| No. 33, 39, 32 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1972-01-13)January 13, 1972 (age 53) Cooper, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 259 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Cooper | ||||||||||||||
| College | Texas Tech | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994: 3rd round, 91st overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||||||||||||
Byron "Bam"Morris (born January 13, 1972) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back for thePittsburgh Steelers,Chicago Bears,Baltimore Ravens, and theKansas City Chiefs of theNational Football League (NFL).
Morris attendedTexas Tech University where he won the 1993Doak Walker Award as the top running back incollege football. Among other accomplishments while playing for theRed Raiders, Morris was ranked second in the nation in rushing yards per game in 1993.[1] He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 91st overall pick in the1994 NFL draft (3rd round). His older brotherRon Morris played for theChicago Bears and collegiately atSouthern Methodist University (SMU). Their older brother J.C. Morris played college football atTexas Christian University (TCU).[2]
Morris was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the1994 NFL draft with the 91st overall pick.[3] During his NFL career, he recorded 3,809 yards on 974 attempts and scored 35touchdowns during 75 games. He also caught 103 passes for 790 yards and one touchdown. He was the leading rusher for the Steelers in theirSuper Bowl XXX loss to the Cowboys, gaining 73 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1994 | PIT | 15 | 6 | 198 | 836 | 4.2 | 20 | 7 | 22 | 204 | 9.3 | 49 | 0 |
| 1995 | PIT | 13 | 4 | 148 | 559 | 3.8 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 36 | 4.5 | 13 | 0 |
| 1996 | BAL | 11 | 7 | 172 | 737 | 4.3 | 19 | 4 | 25 | 242 | 9.7 | 52 | 1 |
| 1997 | BAL | 11 | 8 | 204 | 774 | 3.8 | 25 | 4 | 29 | 176 | 6.1 | 15 | 0 |
| 1998 | CHI | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| KAN | 10 | 5 | 129 | 481 | 3.7 | 38 | 8 | 12 | 95 | 7.9 | 29 | 0 | |
| 1999 | KAN | 12 | 8 | 120 | 414 | 3.5 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 5.3 | 9 | 0 |
| 74 | 38 | 974 | 3,809 | 3.9 | 38 | 35 | 103 | 790 | 7.7 | 52 | 1 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1994 | PIT | 2 | 0 | 24 | 62 | 2.6 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | PIT | 3 | 0 | 51 | 188 | 3.7 | 15 | 4 | 9 | 36 | 4.0 | 10 | 0 |
| 5 | 0 | 75 | 250 | 3.3 | 17 | 4 | 10 | 36 | 3.6 | 10 | 0 | ||
Morris has become more well known for his off-field legal troubles than his football prowess. On June 27, 1996, Morris pleaded guilty tofelony possession ofmarijuana in aplea bargain deal in front of aRockwall County, Texas, judge. Police testified that they found 6 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop. He was fined $7,000 and sentenced to 200 hours of community service and six years' probation.[4]
He was cut by the Steelers after the guilty plea and signed as afree agent with the Baltimore Ravens. After two seasons, both marked with suspensions concerning the NFL's substance abuse policy, Morris was released. He signed with the Chicago Bears the following year, but was cut after playing in only two regular season games. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Morris pleaded guilty in August 2001 to two counts of federaldrug trafficking and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. As part of the plea bargain, Morris admitted to distributing more than 100 kilograms of marijuana in the Kansas City area between 1998 and 2000.[5]
On September 10, 2001, Morris was convicted of violating his parole stemming from his 1996 plea bargain and sentenced to 10 years in a Texas prison. He was released early on February 29, 2004.
He playedarena football with the Katy Copperheads in 2006.