There aren't too many people who were as knowledgeable about sports as Allan Williams Morgan; known as "Al" to most of his friends, "Billy" to his wife JoAnn, and 'Dad' to Skip, Brad, and Courtney Morgan. Al Morgan loved sports, all sports.

Late in his life, he said he would have loved to have been a sportswriter. He could have been a great one with his quick wit and ability to recall the tiniest details about any sporting event. The Massachusetts native was passionate about any team from Boston, the Celtics, Bruins, Patriots, and especially the Red Sox. Al even played semi-pro baseball in Massachusetts.

He later refereed baseball and hockey but when his children began playing soccer, he switched his allegiances to the sport they loved. Al was a fixture at the Rockdale Youth Soccer Association (RYSA) complex. "If he wasn't coaching or refereeing, he was watching a match," said JoAnn. Al also refereed high school soccer and in 1999 was awarded the coveted "Iron Man" t-shirt for refereeing 30 games.

It was watching his children play soccer that gave him the most pleasure and Heritage High School soccer became one of his passions. He was the Vice President of the Heritage Booster club From May 1999 until the time of his death.

In May 1999, Al was diagnosed with melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Though the disease went into a brief remission it returned in March 2001. On April 8, 2001, Al Morgan died at his home in Conyers. He was 48 years old.

One month before he died, Al and JoAnn were at a high school soccer game. The referee hadn't shown up and it was game time. Al went down on the field and proceeded to referee the game.

"Can he do that?" asked someone in the stands. "He can do whatever he wants he has no medical restrictions" replied JoAnn. After Al died, the Heritage High School soccer boosters decided to honor his love of the sport.

A $500 scholarship is awarded in his memory each year to a senior who has exhibited outstanding skill and character on the soccer field. "It's our hope that the coaches will select a student who will continue to play soccer in college," said JoAnn. "We think of it as a way to keep Al's memory alive and to promote the love he had for soccer."

Play on.