 Morrison on a 1950 Bowman football card | |||||||||||||
| No. 15, 32 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Fullback Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1926-10-07)October 7, 1926 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | November 15, 2020(2020-11-15) (aged 94) Murrieta, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Upper Arlington (Upper Arlington, Ohio) | ||||||||||||
| College | Ohio St. | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1950: 1st round, 10th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Fred Lew "Curly" Morrison (October 7, 1926 – November 15, 2020) was an American professionalfootball player and executive. He played professionally in theNational Football League (NFL) with theChicago Bears, from 1950 to 1953, and theCleveland Browns, from 1954 to 1956. Morrison playedcollege football at theOhio State University.[1]
Morrison played for theOhio State Buckeyes from 1947 to 1949. As a sophomore, he was anend and led the Buckeyes in receptions, with seven for 113 yards. In his junior year, he moved tofullback when starter Joe Whistler was injured in the first game of the1948 season. When Whistler returned, Morrison continued at fullback as a backup.
Morrison took over the fullback position as a senior in1949 and led the Buckeyes in scoring, with nine touchdowns. His best rushing game as a college student was against theUSC Trojans, inLos Angeles, on October 8, 1949 when he rushed for 134 yards. Later that season, the Buckeyes returned toSouthern California for the1950 Rose Bowl against theCalifornia Golden Bears. In that game, Morrison rushed for 119 yards, and the Buckeyes won 17–14. Morrison was named the game's MVP. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1993.
Morrison was drafted by theChicago Bears with the tenth pick in the1950 NFL draft. He was with the Bears for four years, leading the team in rushing two of those years. He was traded to theCleveland Browns, where he spent three more years and played in three championship games. He led the Browns in rushing once (1955), making his onlyPro Bowl appearance that year.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theNFL championship | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1950 | CHI | 12 | 2 | 66 | 252 | 3.8 | 25 | 1 | 13 | 86 | 6.6 | 15 | 0 |
| 1951 | CHI | 12 | 3 | 29 | 96 | 3.3 | 26 | 0 | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | -3 | 0 |
| 1952 | CHI | 12 | 7 | 95 | 367 | 3.9 | 57 | 3 | 10 | 129 | 12.9 | 39 | 1 |
| 1953 | CHI | 12 | 8 | 95 | 307 | 3.2 | 17 | 2 | 16 | 214 | 13.4 | 44 | 0 |
| 1954 | CLE | 12 | 2 | 54 | 234 | 4.3 | 26 | 2 | 12 | 81 | 6.8 | 16 | 0 |
| 1955 | CLE | 12 | 8 | 156 | 824 | 5.3 | 56 | 3 | 9 | 185 | 20.6 | 49 | 0 |
| 1956 | CLE | 12 | 6 | 83 | 340 | 4.1 | 41 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 4.8 | 10 | 1 |
| 84 | 36 | 578 | 2,420 | 4.2 | 57 | 12 | 67 | 721 | 10.8 | 49 | 2 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1950 | CHI | 1 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 2.8 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 22.0 | 26 | 0 |
| 1954 | CLE | 1 | 0 | 10 | 19 | 1.9 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 11 | 33 | 3.0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 |
| 3 | 2 | 26 | 66 | 2.5 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 26 | 0 | ||
Following his NFL career, Morrison stayed active in football. He was the chief operating officer and general manager for theLos Angeles Express of theUnited States Football League (USFL) and the general manager of theSouthern California Sun of theWorld Football League (WFL). He was an advocate for retired NFL players and was active in several charities. He and his wife, Sophie, produced the NFL Legends golf tournament inPebble Beach, California every November benefiting The Boys and Girls Clubs of California.
He died of complications from a broken hip on November 15, 2020.[2]
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