senior year, but I plan to keep coaching after she goes to college. I hope to coach here until I retire.”
Morales’ route to where he stands today—teaching, coaching flag football and raising a family in Las Vegas—wasn’t necessarily one he imagined when he first transferred from Ball State University to Saint Francis to join the football team in 1998.
“Flag football is definitely my favorite sport to coach; I’m in my element, having played it for so long as an adult,” he said. “The scheming, watching film, coming up with a plan, figuring out things that teams aren’t going to be able to keep up with—that’s my favorite part.”
Mentoring students and players also motivates Morales.
“That’s why I became a teacher in general—to help kids reach their goals and grow and become better people. I love seeing them reach their goals”
George Morales (BSE ’01)