Morris resident and Seneca native Alan Thorson was sitting by the phone with his wife Chandra and two-year old daughter Brooke on Monday night. It clattered for attention a little after 9 and he had a feeling it was a call he was wanting to take.

It was Morris Athletic Director and former Redskins football coach George Dergo telling him that the board of education had approved Thorson taking over his old position.

"Right after the board meeting, I called and congratulated him on being named the new football coach. I think he understands his role and he's ready to take it," Dergo said.

And Thorson's reaction to Dergo?

"George called me and said that I had been accepted as the new head football coach and I accepted the position," he said.

The approval by the board, the formal offer by Dergo and the acceptance by Thorson ends nearly three months of an exhaustive search by the administration at MCHS to fill the football vacancy. Thorson's hire is just the third in the past 33 years by the school.

"I'm really excited. It's a great opportunity," Thorson said. "Obviously Morris High School has one of the best football programs in the state and I'm honored to have the opportunity to coach."

Thorson has served on Dergo's staff for the past five years as the sophomore coach where he has compiled a 32-11-2 record. In that time, Dergo has gotten to witness first hand the way his new head coach works.

"He has a great rapport with the other coaches, with the parents and with the kids. His people skills are real good and he's someone you can believe and put your trust in. It should be a good experience. It's time for him to run with it and to make his mark," Dergo said. "I think one of the biggest things is that he has a football mind and he knows what he's doing. He can adjust well and he is organized.

Al is a down-to-earth person who is willing to put his time into the program. Heck, he did that as a sophomore coach and it wasn't even his program at the time. He put as much time into it as an assistant as anyone else has," he added. "He's very organized, he has a good ethic, he's got football knowledge and he's a great communicator and he's gotten a lot of backing because of that. That is what we were overwhelmed with and what came out of the whole process."


Seneca Days

The 'whole process' started for Thorson when he played football back in high school for four years — all under coach Don Brown. The last two years, he played on the varsity where he got experience on the offensive line (ending up at center his senior year) and at defensive end. He pointed out his highlight was playing his senior year as a member of the Fighting Irish when the team went 8-1 but lost to Evergreen Park in the playoffs.

"We had a lot of injuries that year but it was a good team," Thorson said. "Every year is special, but anyone's senior year is almost always the best. Overall, it was a fun experience."


The First Step to Coaching

Thorson went on to Illinois State University and, instead of going on to play football in college, he decided to try to take the fast track to coaching.

"I had some smaller schools make me an offer (to play football) but I knew I wanted to go to Illinois State and to go for education," Thorson said. "I thought about playing, but I knew I wanted to get into coaching more, which is why I got into it so early."

Early on in his sophomore year at ISU, good fortune smiled on him.

"I got the chance to start coaching at Normal U-High because I knew the AD's (Curt Christenson) son (Cory) who was a coach at Seneca," Thorson said. "I ran into him when I came home one time and he mentioned to me that his dad was AD and he thought he knew how I could get started coaching there."

Which he did as early as 2001 with the Pioneers.


Blazing a Trail to Morris

Thorson coached at U-High for three years where he was a sophomore and varsity coach at the same time.

"U-High is a smaller school, so I was actually a sophomore coach and a varsity assistant position coach (linebackers and wide receivers)," Thorson said.

In the fall of 2004, Thorson found himself at Plainfield South where he was a sophomore coach. The next year, he landed at Morris coaching on Dergo's staff.


Learning Under Dergo

Thorson was asked what he has learned in the last five years of walking the sidelines of the MCHS gridiron.

"Just being around Morris football in general. There's not a lot of other schools who make the playoffs like Morris does and so I've had that time to come up and work with the varsity. Even on Friday nights, Dergo did a good job of letting the coaches coach and even the sophomore coaches got a lot of input at the varsity level," Thorson said. "I think the biggest thing is getting to know the kids. That and getting the feel of the school atmosphere and learning what Morris football is all about. This is a town which is passionate about football and there are not a lot of towns which have that. I think that has helped get me ready to be the coach."


The End of 'The Process'

Both Dergo and Thorson expressed gratitude that the process is now over and that football operations can get back on track again.

"I'm glad we got this done tonight because everyone has been working hard to get it done. And I know all of the football players are all wanting to know. We're starting to get into the spring season here and there is a lot that needs to be done and a lot of decisions made by the head football coach. There are decisions that need to be made right now and Al's going to have to step up and make decisions," Dergo said. "Football is a year-round sport now and now that the process is over, we have to get on with it. I think we got a great head coach and now the rest is up to Thorson."

"I think coach Dergo resigned in January and at that time I had to sit down and think it over ... I really had to think it over. I needed to be sure that I was ready for the job. I then talked it over with my wife (Chandra) and my family," Thorson said. "The other thing I took into consideration was the kids. I wouldn't have applied for the job if I thought I couldn't succeed for the kids. I want to see them do good in football and in life."


Stepping Up and Making Decisions

Thorson knows that he's going to need to get on top of many of his most crucial decisions in the coming days.

"I'm sure that people are going to want to know about the staff, which I'm going to want to get established the best I can. I really haven't had the chance to sit down with the coaches ... I'm sure the kids are going to want to know, they've been dying to know. This is as big for them as it is for me. I want to let them know that we're going to put together the best staff that we can," Thorson said. "I want to get this done as soon as possible. I want to get moving right away. There is a lot of work to do and I have a very good idea of what I want to do."


The Thorson Effect

He knows how Morris' bread has been buttered over the years, but Thorson still is looking forward to choosing which toppings go with it.

"As of now, I plan on calling the offense. I don't want to come in and change everything ... believe me, I'm not looking to change Morris football," Thorson said. "There is some good things about running the I-(formation) but I would like to see some more shotgun sets and spread formations. We know we can't run 100 times a game, but I think we have the kind of athletes to do some fun things with when we have the football. We don't want to come out with the same look every game. We want to change things up and to confuse our opponents with a lot of different looks."


One Opponent at a Time

Last year Morris completed the toughest schedule the team has played in the modern era, barely making the playoffs for a second year in a row. Thorson was asked what kind of non-conference schedule he was in favor of in the coming years — a tough one like Dergo chiseled out, or a softer one to assure more wins.

"I think it's something that you have to give credit to coach Dergo for. Those games made the team better at playoff time. I know we're going to have to look at the future and I'll honestly consider anybody for the schedule and will see who is a good fit," Thorson said. "I want the kids to not be afraid of playing anyone. This is Morris football and the kids should not be afraid of anyone. I want to help continue the pride and tradition of the program here and let everyone know that we'll take on anybody."