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| No. 56, 63 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1942-04-05)April 5, 1942 (age 82) Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 254 lb (115 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Gonzaga College (Washington, D.C.) | ||||||||
| College: | Holy Cross (1961–1963) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1964: 2nd round, 27th pick | ||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1964: 4th round, 29th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career AFL/NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Jon Nicholson Morris (born April 5, 1942) is an American formerfootballcenter who played for fifteen seasons in theAmerican Football League (AFL) andNational Football League (NFL). He played for theBoston /New England Patriots, theDetroit Lions and theChicago Bears.
Morris attended theGonzaga College High School inWashington, D.C., he was a three-sport athlete infootball,basketball andbaseball.
After Gonzaga, he playedcenter andlinebacker for three seasons ofcollege football with theHoly Cross Crusaders. He was theWashington Daily News's Athlete of the Year in 1960 and Holy Cross Varsity Club Athlete of the Year and Lineman of the Year in the1963 season. He was selected first-team All-Eastern in his senior year, captained theSenior Bowl, and played in theCollege All-Star Game in August.
Morris was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the second round, with the 27th overall pick, of the1964 NFL draft. However, Morris chose to play with theBoston Patriots, who selected him in the fourth round, with the 29th overall pick, of the1964 AFL draft.
Morris was the team's Rookie of the Year, and their "Unsung Hero" in 1965. He was anAFL All-Star six times, 1964 through 1969, and was aPro Bowl center in 1970. He was the first Patriot to be selected for the Pro Bowl. He played 128 games for the Patriots, the eighth best individual record in club history.[citation needed]
Morris played three years (1975–1977) with theDetroit Lions, elected by Lions teammates as their Offensive Player of the Year in 1975. He played his fifteenth and final professional season with theChicago Bears in 1978.
Morris recovered severalfumbles during his career. The first was a fumble by running backRon Burton in the Boston Patriots 24–7 victory over theKansas City Chiefs atFenway Park on October 23, 1964.[citation needed] In 1966, he recovered a fumble by running backLarry Garron in the Patriots 27–27 tie with theKansas City Chiefs atMunicipal Stadium on November 20.[citation needed] He also recovered a fumble by fullbackJim Nance in a 16–0 loss to theHouston Oilers at Fenway on October 13, 1968.[citation needed]
Morris wore no. 56 for the Patriots, as did Pro Football Hall of Fame LBAndre Tippett.
After his playing career, Morris worked as thecolor commentator on Patriots radio broadcasts from 1979 to 1987, followed by color analysis of NFL games forNBC television.
Morris was named to theAFL All-Time Second-team, and to the fan-selectedBoston Patriots All-1960s Team.
Morris was inducted into the Holy Cross Hall of Fame in 1973, was an inaugural inductee of the Gonzaga College High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983. He was joined in 1991 by his brother, Will, whoquarterback at Gonzaga and for theMaryland Terrapins as well serving as Gonzaga head football coach from 1975 to 1978.[citation needed]
In 2011, Jon Morris was selected by a senior selection committee as a member of theNew England Patriots Hall of Fame.[1]
His father was John D. Morris, a longtime reporter and editor in the Washington bureau of theNew York Times.[2]