View source for Jon Morris

{{Short description|American football player (born 1942)}}
{{for-multi|the ice hockey player|Jon Morris (ice hockey)|other people|John Morris (disambiguation)|and|Jonathan Morris (disambiguation)}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2011}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Jon Morris
| image         =
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| number        = 56, 63
| position      = [[Center (gridiron football)|Center]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1942|4|5|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 4
| weight_lb     = 254
| high_school   = [[Gonzaga College High School|Gonzaga College]] {{avoid wrap|(Washington, D.C.)}}
| college       = [[Holy Cross Crusaders football|Holy Cross]] (1961–1963)
| draftyear     = 1964
| draftround    = 2
| draftpick     = 27
| afldraftyear  = 1964
| afldraftround = 4
| afldraftpick  = 29
| pastteams     =
* [[Boston Patriots|Boston]] / [[New England Patriots]] ([[1964 American Football League season|1964]]–{{NFL Year|1974}})
* [[Detroit Lions]] ({{NFL Year|1975|1977}})
* [[Chicago Bears]] ({{NFL Year|1978}})
| highlights    =
* First-team [[American Football League All-League Team|All-AFL]] ([[1966 All-AFL Team|1966]])
* 4× Second-team All-AFL ([[1964 All-AFL Team|1964]], [[1965 All-AFL Team|1965]], [[1967 All-AFL Team|1967]], [[1969 All-AFL Team|1969]])
* 6× [[American Football League All-Star game|AFL All-Star]] (1964–1969)
* [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1971 Pro Bowl|1970]])
* [[American Football League All-Time Team|AFL All-Time Second-team]]
* [[New England Patriots#1960s (AFL)|Boston Patriots All-1960s Team]]
* [[New England Patriots 35th Anniversary Team]]
* [[New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team]]
* [[New England Patriots Hall of Fame]]
* First-team All-Eastern ([[1963 All-East football team|1963]])
* Second-team All-Eastern ([[1962 All-East football team|1962]])
| statleague    = AFL/NFL
| statlabel1    = Games played
| statvalue1    = 182
| statlabel2    = Games started
| statvalue2    = 167
| statlabel3    = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue3    = 2
| pfr           = M/MorrJo03 
}}

'''Jon Nicholson Morris''' (born April 5, 1942) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[Center (gridiron football)|center]] for 15 seasons in the [[American Football League]] (AFL) and [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Holy Cross Crusaders football|Holy Cross Crusaders]] before playing professionally for the [[Boston Patriots|Boston]] / [[New England Patriots]], the [[Detroit Lions]] and the [[Chicago Bears]].

==Early life==
Morris attended the [[Gonzaga College High School]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], he was a three-sport athlete in [[High school football|football]], [[High school basketball|basketball]] and [[baseball]].

==College career==
After Gonzaga, he played [[Center (gridiron football)|center]] and [[linebacker]] for three seasons of [[college football]] with the [[Holy Cross Crusaders football|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 Holy Cross Crusaders football team|1963 season]]. He was selected first-team All-Eastern in his senior year, captained the [[Senior Bowl]], and played in the [[Chicago College All-Star Game|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 American Football League draft|1964 AFL draft]].

Morris was the team's Rookie of the Year, and their "Unsung Hero" in 1965. He was an [[American Football League All-Star game|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.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

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 [[fumble]]s during his career. The first was a fumble by running back [[Ron Burton]] in the Boston Patriots 24–7 victory over the [[1964 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] at [[Fenway Park]] on October 23, 1964.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} In 1966, he recovered a fumble by running back [[Larry Garron]] in the Patriots 27–27 tie with the [[1966 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City Chiefs]] at [[Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)|Municipal Stadium]] on November 20.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} He also recovered a fumble by fullback [[Jim Nance]] in a 16–0 loss to the [[1968 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] at Fenway on October 13, 1968.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

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 [[NFL on NBC|NBC]] television.

==Honors==
Morris was named to the [[American Football League All-Time Team|AFL All-Time Second-team]], and to the fan-selected [[New England Patriots#1960s (AFL)|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 football|Maryland Terrapins]] as well serving as Gonzaga head football coach from 1975 to 1978.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In 2011, Jon Morris was selected by a senior selection committee as a member of the [[New England Patriots Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news|url = http://bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?&articleid=1326330&format=&page=1&listingType=pats#articleFull | title = Jon Morris gets his due, call | last = Guregian | first = Karen | work = The [[Boston Herald]] | date = March 27, 2011 | access-date = March 27, 2011}}</ref>

==Personal life==
His father was John D. Morris, a longtime reporter and editor in the Washington bureau of the [[New York Times]].<ref>{{cite news|title=JOHN D. MORRIS, EDITOR, 60, DEAD|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9906E0DC123EEF34BC4153DFB266838E669EDE|access-date=May 30, 2015|work=New York Times|date=April 9, 1975}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American Football League players]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.patriotshalloffame.com/hall_of_famer/jon-morris/ New England Patriots bio]

{{Green Bay Packers 1964 NFL draft picks}}
{{AFL1960s}}
{{Patriots1960s}}
{{Patriots1964DraftPicks}}
{{Patriots35th}}
{{Patriots50th}}
{{PatriotsHOF}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Jon}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Star players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Time Team]]
[[Category:American football offensive linemen]]
[[Category:Boston Patriots players]]
[[Category:Chicago Bears players]]
[[Category:Detroit Lions players]]
[[Category:Gonzaga College High School alumni]]
[[Category:Holy Cross Crusaders football players]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:New England Patriots announcers]]
[[Category:New England Patriots players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:DuPage Chaparrals football players]]
[[Category:American Football League players]]