March 30th marked history here at Jefferson-Morgan as the softball field was renamed in honor of Chris Dugan, a beloved coach, son, father, husband and friend. A special ceremony took place prior to the softball game Wednesday against Monesson, as people from all around the area gathered to pay tribute to Chris by naming the field The Chris Dugan Memorial Field. For anyone who did not know him, and that is very few, he was one of the most well-rounded and selfless individuals. His passion was teaching, which worked hand in hand with coaching softball. From a young age, he started developing a program for young athletes wanting to play. With the help of other parents, he made a field where we started learning the basics. And that is where it began. Softball was one way he bonded with his daughters, Camryn and Caitlyn.

He coached a majority of the players aging from 17-20 and was a mentor for many young athletes wanting to play the game. He brought out a fire in you like people would not believe. Chris was the kind of person that would effortlessly make you believe in yourself. The amount of excitement he had coaching us was one of my favorite memories. Chris fought for his players in tough situations and held them accountable on and off the field. Being around him made you want to be a better person, and he never failed to push us to be better.

Team Dugan won a section title last year, as well as a WPIAL Title, and made a state playoff run to finish the season 16-3. In our minds, Chris was the focal point of pushing forward through the hard time of his passing. He would have wanted us to keep winning, and we did just so.

In honor of the team, new banners have appeared in left field, including a Chris Dugan Memorial Field banner, Class A Section Title and WPIAL Title banner and a team photo of the 2014-2015 Lady Rockets, better known as Team Dugan. Also a plaque behind the dug out with a drawing of Camryn’s and Chris’s quote every game day, “Today.. Is the most important game of the season.”