Fort Lewis College Athletics

When the Fort Lewis College Booster Club was formed in 1972, then football coach Jay McNitt came to local businessman Jim Morehart for energetic and committed leadership. Coach McNitt asked Mr. Morehart to serve as president of the club for one year.

Not only did Mr. Morehart serve as president that year, but he also continued as president of the club into the middle 1980s. Nearly a quarter century later, he was an active member of the Board of Directors of the Blue & Gold Booster Club.
In the early years, the boosters raised between $10,000 and $15,000 per year for athletic scholarships and other projects. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, the boosters broke the $100,000 mark in cash donations and other gifts for the first time in school history. The boosters expanded their role, taking on such vital special events as the All Sports Awards Banquet and the Fort Lewis College Athletic Hall of Fame. None of this would have been possible without the long-running efforts of Mr. Morehart.

Mr. Morehart graduated from Fort Lewis College in 1970, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration. He had previously attended college at the New Mexico Military Institute and the University of Colorado, but returned to Durango in 1968 to run the family automobile dealership when his father died.
He has been one of the college's strongest advocates since, serving on the booster and Fort Lewis College Foundation boards. He received the college's Distinguished Service Award at the 33rd annual Commencement Ceremonies. Mr. Morehart runs a successful automobile dealership. He expanded his business operation, moving the dealership from its 40-year location on East Second Avenue to Bodo Industrial Park.