Jon Morris

Who is Jon Morris?

Jon Morris is a former American college and professional football player. At Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. After Gonzaga he played center and linebacker for three seasons at the College of the Holy Cross. He was the Washington Daily News's Athlete of the Year in 1960 and Holy Cross Varsity Club Athlete of the Year and Lineman of the Year in 1963. He was selected All-East and All-America in his senior year, played in the College All-Star Game and captained the Senior Bowl.

He was inducted into the Holy Cross Hall of Fame in 1973. In 1983 Jon was an inaugural inductee of the Gonzaga College High School Athletic Hall of Fame, joined in 1991 by his brother Will who quarterbacked Gonzaga and at the University of Maryland as well serving as Gonzaga Head Football Coach from '75 to '78.

The Green Bay Packers, coached by Vince Lombardi, picked Morris as their number two draft choice, however Morris chose to go with the Boston Patriots instead and he was signed on as their third pick. Morris was the Patriots' team Rookie of the Year in 1964, and their "Unsung Hero" in 1965. He was an AFL All-Star six times, 1964 through 1969, and was an AFC Pro Bowl Center in 1970; he was the first Patriots player to be selected for the AFC Pro Bowl. He is 2nd to John Hannah for the most appearances by a Patriot player in a League All Star Game or Pro Bowl Game. Morris was named to the second team, All-Time All-AFL, and to the fan-selected Boston Patriots All-1960s Team. He played 128 games for the Patriots, the eighth best individual record in club history. Morris played three years with the Detroit Lions, elected by Lions teammates as their "Offensive Player of the Year" in 1975. He played his fifteenth and final professional season with the Chicago Bears in 1978.