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Guy Morriss
Biographical details
Born(1951-05-13)May 13, 1951
Colorado City, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 5, 2022(2022-09-05) (aged 71)
Danville, Kentucky, U.S.
Playing career
1969–1972TCU
1973–1983Philadelphia Eagles
1984–1987New England Patriots
Position(s)Center, guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1988–1989New England Patriots (OL)
1991Mansfield HS (TX) (OC)
1992Washington Marauders
1992–1993Valdosta State (OL)
1994Arizona Cardinals (OL)
1995San Antonio Texans (OL)
1996Mississippi State (OL)
1997–2000Kentucky (AHC/OL)
2001–2002Kentucky
2003–2007Baylor
2008Kentucky State (OL)
2009–2012Texas A&M–Commerce
2014Warren Central HS (KY) (OL)
2015Lexington Christian Academy (KY) (OL)
Head coaching record
Overall37–85
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
LSC North Division (2009)
Awards

Guy Walker Morriss (May 13, 1951 – September 5, 2022) was an American football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Kentucky for two seasons (2001–2002) and at Baylor University for five seasons (2003–2007).

Morriss played college football at Texas Christian University (TCU) and spent 15 seasons as an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) with the Philadelphia Eagles (1973–1983) and the New England Patriots (1984–1987). Morriss played in over 200 regular season games during his NFL career and started at center for the Eagles in Super Bowl XV.

Early life and playing career

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Morriss was born in Colorado City, Texas, on May 13, 1951.[1][2] He attended Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas,[1] where he played tight end for the school's team.[3] He later earned a scholarship to Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas, graduating in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education.[4] He played as a guard for the TCU Horned Frogs.[5]

The Philadelphia Eagles selected Morriss in the second round of the 1973 NFL draft.[6] As a rookie, the Eagles transitioned Morriss into a center.[7] He played with the Eagles from 1973 to 1983, and started in 151 out of their 158 games in that period.[8] In March 1984, the Eagles waived Morriss.[9] He signed with the New England Patriots that offseason,[10] and he played center and guard for the Patriots through the 1987 season.[11] The Patriots waived Morriss before the 1988 season.[12] He played in Super Bowl XV for the Eagles and as a backup to Pete Brock in Super Bowl XX for the Patriots.[13][14][15]

Coaching career

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Early career

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After he was waived, Morriss accepted a position with the Patriots as the offensive line coach for the 1988 season under Raymond Berry.[12] In 1992, after a brief stint as the head coach of the Washington Marauders of the Professional Spring Football League,[16] Morriss coached at Valdosta State University under Hal Mumme, who developed the modern air raid offense, and alongside Mike Leach. He later re-joined Mumme and Leach in 1997 at Kentucky, where he was offensive line and assistant head coach. Morriss was given national recognition for his pass blocking schemes that helped turn Kentucky's offense into one of the best in the nation.[17]

Kentucky

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After a recruiting scandal forced the resignation of Mumme at Kentucky, Morriss was named the school's interim head coach in 2001.[18] After a 2–9 season, Kentucky named Morriss the school's permanent head coach,[19] where he led the Wildcats to a 7–5 turnaround season in 2002.[20]

Morriss was the losing coach in the "Bluegrass Miracle" game at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002. Morriss's Kentucky Wildcats kicked a field goal to take the lead over LSU with 11 seconds left, only to lose on an 80-yard Hail Mary pass as time expired. Seconds before the Hail Mary, Morriss was doused with Gatorade by quarterback Jared Lorenzen in a premature "victory bath".[21][22]

Baylor

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Morriss resigned from Kentucky to accept the head coaching job for the Baylor Bears in December 2002.[23] Morriss took over a Baylor program that had a 17–61 overall record since joining the Big 12 Conference in 1996.[24] Morriss's first season in 2003 was highlighted by an upset win over Colorado, a 19-point favorite.[25] The team finished 3–9.[26] Morriss's second season in 2004 again only led to three wins and one conference win,[27] but Baylor had a 35–34 overtime upset win over #16 Texas A&M (a 25-point favorite), in which Morriss made a gutsy call to "go for two" to win in the first overtime, instead of kicking the extra point and forcing a second overtime.[28] Morriss's third season in 2005 produced a 5–6 record (BU's best since 1995).[29]

In 2006, Morriss's fourth year, BU had a disappointing 1–3 non-conference mark (including a loss at home to Army).[30] BU rebounded with a 3–1 start in conference play. However, the momentum was stunted when quarterback Shawn Bell was injured in a loss to Texas A&M,[31] and Baylor lost their final three games, finishing the year at 4–8 (3–5 in the Big 12).[32]

In 2007, Morriss failed again to produce a winning record for the Bears, as Baylor finished with a 3–9 record. The loss of a significant number of seniors, including Bell, was part of the blame for the poor season. In the season opener, Baylor was shut out by TCU, 27–0,[33] but managed to win the next three non-conference games. Afterwards, Baylor did not defeat any of its Big 12 opponents, their last defeat being the 12th consecutive loss in Big 12 play.[34]

On November 18, 2007, Baylor fired Morriss.[35] On November 28, 2007, former University of Houston head coach Art Briles replaced Morriss.[36]

Kentucky State

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In March 2008, Morriss accepted a job as a position coach at Kentucky State University. Morriss was the first person with coaching experience in a BCS conference to go to work in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (a division II league consisting of historically black colleges and universities).[37]

Texas A&M–Commerce

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In December 2008, Scott Conley was removed as head coach of the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football program after a 24–27 record in five seasons. On January 7, 2009, Morriss was offered the job to succeed Conley by athletic director Carlton Cooper and university president Daniel Jones.[38]

Morriss's tenure at Texas A&M–Commerce began with five losses, before the Lions reeled off five straight wins, finishing 5–5 overall with a 5–0 record in their division, winning the North Division of the Lone Star Conference outright.[39] Texas A&M–Commerce had its first division title since 2007 and its first outright title since 1990.[40] Morriss also introduced the idea of wearing throwback jerseys that had the moniker "EAST TEXAS" on the front, as homage to the schools previous name, East Texas State University.[41]

After Morriss's first season, players from his football team coordinated an effort to illegally remove all copies of a student newspaper from campus because it contained an unfavorable article about a teammate who had been arrested on drug charges. Morriss said that he was "proud" of his players for taking the newspapers. He also referred to the theft as "the best team building exercise we have ever done." Morriss was subsequently disciplined by the school administration over the incident.[42]

The 2010 season started with much excitement as a massive renovation to Memorial Stadium in Commerce was completed that added 3,500 seats to the east side of the stadium, a second press box, a new scoreboard with a video jumbotron, and new locker rooms.[43] The Lions christened their newly renovated stadium by routing Upper Iowa, 33–10, giving Morriss six straight wins as head coach. However, the Lions only won two more games the rest of the season and finished with a disappointing 3–8 season. The 2011 season only produced one win, a 60–28 win over Eastern New Mexico, and the Lions finished 1–9. 2012 produced an identical record of 1–9, the lone victory coming over long time rival Texas A&M–Kingsville, 21–14 in overtime.[39]

On November 12, 2012, after leading the A&M–Commerce football program for four seasons, Morriss stepped down as head football coach. He stayed on at A&M–Commerce as special assistant to the athletic director. His duties included fundraising, teaching, and oversight of athletic facilities and special projects.[44]

Personal life

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Morriss was married to Jackie Morriss until his death. Together, they had four daughters and five grandchildren.[45][46] Despite living in Kentucky, he was known to be proud of his Texas heritage. His first comment to the press when accepting the Baylor job was yelling "It's good to be back in the Lone Star."[47][48]

Morriss was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

In 2017, Morriss was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[45] He died in Danville, Kentucky, on September 5, 2022, at the age of 71.[49][50]

Head coaching record

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Kentucky Wildcats (Southeastern Conference) (2001–2002)
2001 Kentucky 2–9 1–7 5th (Eastern)
2002 Kentucky 7–5 3–5 T–4th (Eastern)
Kentucky: 9–14 4–12
Baylor Bears (Big 12 Conference) (2003–2007)
2003 Baylor 3–9 1–7 6th (South)
2004 Baylor 3–8 1–7 6th (South)
2005 Baylor 5–6 2–6 5th (South)
2006 Baylor 4–8 3–5 T–5th (South)
2007 Baylor 3–9 0–8 6th (South)
Baylor: 18–40 7–33
Texas A&M–Commerce Lions (Lone Star Conference) (2009–2012)
2009 Texas A&M–Commerce 5–5 5–4 T–1st (North)
2010 Texas A&M–Commerce 3–8 2–8 T–6th (North)
2011 Texas A&M–Commerce 1–9 1–7 T–8th
2012 Texas A&M–Commerce 1–9 1–7 T–8th
Texas A&M–Commerce: 10–31 9–26
Total: 37–85
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

[51]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Guy Morriss Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  2. ^ Didinger, Ray; Lyons, Robert S. (2005). The Eagles Encyclopedia. Temple University Press. p. 59. ISBN 9781592134540.
  3. ^ Williams, Charean (April 24, 2013). "Luke Joeckel will make Arlington history Thursday". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  4. ^ "Guy Morriss stepping down as A&M-Commerce; head football coach". Herald-Banner. Greenville, Texas. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "27 Oct 1973, Page 21 – The Philadelphia Inquirer at". Newspapers.com. October 27, 1973. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  6. ^ "31 Jul 1973, Page 57 – Philadelphia Daily News at". Newspapers.com. July 31, 1973. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  7. ^ "Clipping from The Philadelphia Inquirer". Newspapers.com. November 16, 1980. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "1 Aug 1985, 60 – The Boston Globe at". Newspapers.com. August 1, 1985. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "16 Mar 1984, Page 35 – The News Journal at". Newspapers.com. March 16, 1984. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "1 Aug 1984, 39 – The Boston Globe at". Newspapers.com. August 1, 1984. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  11. ^ "5 Nov 1987, Page 66 – Courier-Post at". Newspapers.com. November 5, 1987. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Pats Give Franklin the Boot". Philadelphia Daily News. August 24, 1988. p. 80 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  13. ^ "24 Jan 1986, 48 – The Boston Globe at". Newspapers.com. January 24, 1986. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "Super Bowl XX - Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots - January 26th, 1986". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  15. ^ Magliocchetti, Geoff (September 9, 2022). "Obit: Patriots Blocker, Coach Guy Morriss Passes at 71". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  16. ^ Lyons, Dan (September 6, 2022). "Former Baylor, Kentucky Football Coach Guy Morriss Dies". Sports Illustrated.
  17. ^ Portnoy, Ben (October 9, 2020). "Fight club: The inside story of Mike Leach, Hal Mumme and Guy Morriss' boxing offensive linemen and the 1997 Kentucky Wildcats". The Dispatch.
  18. ^ "Mumme resigns at Kentucky". Tampabay.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "3 Dec 2001, 12 – The Courier-Journal at". Newspapers.com. December 3, 2001. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "30 Dec 2002, 30 – Austin American-Statesman at". Newspapers.com. December 30, 2002. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  21. ^ Barrett Sallee (May 4, 2012). "Classic SEC Football: LSU Tops Kentucky in 'The Bluegrass Miracle' | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  22. ^ "The stories behind famous sports miracles". ESPN.com. February 19, 2020.
  23. ^ "Baylor to hire Morriss".
  24. ^ "27 Aug 2003, 45 – Fort Worth Star-Telegram at". Newspapers.com. August 27, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  25. ^ "7 Oct 2003, 26 – The Daily Oklahoman at". Newspapers.com. October 7, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  26. ^ "St. Louis Post-Dispatch 23 Nov 2003, page Page 65". Newspapers.com. November 23, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  27. ^ "23 Nov 2004, 43 – Fort Worth Star-Telegram at". Newspapers.com. November 23, 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  28. ^ "3 Nov 2004, 60 – Fort Worth Star-Telegram at". Newspapers.com. November 3, 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  29. ^ "20 Nov 2005, 3 – San Angelo Standard-Times at". Newspapers.com. November 20, 2005. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  30. ^ "30 Sep 2006, 27 – The Odessa American at". Newspapers.com. September 30, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  31. ^ "29 Oct 2006, 76 – Fort Worth Star-Telegram at". Newspapers.com. October 29, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  32. ^ "22 Nov 2006, Z10 – Fort Worth Star-Telegram at". Newspapers.com. November 22, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  33. ^ "2 Sep 2007, 40 – Austin American-Statesman at". Newspapers.com. September 2, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  34. ^ "19 Nov 2007, 23 – The Odessa American at". Newspapers.com. November 19, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  35. ^ "Morriss Will Not Return as Football Coach" (Press release). Baylor Athleticsdate=November 18, 2007. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
  36. ^ "Art Briles Named Baylor's 25th Head Football Coach" (Press release). Baylor Athletics. November 28, 2007. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
  37. ^ "Kentucky State hires Guy Morriss". WKYT. March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  38. ^ "College Sports | Dallas Morning News". www.dallasnews.com.
  39. ^ a b "Football All-Time Records". Texas A&M–Commerce Lions. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  40. ^ Story, Mark (December 15, 2009). "Why stop at a double sweep of Louisville?". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  41. ^ "Traditions Part 7: Throwback East Texas Jerseys". The Lion Wire. June 10, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  42. ^ "Morriss backs 'team building exercise'". ESPN.com. March 4, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  43. ^ "Memorial Stadium". Texas A&M–Commerce Lions. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  44. ^ "Morriss Stepping Down as A&M-Commerce Head Coach". Herald-Banner. November 12, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  45. ^ a b "WKYT Exclusive | Former UK coach Guy Morriss battling Alzheimer's". WKYT. May 22, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  46. ^ Hale, Jon (September 6, 2022). "Guy Morriss, former Kentucky football coach, dies at 71". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  47. ^ "Morriss Comments Upon Coming to Baylor". Baylor Bears. December 11, 2002. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  48. ^ Whitmire, Keith (December 11, 2002). "New Baylor coach gets to the point; Morriss says he plans to instill pride in the green and gold". Knight Ridder Tribune News Service. p. 1. ProQuest 456645877. Retrieved September 7, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  49. ^ "Former NFL lineman, college coach Guy Morriss dies at 71". Associated Press News. September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  50. ^ "Fmr. UK Football Coach Guy Morriss dies at 71". WYMT-TV. September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  51. ^ "Guy Morriss Coaching Record". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
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