Jack Morris, the Oregon Ducks Hall of Famer and key member of the 1958 Rose Bowl team who died April 27 from Alzheimer’s at 90, was described as a “quintessential family man” who was more proud of his clan than has athletic accomplishments.
In fact, according to his daughter, Tricia Thompson, Morris’ four children grew up knowing that their father had played football and ran track at Oregon, before spending a few years in the NFL, but they never truly understood just how big of a deal he actually had been.
That’s because, she said, he rarely mentioned his playing days because he didn’t want his past accomplishments to overshadow his children’s interests. It wasn’t until the run-up to Morris’ induction in Oregon’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 that his children realized he had been a pretty special athlete.
“He never wanted to put that pressure on his kids,” Thompson said.
Morris died April 27 at his home in Redmond with his family by his side. He is survived by his wife Lois; their three daughters, Thompson, Dana Morris Lee and Jolie Rodriguez, son, Carl Morris; stepchildren, John Fleshman and Carie Lennen; and thirty grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As it turned out, Thompson became a gymnast at Arizona State. Carl Morris played football at Stanford. Morris Lee and Rodriguez played various high school sports.
Before Morris’ induction, his children began learning about the athletic exploits of their father, who was born in 1931 in White City, Kansas.
Norm Chapman, who also played football at Oregon, was there to witness Morris in action for most of his greatest moments.
Chapman was in eighth grade when Morris was a senior at Medford High School and completing a remarkable high school career that included state titles as a track athlete in the 200-yard low hurdles (1949 and 1950) and in the 120-yard high hurdles (1949). Chapman said he was in awe of Morris, especially watching him dominate on the football field.
“He was my idol,” Chapman said. “I thought he was the greatest thing that ever walked.”
Given their age difference, Chapman never dreamed that one day he would share a huddle with Morris, who played running back, defensive back and kicker at UO.
Morris attended Oregon as a freshman, but left in 1951 to enlist in the United States Air Force and, later, spend four years serving in the Korean War.
Morris returned to Oregon in 1955 when he met Chapman. At the time, both were sophomores and they became friends. For Chapman, the friendship meant a little more.
“I went, ‘Woah, wait a minute. I’m going to play on the same team as Jack Morris,’” Chapman recalled. “‘This is big time.’”
They ended up being two of four co-captains on Oregon’s team.
Chapman, who played center for the Ducks, said he couldn’t believe his good fortune of being able to play in college with someone he had admired so much as a kid. Chapman said he used to joke that Morris wouldn’t have scored all of those touchdowns and kicked for all of those points if not for his perfect snaps, which began every play.
Perhaps. But Morris certainly did the heavy lifting. He set what was then UO’s single-season scoring record with 68 points and at one point made a record 23 consecutive point-after attempts.
As a junior in 1956, Morris rushed for a team-high 519 yards. As a senior in 1957, he rushed for 611 yards. That included a then-record 212-yard performance against USC during a win that helped propel Oregon into the Rose Bowl against Ohio State.
The Ducks lost 10-7 with Morris rushing for 60 yards on 11 carries.
Morris finished his career ranked third in both career points scored (130) and career rushing yards (1,631) at Oregon. Chapman, who went on to coach at Willamette and Oregon, said Morris always remained humble.
“He never set himself up because he was older or because of how good he was at being better than (others),” Chapman said. “I think he was a real team guy.”
The Los Angeles Rams selected Morris in the seventh round of the 1956 draft. He made his rookie debut in 1958 and went on to play in 45 games with the Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings, mostly as a defensive back.
“He was a heck of a tackler,” Chapman said.
After his playing career, Morris worked in the wood products industry with Champion International. He and his wife Lois often spent their time in the outdoors, where they shared a love for skiing and hiking on Mt. Hood.
Jack’s Celebration of Life will be at 2:00 P.M. on July 30th at Eagle Crest in Redmond.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Alzheimers Network of Oregon.
— Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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