 Morris in 2014 | |||||||||
| No. 20, 47 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1960-09-15)September 15, 1960 (age 65) Fort Bragg, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Ayer (Ayer, Massachusetts) | ||||||||
| College | Syracuse (1978–1981) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1982: 2nd round, 45th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Joseph Edward Morris (born September 15, 1960) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL) for theNew York Giants from 1982 to 1988. Initially noted for his diminutive stature — 5' 7", Morris was a key member ofthe Giants team that wonSuper Bowl XXI in 1987. He rushed for 67 yards, caught four passes for 20 yards, and scored atouchdown in the game.
While playing scholastic sports atAyer High School inAyer, Massachusetts, Morris was an All-State in two sports. Morris was a four-year starter atSyracuse University inupstate New York. At Syracuse, Morris set all of the all-time rushing records rushing for 4,229 yards in his four seasons surpassing former greats such asJim Brown,Larry Csonka andFloyd Little.[1] AnAll-American choice by his senior year, he was selected to play in theBlue–Gray,East–West Shrine andSenior Bowl games before signing on with the New York Giants. Morris was also co-captain with Ike Bogosian, father ofNHL playerZach Bogosian.
Morris was the New York Giants' second round pick in the1982 NFL draft, and quickly outshined their first round pick,University of Michigan backButch Woolfolk. As arookie with the Giants in 1982, Morris scored a touchdown on his very first rushing attempt; a prelude of what was to come for the powerful running back. In 1985, he rushed for 1,336 yards and a league leading 21 touchdowns, and rushed for 141 yards in their 17–3 postseason win over theSan Francisco 49ers. Morris was a key member of the '86 Giants Super Bowl championship team rushing his way to a 1,000 yard season. He went on to add two more 1,000 plus yard rushing seasons, moving pastAlex Webster as the all-time Giants leader.
In the Giants' march to theLombardi Trophy, Morris rushed for 313 yards in three playoff games including a 159-yard, two touchdown performance against theSan Francisco 49ers. He was selected to thePro Bowl in '85 and '86 seasons and also received All-NFL Honors for his performance those two years. Towards the end of the 1988 season, he totaled 1,318 attempts, 5,296 yards and 48 touchdowns for the New York Giants. He didn't play the 1989 season because of an injured foot and a dispute with the team. He sat out the 1990 season. With the Cleveland Browns in 1991, he ran for 289 yards. He was waived by the Browns in September 1992 before the season started. He finished his NFL career with 5,585 rushing yards, 111receptions for 960 yards, and 52 touchdowns.
As of 2017[update]'s NFL off-season, Joe Morris held at least 19 Giants franchise records, most related to his prolific post-season career with the club. These records include:
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl champion | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Y/G | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | FR | ||
| 1982 | NYG | 5 | 0 | 15 | 48 | 3.2 | 9.6 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 34 | 4.3 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | NYG | 15 | 0 | 35 | 145 | 4.1 | 9.7 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1984 | NYG | 16 | 8 | 133 | 510 | 3.8 | 31.9 | 28 | 4 | 12 | 124 | 10.3 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 294 | 1,336 | 4.5 | 83.5 | 65 | 21 | 22 | 212 | 9.6 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| 1986 | NYG | 15 | 15 | 341 | 1,516 | 4.4 | 101.1 | 54 | 14 | 21 | 233 | 11.1 | 23 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 1987 | NYG | 11 | 10 | 193 | 658 | 3.4 | 59.8 | 34 | 3 | 11 | 114 | 10.4 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1988 | NYG | 16 | 15 | 307 | 1,083 | 3.5 | 67.7 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 166 | 7.5 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 1991 | CLE | 16 | 4 | 93 | 289 | 3.1 | 18.1 | 15 | 2 | 13 | 76 | 5.8 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Career | 110 | 68 | 1,411 | 5,585 | 4.0 | 50.8 | 65 | 50 | 111 | 960 | 8.6 | 26 | 2 | 27 | 8 | |
Morris now works in real estate and insurance. He resides inNew Jersey with his two children. He was also a part owner of theNew Jersey Red Dogs of theArena Football League, along with fellow ex-GiantsCarl Banks andHarry Carson.
Morris had two younger brothers follow him to Syracuse University. Mike was a wide receiver andLarry was a running back. Morris' youngest brother,Jamie Morris set the all-time rushing records at theUniversity of Michigan.
