Injured University of Iowa tailback Mika'il McCall had a special friend by his side in his hospital room Saturday night, tending to his spirits and personal needs.

It was Mike Morrissey, his former coach at Thornridge High School in Dolton, Ill., and now the head coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Morrissey, his wife Jessica and Morrissey's brothers sat in the pouring rain at Kinnick Stadium Saturday to watch McCall play his first game for the Hawkeyes in a 34-7 victory over Tennessee Tech. They cheered his accomplishments, then agonized when he broke his right ankle and was lost for the season.

"When he didn't get off the ground, I knew something was wrong," Morrissey said Sunday afternoon. "The way he is, even if he gets hit pretty good, he pops up right away. When he layed back down, we knew immediately something was wrong."

McCall carried the ball 9 times for 61 yards as Iowa's second-string tailback, thrilling Hawkeye fans who were worried about Iowa's depth at tailback. Then he got hurt, and the cheers turned to pain.

Morrissey visited McCall in the training room at Kinnick after the game, then he and his wife rushed back to Cedar Rapids for dry clothes before quickly returning to UI Hospital & Clinics.

Morrissey and his wife stayed in the waiting room while McCall had his ankle surgically repaired, then stayed with him until Jessica returned to Cedar Rapids about 2 a.m.

Mike Morrissey didn't go home.

"I stayed with him in the hospital room last night. We didn't get much sleep," Morrissey said.

"We talked a little bit. And he wanted to make sure he saw the highlights of the game and see how his teammmates were.

"We talked about things and tried to have a positive outlook," Morrissey said. "In the most part, it was just kind of being there in case he needed something. I stayed the night with him, just to kind of be around until his mom could get here today."

Shirley Watson, McCall's mother, was not able to attend the game, but she joined her son in Iowa City on Sunday.

Jessica Morrissey returned to the hospital by 9 a.m. Sunday, and the Morrisseys stayed with McCall until 3 p.m.

Morrissey knew McCall would get a chance to play Saturday. A Hawkeye fan himself, he was thrilled to see McCall get off to a strong start in college.

"We saw him run on the field and we were just going nuts," Morrissey said. "We were so excited, and he hadn't even touched the ball yet."

Jessica Morrissey is seven months pregnant with the couple's second child, but she was just as excited as anyone. "She was cheering like crazy when he went out there," Morrissey said. "Even in the pouring rain.

"He's a great kid," Morrissey said. "He feels like family to us. He's just a great young man. For as good of a football player he is, he's a better person."

Morrissey played college football himself at Upper Iowa, and he was thrilled to see McCall play a significant role for the Hawkeyes as a true freshman.

"It was pretty awesome," Morrissey said. "He went out there and he did what we'd seen him do last year. He's a tough, competitive kid and he's just a great young man.

"Like I told him, it was worth sitting in the rain and everything else. It was worth it to watch him run."

The broken ankle turned success into sadness.

"He was a little upset about things, as expected, but he's in good spirits now," Morrissey said. "He's got a ton of support from his teammates and coaches and all of the support staff. They've just been outstanding.

"It shows the tight-knit group the kids at Iowa are. It was really impressive."

McCall rushed for 1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns at Thornridge High School last year and finished his four-year prep career with 4,570 yards and 52 TDs. Morrissey, 28, was the head coach at Thornridge for just the 2010 season and moved to Prairie this year.

Morrissey said McCall originally committed to Michigan State, but changed his mind late last fall after the Spartans received a commitment from another high school running back.

"They told him they weren't going to do that," Morrissey said. "He was a little upset about that, and that kind of changed things a little bit for him."

McCall originally rebuffed the Hawkeyes, then had second thoughts after souring on Michigan State. "He visited Iowa and was happy," Morrissey reported. "He said that's what I want to do.

"He told me in the last month and in the last few days that he couldn't be happier with where he's at."

Morrissey said he spoke with McCall about turning the injury into something positive. McCall will be eligible for a medical redshirt, which means he can have four full seasons with the Hawkeyes after this.

"He's very upbeat and very optimistic," Morrissey said. "With the support of his teammats and his coaches, his spirits are really back up high.

"We didn't expect anything less out of him. We know what kind of player he is. Iowa is pretty luck to have him, and vice versa.

"He'll be OK," Morrissey said. "He's always recovered quickly. He's a really, really tough young man."

Morrissey has his own family and his own team to coach, but was happy to help a friend in need.

"It's a small price to pay for someone you love," he said. "That's really what it comes down to."