DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - The University Interscholastic League has suspended the former coach of the Duncanville High School girls' basketball team for recruitment violations and placed the school on probation. UIL made the decision after a hearing Tuesday morning.
Cathy Self-Morgan led the Duncanville girls basketball team to five state titles. She had a record of 638-83 over 19 seasons at the school.
Over her entire career, she won 1,170 games, making her one of the winningest high school coaches in Texas history. Self-Morgan retired when the UIL ordered Duncanville ISD to investigate reports she tried to recruit a player from another school.
UIL says text messages between Self-Morgan and an AAU coach suggested she was trying to recruit a player from a high school in San Antonio.
Duncanville ISD hired an outside lawyer to investigate the claim. The lawyer, Tommy Fisher, looked into claims that Self-Morgan ensured the player's mother would get housing at a discounted rate and be offered a job.
Fisher's report says he found evidence "regarding practices that do not amount to violation of the UIL Constitution but are not consistent with what we believe to be best practices." Fisher says he found no evidence of prohibited recruiting, but the "actions and interactions of the basketball staff indicates that the perception of outsiders can often result in allegations that, while ultimately unsubstantiated, are costly and harmful to the District."
Tuesday morning, UIL disagreed with the report, finding Self-Morgan guilty of recruiting violations. Duncanville ISD was placed on probation for two years but will not have to surrender any championships.
Self-Morgan was suspended three years. If she tries to coach again, she would have to testify before the State Executive Committee.