Jamie Morris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jamie Morris

Morris in 1987
No. 22, 24
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1965-06-06) June 6, 1965 (age 60) Southern Pines, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight:	188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:	Ayer (Ayer, Massachusetts)
College:	Michigan
NFL Draft:	1988 / Round: 4 / Pick: 109
Career history
Washington Redskins (1988) New England Patriots (1990) Minnesota Vikings (1991)* Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1991)
Career highlights and awards
Big Ten rushing champion (1987) First Team All-Big Ten (1986–1987) Fiesta Bowl Co-MVP (1986) Hall of Fame Bowl MVP (1988) NFL record Single-game rushes (45) Michigan Wolverines records Career rushing yards (1987–2000) Career yards from scrimmage (1987–2000) Career all-purpose yards (1987–) Career 100-yard games (1987–1994) Season rushing yards (1987–1995) Season yards from scrimmage (1987–1995) Season all-purpose yards (1987–2000) Season 100-yard games (1988–) Career receptions (running back) (1987–) Career receiving yards (running back) (1987–2002)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 777 Rushing average: 3.1 Touchdowns: 4
Player stats at PFR

Jamie Morris (born June 6, 1965) is a former American football player. He was a running back in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for teams like the Washington Redskins and New England Patriots.

Jamie was a fantastic running back for the Michigan Wolverines in college. At the University of Michigan, he set new records for rushing yards and all-purpose yards. He was once third in rushing yards in the Big Ten Conference. He still holds the record for most catches by a running back at Michigan. He also holds an NFL record for the most rushing attempts in a single game, with 45.

Jamie Morris's Early Life

Jamie Morris grew up in Ayer, Massachusetts. He was a talented athlete in high school. He was especially good at track and field. He even won the Massachusetts state title in the 200-meter race when he was a sophomore.

Jamie comes from a family of football players. His older brother, Joe Morris, set rushing records at Syracuse University. Joe later played for the New York Giants. Another brother, Larry, played for the Green Bay Packers. Their father, Earl Morris, was a Green Beret in the Vietnam War. He later became a postmaster in Groton, Massachusetts.

College Football at Michigan

Jamie Morris played college football for the University of Michigan from 1984 to 1987. He broke the school's all-time rushing records. He gained 1,703 yards in one season and 4,392 yards in his career. These records were later broken by Anthony Thomas.

Morris still holds the Michigan school record for all-purpose yards with 6,201. He was also the only player in Michigan history to lead the team in rushing for four years. This record was later matched by Mike Hart. Besides rushing, Jamie also caught 99 passes for 756 yards. He returned 51 kickoffs for 1,027 yards. He is fourth in Michigan history for kickoff return yards. He is also still third in career and single-season rushing yards.

Morris playing for the Michigan Wolverines in 1987

Jamie was a very flexible running back. He was the first Michigan back to catch over 30 passes in a season. He is still the only back to have done this twice. He continues to hold the record for career receptions by a running back with 99.

In 1986, Jamie hurt his knee in a game against Florida State. He missed one game but came back to play against Ohio State. When he returned, he had his best college game against Ohio State. He rushed for 210 yards and had 302 all-purpose yards. This helped Michigan win and go to the Rose Bowl. Michigan lost the 1987 Rose Bowl to Arizona State.

Morris also holds the record for the longest run in Outback Bowl history. It was a 77-yard touchdown run on January 2, 1988. Michigan won that game 28–24 against Alabama. Jamie was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game.

Jamie's Top College Games

Here are some of Jamie Morris's best games for the Michigan Wolverines:

Jamie's Coach at Michigan

Jamie Morris played for head coach Bo Schembechler at Michigan. When Jamie first arrived, Coach Schembechler thought he was too short to be a running back. He wanted Jamie to return kicks instead. But he promised Jamie a chance to try out as a running back.

Coach Schembechler later said, "I told Jamie when we recruited him he was too small to be a running back... Good thing I did, isn't it?" In his third game as a freshman, Coach Schembechler made him the starting running back. Jamie stayed the starter for all four years.

Years later, Coach Schembechler talked about Jamie's career. He said, "Here's a kid who I thought would be a very fine kick-return specialist, and he ended up becoming the all-time leading ground-gainer in Michigan history. What do you know about that?"

Jamie Morris spoke at Coach Schembechler's memorial service in 2006. He talked about what he would miss about his coach. "I will miss having the conversations with him about the good old days," he said. "Most importantly, I will miss hearing how much love and pride he had for Michigan."

Michigan's All-Time Rushing Leaders

Here are the top career rushing yards leaders for Michigan:

Michigan's Single-Season Rushing Leaders

Here are the top single-season rushing leaders for Michigan:

Michigan's Kickoff Return Leaders

Here are the top career kickoff return yardage leaders for Michigan:

Jamie Morris's Professional Career

Even though Jamie Morris set many records at Michigan, his smaller size (5 feet, 7 inches) meant he was picked in the fourth round of the 1988 NFL draft. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins. He played three seasons in the NFL, from 1988 to 1990.

His best year was 1988. He played in all 16 games for the Redskins and rushed for 437 yards. During his career, Jamie rushed for over 100 yards in a game twice. He also set an NFL record for the most rushing attempts in a single game. This happened on December 17, 1988, against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he carried the ball 45 times.

The Redskins' website described this game: "With no hope of returning to the playoffs, the Redskins gave Morris what amounted to an audition for the starting job in 1989. Not only did he carry the ball a record number of times, he gained 152 yards, didn't fumble, and had the Redskins on the brink of victory."

Despite this great game, Jamie did not become a full-time starter in 1989. He gained 336 yards that season. His NFL career ended in 1990.

In 1988, Jamie was also the main kickoff returner for the Redskins. He had 21 returns for 413 yards. In 1990, he played for the New England Patriots.

Jamie played one last season of professional football in 1991. He joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League. He ran for 591 yards and caught 28 passes for 263 yards. He also returned kicks for 435 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Life After Football

After his football career, Jamie Morris worked for the University of Michigan Athletic Department. From 1998 to 2010, he was a Development Manager. He helped with donor relations and fundraising. He also hosted the U-M Football Bust event in 2005. Today, he hosts a talk show called "The M Zone" on Sports Talk 1050 WTKA in Ann Arbor.

See also

• Lists of Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders