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Men's Basketball MSU Athletics Communications

Former Bears Basketball Player James Gorman Passes Away

BALTIMORE, Md. (December 31, 2020) – Morgan State University is saddened to report the death of former Bear basketball scholar-athlete James Gorman who succumbed to MSA (Multiple System Atrophy), a devastating disease akin to ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,  more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease). 

He passed away Saturday (Dec.26) at his home after a 6-year battle with the disease. He was 64.
gormanhead
Gorman was born March 4, 1956 in Ridgeway, New Jersey and attended Severna Park High School in Severn, Maryland before becoming a Morgan Bear.    
 
Gorman was a versatile 6-5 guard/forward as a member of the Morgan State basketball team from 1974 to 1978. He arrived on the heels of the Bears capturing a DII National Championship and was an important part of the program's rise as Morgan averaged 20+ wins a season during his career.

Gorman was a financial contributor to his alma mater and had a successful career in business. He has long credited the influential role of Morgan State; there is an excerpt from a basketball version of Chicken Soup For the Soul, acknowledging just that fact.
MEAC 1977 Championship Team
1977 MEAC Championship Team
According to Jim's brother Bob, "Morgan State University broke it's color barrier when Jim accepted a scholarship in 1974, and three years later as a starter, Jim returned the favor by helping Morgan Bears win their first MEAC conference championship. And yes, as the only white player in the MEAC, the media referred to Jim as Morgan's Polar Bear."

Gorman was recruited and played for legendary head coach Nat Frazier. He played with and against many great players from that era in Maryland basketball history.  He called Morgan State's Marvin Webster (The Human Eraser), Phil Pugh, Eric (Pencil) Evans and Billy Newton his teammates. Morgan was loaded.
 
James Gorman is survived by his wife Beverly Gorman; children, Sara, Brian, Jeffrey, Greg; and five grandchildren.

The Morgan Bear family sends our love and prayers to Mr. Gorman's family, friends and teammates. 


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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
 
 
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