This feature originally appeared in the Fall edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to calbearbackers@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.
At 26 years of age, Alex Morgan has racked up career accomplishments at an astonishing rate while embracing the accompanying stardom that has made her a household name around the globe. The 2010 graduate who received her degree in Political Economy from the University of California is a successful author, producer and cover model who has graced the front of Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine and the FIFA 16 game on Xbox.
Her championship with the U.S. National Team at the 2015 World Cup joins a continually growing list of achievements, which include a 2012 Olympic gold medal, three Algarve Cups and one CONCACAF Player of the Year Award. Morgan had knee surgery right after the World Cup and was off crutches within days to appear on Jimmy Kimmel, then back within weeks with her professional club, the Portland Thorns, poised to return to the national team roster for its American celebration tour this summer and fall.
Now an international veteran, having also played in the 2011 World Cup after devoting significant portions of her collegiate career to national-team call-ups, Morgan can no longer be seen as Baby Horse, the moniker she picked up four years ago as a newcomer on the international stage.
“Alex Morgan has been an amazing ambassador for her University, her sport and her country,” said Director of Athletics Mike Williams. “In a remarkably short period of time, she has risen to become one of the all-time greats in the long and storied history of Cal Athletics. We are proud of our department's capabilities to provide the world-class resources and support for her collegiate experience. Morgan truly is a world-class Golden Bear.”
Add centered to the list of this great Golden Bear's accolades. Morgan stands upon a global platform with a champion's constitution that was seasoned by her student-athlete experience. The Diamond Bar, Calif., native has navigated her meteoric rise without losing the strong foundation that carried her to Berkeley and beyond.
“I never forget that I was a student-athlete at the world's top public university,” Morgan said. “As an alumna of Cal, it's especially meaningful because of the incredible legacy we have of female leaders emerging from our athletic programs who go on to do incredible things.”
A global appetite for all things Morgan would seem to create insatiable demands on her time and identity. But Morgan has gotten this far being comfortable in her own skin. She was identified early by those who knew her at Cal as grounded in her passion to be the best she could be.
“She was a leader,” said Katie Oakes, who roomed with Morgan on the road when Alex was a junior and Oakes a senior co-captain in 2009. “All the upperclassmen, including myself, looked up to her. She worked the hardest, was always such a good person to everybody, was super helpful and just got it done.”
Oakes, who received her degree from Cal in Art Practice and continues to play professionally with the California Storm and to coach the U-14 girls on the ACC Mavericks Strikers, said Morgan has proved to be the perfect representative of their alma mater. “She's still the same person she's always been, a great human being with a fantastic job that she does really well,” Oakes said. “And at the end of the day, she's still Alex, our friend and teammate.”
Bears head coach Neil McGuire said he saw the same qualities in Morgan when he arrived to take the helm in 2007. “Alex had incredible drive, was fiercely competitive and wanted to win, at everything,” McGuire said. “Her ascension to superstardom happened very quickly, and deservedly so. I am so impressed she has been able to continue to improve as a player each year. It speaks volumes to her dedication to her craft.”
Even with her departures to play for the national team, Morgan finished her Cal career tied for third all-time in goals (45) and points (107). She set a school record with five collegiate hat tricks, taking home two All-Pac-10 honors (2009 and '10) and an NSCAA All-America selection as a senior.
Morgan is married to fellow Cal alumnus Servando Carrasco, a pro player in the MLS with the Orlando City SC who played men's soccer for the Bears from 2007-10. They remain supportive of each other from across the nation, pursuing their dreams having traveled the same path through Berkeley to become professionals.
Morgan's achievements display to the world a quality found in all those who graduate from Cal: the power of possibility. And like many student-athletes, her collegiate experience was funded by a scholarship provided by a proud member of the Cal Athletics family. In Morgan's case, her entrance into the University was made possible by the Bill Merrell Women's Soccer Scholarship, named in honor of the second head coach in team history.
“We were thrilled to see she got the scholarship,” said Bill's brother, John Merrell, who administers to the scholarship since Bill's passing in 1995. “Each year the person who gets the scholarship writes us a letter. She did and each one has, and it just really impresses you with the maturity and the thoughtfulness of these girls. We're quite proud that Bill's scholarship went to Alex Morgan. It would be a source of tremendous satisfaction for him.”
Morgan credited everyone in the Cal community for creating the conditions for success. “At Cal, you not only have the coaches, trainers and facilities to advance your abilities as an athlete; academically, the resources are also unrivaled,” she said. “There is always someone at the library later, or running drills earlier. There is always somebody studying harder or training with more intensity. But it's a positive thing. On the field and in the classrooms, we found value in collaboration and shared advancement. It always felt like I was part of a huge team.”
Current Golden Bear junior Arielle Ship confirmed that Morgan's legacy is a daily inspiration for the team. As a high school player watching from her home in Westlake, Calif., Ship had an unforgettable experience seeing Morgan score a goal in the 2011 World Cup final. “The pride that surged through me as an American when she scored was incredible,” said Ship. “I thought to myself, I want to be like her. And now, knowing that she was a Golden Bear instills even more pride in me.”
The pair met coincidentally in Los Angeles when they each went to watch Cal – Ship as a high school senior to see her future school in action and Morgan as a supportive alumna – at a match at Pepperdine. “She was so nice, personable and down to earth,” Ship recalled. “It was so great to meet her and knowing that she played for Cal made me even more excited to be a part of this exceptional program.”
“Alex embodies everything we hope for in each of our Cal student-athletes,” McGuire said. “She represents the quality of Cal in all facets, in academics, in athletics and, most importantly, as a person. We are very proud to have had her in our program. Our Cal women's soccer program has had the privilege of many outstanding women who came through the ranks and Alex is one of those special talents.”
She's a global superstar, but she's still Alex. She'll always be a Golden Bear. And as an ambassador of the Cal Athletics family, Morgan remains an inspiration to everyone who supports the student-athlete experience.
