A native of South Carolina, Elmer Morrow enjoyed a career in Georgia athletics that spanned nearly 40 years.
The former member of the United States Air Force was first hired as a physical education teacher at Druid Hills High School in Dekalb County in 1949. Between 1949 and 1961, Morrow coached football, basketball, gymnastics, wrestling, and baseball. His football team won the North Georgia Championship in 1956 and appeared in the state finals in 1957.
As a basketball coach, Morrow led the Druid Hills Red Devils to the state championship in 1953, 1954, and 1957. His titles in 1953 and 1954 launched Druid Hills into the spotlight as the first Dekalb County school to win back-to-back state championships. With the state championship in 1957, Druid Hills became the first Dekalb school to win three state titles.
Elmer Morrow was also a trailblazer as a wrestling and a gymnastics coach. In 1952, he coached the very first wrestling team in Dekalb County and in 1953, Morrow led the Druid Hills Boys Gymnastics Team to the State Championship.
Morrow received numerous accolades and awards for his work at Druid Hills High School including basketball “Coach of the Year”, football “Coach of the Year”, the WSB “Beaver” Award, and the WSB Sports Scroll Award for outstanding achievement in the World of Sports.
In 1961, the Dekalb County School system named Elmer Morrow as its first full-time athletic director. Through his hard work and dedication, Morrow developed policies and procedures that are still being used by the current Dekalb Athletic Administration.
He was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1977 and was named Athletic Director of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association in 1980.
In 1988, Elmer Morrow retired as Athletic Director from the Dekalb County School system but he remained active in his community and to the world of athletics. He was a member of the Decatur Kiwanis Club, served as the Director of the Atlanta TipOff Club, and served as Director and Secretary of the Braves Four Hundred Club.
