No. 20, 28 | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born: | Chester, South Carolina, U.S. | December 1, 1979||||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
Weight: | 216 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school: | Chester | ||||||||||||||
College: | Oregon | ||||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2002 / round: 2 / pick: 54 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
|
Maurice Autora Morris (born December 1, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions. [1]
Morris attended Chester High School in Chester, South Carolina. As a senior, he rushed for over 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns. He holds several school records including: Most Yards Gained (3,708); Most Carries (593); Most Touchdowns Scored: (45); Most Points Scored: (298); and All-Purpose Yards Gained: (4,487).
Morris began his college career at Fresno City College in 1998. He then went to the University of Oregon, where he became the starting running back and helped the Ducks to a 2002 Fiesta Bowl victory. In the Fiesta Bowl, he ran for a highlight-reel 49-yard touchdown, during which he landed on top of a defender and got up without touching the ground. [2]
Morris was the Seattle Seahawks primary kickoff returner between 2002 and 2004. He was consistent though unspectacular and was supplanted by Josh Scobey for kick returning duties in 2005. Morris saw limited action behind Shaun Alexander, the 2005 MVP, though his contributions did not go unnoticed by teammates. Alexander told the Seattle Times on August 17, 2006, that Morris could start for at least ten different teams in the NFL and could produce a thousand rushing yards and eight or nine touchdowns if given the opportunity.
In the 2005 playoffs when the Seahawks played the Washington Redskins, Alexander went out with a concussion and Morris filled in capably, helping the Seahawks to victory.
During the 2006 season, Alexander was out for 6 games and Morris filled in. He finished the season with 604 rushing yards playing all 16 regular season games. His best season to date is the 2007 season where he finished with 628 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown. He played 14 games during the regular season.
When the Seahawks signed Julius Jones and released Shaun Alexander prior to the 2008 season, it appeared Morris would be the backup again. While Jones did get more carries on the season (158 to Morris' 132), Morris arguably contributed more effectively to the Seahawks' running game. Consequently, Morris replaced Jones as the Seahawks' feature back during the latter part of the season. In the final 6 weeks of the season, Morris had 93 carries compared to Jones' 19.
On February 27, 2009, Morris signed a three-year, $7 million deal with the Detroit Lions. [3]
Legend | |
---|---|
Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
2002 | SEA | 11 | 0 | 32 | 153 | 4.8 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 12 | 0 |
2003 | SEA | 16 | 1 | 38 | 239 | 6.3 | 43 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 8.0 | 13 | 1 |
2004 | SEA | 15 | 0 | 30 | 126 | 4.2 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 53 | 5.9 | 12 | 0 |
2005 | SEA | 16 | 2 | 71 | 288 | 4.1 | 49 | 1 | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 20 | 0 |
2006 | SEA | 16 | 8 | 161 | 604 | 3.8 | 29 | 0 | 11 | 46 | 4.2 | 27 | 0 |
2007 | SEA | 14 | 6 | 140 | 628 | 4.5 | 46 | 4 | 23 | 213 | 9.3 | 34 | 1 |
2008 | SEA | 13 | 6 | 132 | 574 | 4.3 | 45 | 0 | 19 | 136 | 7.2 | 13 | 2 |
2009 | DET | 14 | 3 | 93 | 384 | 4.1 | 64 | 2 | 26 | 210 | 8.1 | 19 | 0 |
2010 | DET | 14 | 7 | 90 | 336 | 3.7 | 26 | 5 | 25 | 170 | 6.8 | 16 | 0 |
2011 | DET | 16 | 5 | 80 | 316 | 4.0 | 31 | 1 | 26 | 230 | 8.8 | 16 | 1 |
145 | 38 | 867 | 3,648 | 4.2 | 64 | 13 | 151 | 1,163 | 7.7 | 34 | 5 |
Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
2003 | SEA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
2004 | SEA | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
2005 | SEA | 3 | 0 | 25 | 73 | 2.9 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 16 | 0 |
2006 | SEA | 2 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
2007 | SEA | 2 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 1.7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
2011 | DET | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
10 | 0 | 42 | 121 | 2.9 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 16 | 0 |
Morris is the cousin of New Orleans Saints linebacker D'Marco Jackson.
Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2005 season. The Steelers defeated the Seahawks by the score of 21–10. The game was played on February 5, 2006, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. It is the most recent Super Bowl broadcast on ABC who lost the rights to broadcast Super Bowl games in the next NFL television contract and the first where all aspects of the game itself were aired in HD. This was the last of 10 straight Super Bowls to feature a team seeking its first win.
Shaun Edward Alexander is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, earning first-team All-American honors in 1999. He was selected by Seattle 19th overall in the 2000 NFL draft. In 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Reuben Droughns is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Oregon Ducks, he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft. During his nine years playing professional football, Droughns was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in their Super Bowl XLII victory against the New England Patriots.
Julius Andre Maurice Jones is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Jones was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints.
Burton Michael Robinson is an American former football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He is currently an analyst for the NFL Network and NBC.
Leon Dewitt Washington Sr. is an American former professional football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) as a running back and return specialist and made 2 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro teams during his career. Washington holds many kick return records for both the Jets and Seattle Seahawks.
The 2005 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 30th season in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth playing their home games at Qwest Field and their seventh season under head coach Mike Holmgren. They won the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game and played in Super Bowl XL, which they lost 21–10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Seahawks compiled a 13–3 record in the regular season, easily winning the NFC West and earning the NFC top seed, thus clinching home field advantage in the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history. There, they beat the Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers to win the George Halas Trophy, and advance to their first ever Super Bowl. Combining the regular season and postseason, the Seahawks finished with a perfect 10–0 record at Qwest Field. The 2005 team was widely considered the best team in club history until the Super Bowl XLVIII championship. The 2005 season was also the team's 30th anniversary season in the NFL. The Seahawks were the only NFC team from the 2004 playoffs to qualify for the 2005 playoffs.
The 2006 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 31st season in the National Football League (NFL), fifth season playing at Qwest Field, and eighth under head coach Mike Holmgren. The season began with the team attempting to improve on their 13–3 record from 2005, repeat as National Football Conference (NFC) champions, and return to the Super Bowl. The team, while winning their NFC West division, only advanced as far as the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs, losing to the eventual NFC champion Chicago Bears in overtime.
Jonathan Creon Stewart is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning All-American honors. Stewart was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft with the 13th overall pick. He played 10 seasons with Carolina, making the 2016 Pro Bowl, before spending one season with the New York Giants. Following the 2018 season, Stewart signed a one-day contract with Carolina and retired as a Panther.
Justin Forsett is an American former football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft. Forsett also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and Denver Broncos. Forsett's best season came in 2014 as a member of the Ravens, when he was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate after finishing the season with career highs in carries (235), rushing yards (1,266) and touchdowns (8).
James Roosevelt Jones is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons during the 1980s and early 1990s. Jones played college football for the Florida Gators and then played professionally for the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.
Ken Simonton III is an American former professional football player who was a running back. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2000. After a brief career in the National Football League (NFL) and NFL Europe, he played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Calgary Stampeders.
LeGarrette Montez Blount is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at the University of Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Community College. Not selected in the 2010 NFL draft, he began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent.
Edward Darwin Lacy Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he was a member of three BCS National Championship teams in the 2009, 2011, and 2012 seasons. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Thomas Tyrell Rawls is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and Central Michigan Chippewas. Rawls currently holds the Seahawks' record for the most single game rushing yards by a rookie running back (209) and the most rushing yards by an undrafted rookie in his first 6 games (711). He also holds the Seahawks' record for most yards in a postseason game (161), accomplished in the 2016–17 Wild Card Round against the Detroit Lions.
Spencer Raleigh Ware III is an American former professional football running back. He played college football at LSU, and played in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft, with whom he won Super Bowl XLVIII as a rookie.
Lavasier T. Tuinei is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Oregon.
Wayne Gallman Jr. is an American professional football running back for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and contributed to win the CFP national championship (2017) before being selected by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Bo Scarbrough is an American former professional football running back. He played college football at Alabama before a four year National Football League (NFL) career, largely for the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. Following his tenure in the NFL, Scarbrough played two seasons in the USFL with the Birmingham Stallions, winning back to back USFL Championships. He currently serves as an analyst with “The Bama Standard” podcast on “The Bama Standard Network” YouTube channel (2021–present).
Rashaad Armein Penny is an American former football running back who played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs and was drafted by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. After five seasons with the Seahawks, Penny spent one season with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 2024.
Media related to Maurice Morris at Wikimedia Commons