Brett Morgan has signed as the head coach for the SsangYong Danube Dragons and will make his debut in the revamped Austrian Football League (AFL) at the start of 2022.
The Florida native began his European coaching career in 2016 with the Koç Rams in Turkey, helping them to win their first ever Turkish championship and while also making a run in the IFAF European Champions League. That year the Rams finished with a 12-1 overall record, including a perfect 10-0 season in Turkish league play. The Rams were the first Turkish team to win an IFAF Europe Champions League game when they defeated Swedish champions, the Carlstad Crusaders 6-0 on the road in Champions League pool play handing the Crusaders their only loss of the season.
Since then, Morgan has built an impressive resumé for himself, coaching in Finland (Wasa Royals) and Italy (Firenze Guelfi) as well as with Eastern Kentucky University (NCAA DI) and the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders as a scout – a position he still holds.
Along with his CFL scouting experience, Morgan has begun his own scouting network, All 22, which plans to bring European scouting in-line with that in North America. And with the rejigging of the Austrian League, due to the Dacia Vienna Vikings and Swarco Raiders departure to the European League of Football (ELF), Morgan’s scouting skills will certainly come in handy as there will undoubtedly be a mass exodus of Austrian talent to ELF.
The Dragons put on an impressive display in the AFL this year, downing the Austrian champions, Swarco Raiders, in the back end of the season. And with the two top teams (Vienna and Swarco) out of the AFL, there will surely be championship expectations with one of the better coaches in Europe coming in to fill the head coaching spot; an expectation not lost on Morgan:
“I’d like to thank Uras, Kathi and the rest of the Danube management for this opportunity. It’s an honor to be a Dragon, I’ve really admired the professionalism of the organization for years.
“There’s an outstanding foundation here of excellent players and coaches, and I’m here to play my role in getting us over the top. There are championship expectations here which I welcome, and the work begins right away. We’ll build a team that’s disciplined, skilled and together, that our Dragon fans will be proud of. I cannot wait to get into our community and get started.”