My Carolina Experience: Mike Morton
November 5, 2014 | Football
By Zoya Johnson, GoHeels.com
Mike Morton had ambitious goals for himself coming out of high school.
The Morehead-Cain Scholar was an All-Conference and All-State football player at the prep level with many collegiate offers to look forward to and dreams of going to medical school. When Morton decided he did not want to be on the West Coast for his college years his decision was narrowed to Duke, South Carolina and Carolina.
It was a tough decision between UNC and South Carolina but Morton ended up choosing Carolina because it fit his plans for the future.
When he came to Carolina, Morton defined success as "playing a lot and proving to people I was good enough to be at this level. I wanted to live up to the expectations." That is certainly something Morton did. Having to maintain his Morehead-Cain scholarship while playing football and completing an undergraduate degree in biology was not an easy task, especially once he became a two-sport athlete by walking onto the baseball team. But he made it work.
"Efficient time management really became a necessity. I took 15 hours that first semester and ended up with close to a 4.0 grade point average," says Morton. "Coupling that with playing football wore me out. Attending UNC on a Morehead Scholarship meant for the first time in my life, I had to budget and plan ahead to make sure I used the funds I was given wisely so I had resources at the end of the semester. Coming in three weeks before classes began and the associated culture shock of training camp puts a lot of stress and pressure on a freshman. But, 'That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' "
That proved true for Morton. When he first came to UNC he was simply trying to maintain his spot on the team. By his senior year, he was a captain of the football team, had lettered in both football and baseball and his coaches were telling him he had a shot at making it in the NFL.
Morton feels playing at UNC not only gave him the skills to play in the league for seven years, it gave him the skills for life off the field as it laid the foundation for his dental career.
"My plan as an undergrad was to go to medical school. That was put on hold when I was able to play in the NFL. Right before training camp one season, I developed a toothache while eating lunch with my wife. It turned out I had developed some inflammation in the tissue surrounding a partially erupted wisdom tooth. Having to deal with an issue like that made me think that dentistry was something I may want to pursue."
After seven years in the league and earning a Super Bowl ring, Morton returned to UNC to earn his dental degree. "Making the transition from the NFL to the dental office was difficult. The discipline I learned as an athlete made it much easier to go back and complete dental school.
"I feel being a student-athlete at Carolina helped prepare me to face difficult situations I've come across them later in life. My wife and I have five children. We have a 12-year-old and seven-year-old quadruplets. My final year of dental school was similar to my classmates' in regards to national and state exams, finishing requirements and the state live patient exam in the spring for licensure. I had an added level of difficulty in that my wife was in the hospital on bed rest for a couple of months prior to the delivery of the quads. That put me in charge of getting our son up, dressed and off to pre-school, then getting to the dental school for my day. Then it was back to get him after school, then to UNC Hospitals to see my wife until it was time for my son to go back home to bed, and then I'd get up and do it all again the next day. It was the constant grind of college all over again, but at a higher stress level.
"The doctor decided to deliver the quads the evening before my live patient exam - talk about stress and pressure. But, like the movie line: failure wasn't an option. We got through it. The stress and pressure of training camps, maintaining good grades, and the overall experiences I went through at UNC and in the NFL helped me not just to endure, but persevere."
In 2007, Morton opened the doors to his own Kannapolis, N.C., dental office. Around that time another, an unexpected door was opened in his life as one of his closest friends presented him with an opportunity. The NFL was interested in recruiting former players to become officials and he was a perfect candidate for the job.
Morton has come to like officiating. Starting at the junior varsity high school level, he has now worked his way up to officiating a mixture of NCAA Division I and Division II games.
"I'm not sure how far I will advance, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the people I've met, the friendships I've made and being able to stay involved with the game."
For Morton, the game was a conduit to a world-class education that provided the tools to fulfill his dreams. After his football career was over, Morton's experiences have continued to push him to be the best at what he does and have prepared him for whatever life throws his way.