LONGWOOD, Fla. — Matt Morgan's time as a professional wrestling champion has come and gone, but his title of mayor of Longwood has just begun.
- Ex-wrestler Matt Morgan to take over as mayor of Longwood
- He overcame ADD as child, learning to memorize reading material
- He wants to enhance social media outreach with residents
- RELATED:
The former World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action wrestler was unanimously chosen by Longwood city commissioners Monday night to be the city's next mayor.
But even before Morgan was taking and giving body slams in the ring as a wrestler, he faced challenging obstacles as a child.
"There was a principal in my grammar school that will remain nameless," Morgan said Tuesday with a smile. "They once told my mother I will end up in jail, dead, or (in) an institution. This was before I was in the first grade, because I had a learning disability that had yet been discovered."
While in grammar school, Morgan was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and even went to Yale University to be a test subject for the drug Ritalin. He said it didn’t work for him, and he had to teach himself how to structure his day and work — all in the first grade.
"What I did was be able to develop the ability to memorize things the first time I read them," Morgan said. "I’m very, very lucky, but it started back then (in) first grade. (I had to) memorize what I’m reading, understanding what I’m reading, and move forward."
Morgan hopes to squash the image of Longwood being called "Wrongwood." He said he wants to bring in more local businesses and families with the help of his fellow city commissioners.
"We are five fingers on a hand," Morgan said. "Richard Drummond, Abby Shoemaker, Matt Morgan, Ben Paris, Brian Sackett, and when balled up, you can bet your you-know-what we are going to continue punching for every single one of our 16,000 strong here in 'Strongwood.' "
Two of Morgan's big initiatives are to enhance the social media outreach between the city and its residents and help fundraise to buy football helmets for Lyman High School that help prevent concussions.
