Wayne Morris (American football)

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Wayne Morris
No. 24, 25
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1954-05-03) May 3, 1954 (age 70)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school:South Oak Cliff (TX)
College:SMU
NFL draft:1976 / Round: 5 / Pick: 141
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:899
Rushing yards:3,387
Total TDs:43
Player stats at PFR

Wayne Morris (born May 3, 1954) is a former college and professional football player.

Early life and high school[edit]

Morris was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. In 1972, Morris graduated from South Oak Cliff High School (SOC), where he starred at defensive back and running back. A 1981 D Magazine article chose Morris as one of the best football players to ever come out of a Dallas high school. As the article asserted, "When Wayne Morris was at SOC in the early Seventies, he was the best all-around high school football player in Texas. As a junior he made second-team all-state on defense; as a senior he made first-team all-state on offense."[1]

College football[edit]

In college, Morris was a freshman starter at Southern Methodist University, where he starred at running back. As Dan Jenkins wrote in Sports Illustrated during Morris's freshman year, "Wayne Morris is already being pronounced the greatest thing to come to the school (SMU) since Doak Walker." Morris went on to rush for over 3000 yards during his college career.[2][1]

Professional football[edit]

Morris was selected in the 5th round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Cardinals. He also played for the Chargers during his 8 years in the NFL. During his NFL career, Morris ran for 3,387 yards on 899 attempts, scoring 38 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 156 passes for 1,190 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.[3]

NFL career statistics[edit]

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season[edit]

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1976 STL 14 1 64 292 4.6 27 3 8 75 9.4 19 1
1977 STL 12 7 165 661 4.0 35 8 24 222 9.3 34 1
1978 STL 13 13 174 631 3.6 27 1 33 298 9.0 33 1
1979 STL 15 15 106 387 3.7 16 8 35 237 6.8 20 1
1980 STL 16 16 117 456 3.9 24 6 15 110 7.3 24 1
1981 STL 16 13 109 417 3.8 14 5 19 165 8.7 21 0
1982 STL 9 7 84 274 3.3 11 4 3 8 2.7 11 0
1983 STL 15 11 75 257 3.4 17 2 14 55 3.9 11 0
1984 SDG 10 3 5 12 2.4 5 1 5 20 4.0 9 0
120 86 899 3,387 3.8 35 38 156 1,190 7.6 34 5

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1982 STL 1 1 3 14 4.7 8 0 3 32 10.7 15 0
1 1 3 14 4.7 8 0 3 32 10.7 15 0

After football[edit]

He currently resides in Dallas and is single and has one daughter.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Gridiron Greats," D Magazine.
  2. ^ "A locomotive for the class of 1976," Sports Illustrated.
  3. ^ "Wayne Morris," Statscrew.
  4. ^ "My High School: South Oak Cliff," The Dallas Morning News sports section online.