Jack Morris, 1958 Rose Bowl player and Oregon Athletic Hall of Famer, dies at 90

Oregon Athletic Hall of Famer Jack Morris, a two-sport standout for the Ducks and key member of the 1958 Rose Bowl team, died last month at age 90.

Morris was a multi-dimensional athlete on the football team from 1955-57, playing halfback, defensive back and kicker. He was also a sprinter/hurdler on the Oregon track team.

Morris was drafted in the seventh round of the 1956 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams and went on to have a four-year professional career.

He died on April 27 of Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Redmond. 

Daughter Tricia Thompson said Morris in his later years had exhibited traits of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain degeneration caused by repeated head trauma that is becoming more common in former contact sport athletes as well as soldiers.

Morris was proudly both.

He left Oregon after his freshman year in 1950-51 to enlist in the air force, serving four years, including in the Korean War.

He returned to school in the fall of 1955 and set the Ducks’ then-single-season scoring record with 68 points. He also started what would become a then-school-record string of 23 consecutive successful point-after attempts.

As a junior in 1956, Morris led the team in rushing with 519 yards. 

As a senior in 1957, he rushed for a then-school record 212 yards against USC and helped the “Webfoots” go to a bowl game for the first time in nine years when they played Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Morris had 11 carries for 60 yards in the 10-7 loss to the heavily favored Buckeyes, and had a chance to give Oregon the lead in the third quarter with the score still 7-7 but his 37-yard field-goal attempt went wide — barely.

“The kick was so close that I thought for sure it went between the goal posts,” Ohio State coach Woody Hayes said afterward. “It’s lucky the officials were calling it instead of me.”

When his Oregon career ended, Morris ranked third in career points scored (130) as well as career rushing yards (1,631).

He went on to play for Los Angeles and led the Rams with six interceptions as a rookie. He followed with stints in Pittsburgh and then Minnesota, where he played for rookie coach Norm Van Brocklin, the former Oregon quarterback.

Morris grew up in Medford and was a star athlete for Medford High, winning two state titles in the 200-yard low hurdles (1949 and 1950) and another in the 120-yard high hurdles (1949) under the tutelage of legendary coach Bob Newland Sr., who replaced another legend at Medford in 1949 — Bill Bowerman.

Morris was inducted into the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 as an individual, but was also honored in 1994 when the 1957 football team was inducted.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter@chansen_RG or email atchansen@registerguard.com.

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