Jon Morris

Jon Nicholson Morris (born April 5, 1942) is an American former football center who played for fifteen seasons in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played for the Boston / New England Patriots, the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears.

High school career
Morris attended the Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball.

College career
After Gonzaga, he played center and linebacker for three seasons of college football with the Holy Cross Crusaders. 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 the 1963 season. He was selected first-team All-Eastern in his senior year, captained the Senior Bowl, and played in the College All-Star Game in August.

Professional career
Morris was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round, with the 27th overall pick, of the 1964 NFL draft. However, Morris chose to play with the Boston Patriots, who selected him in the fourth round, with the 29th overall pick, of the 1964 AFL draft.

Morris was the team's Rookie of the Year, and their "Unsung Hero" in 1965. He was an AFL All-Star six times, 1964 through 1969, and was a Pro 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.

Morris played three years (1975–1977) 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.

Morris recovered several fumbles during his career. The first was a fumble by running back Ron Burton in the Boston Patriots 24–7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Fenway Park on October 23, 1964. In 1966, he recovered a fumble by running back Larry Garron in the Patriots 27–27 tie with the Kansas City Chiefs at Municipal Stadium on November 20. He also recovered a fumble by fullback Jim Nance in a 16–0 loss to the Houston Oilers at Fenway on October 13, 1968.

Morris wore no. 56 for the Patriots, as did Pro Football Hall of Fame LB Andre Tippett.

After football
After his playing career, Morris worked as the color commentator on Patriots radio broadcasts from 1979 to 1987, followed by color analysis of NFL games for NBC television.

Honors
Morris was named to the AFL All-Time Second-team, and to the fan-selected Boston 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, who quarterback at Gonzaga and for the Maryland Terrapins as well serving as Gonzaga head football coach from 1975 to 1978.

In 2011, Jon Morris was selected by a senior selection committee as a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

Personal life
His father was John D. Morris, a longtime reporter and editor in the Washington bureau of the New York Times.