Larry Morris
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Position: | Linebacker |
Personal information | |
Date of birth: | December 10, 1933 |
Place of birth: | Atlanta, Georgia |
Date of death: | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
Place of death: | Austell, Georgia |
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Career information | |
High school: | Decatur (GA) |
College: | Georgia Tech |
NFL draft: | 1955 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 |
Career history | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Larry Cleo Morris (December 10, 1933 – December 19, 2012) was an American football linebacker. The 1950 graduate of Decatur High School became an All-American at Georgia Tech before enjoying a successful career in the NFL. "The Brahma Bull" was named one of the linebackers on the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. A Decatur, Georgia native, he is one of the best players the state of Georgia has produced, a standout at the high school, college and pro levels.
Contents
College career
Morris was a four-year starter and a two-way player at center and linebacker positions for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Morris was also selected as three times first-team All-SEC and a team captain as a senior. He was a standout player during coach Bobby Dodd's most successful seasons at Georgia Tech. The Jackets had a 40-5-2 record over Morris’ four seasons, won two SEC titles, four bowl games and a share of the 1952 national championship with a 12-0 record. He may have played his best performance in his final game as a Yellow Jacket against rival Georgia in Athens on November 27, 1954. He played the entire game and was credited with 24 tackles as Tech beat the Bulldogs 7-3. He was later named to the All-SEC 25-year team spanning 1950-1974 and in 1992 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, one of 12 Tech players to be enshrined.[1][2]
Professional career
Morris was the seventh overall pick of the 1955 NFL draft. He enjoyed a successful NFL career and was named one of the linebackers on the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team. Morris played 12 seasons total with the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons. He was the MVP of the 1963 NFL Championship Game for the Bears. In addition, he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons first team in 1966.[3]
Health concerns
Morris was featured in an article in The Sporting News about former football players who suffer from head injuries that happened during their career. According to the article, Morris had little, if any, recollection of his playing days.[4] Morris died on December 19, 2012 from complications of dementia.[5]
See also
References
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External links
- NFL player using deprecated currentteam parameter
- NFL player with pastcoaching parameter
- NFL player with pastexecutive parameter
- Infobox NFL player article missing alt text and caption
- Infobox NFL player with debut/final parameters
- 1933 births
- 2012 deaths
- All-American college football players
- Atlanta Falcons players
- Chicago Bears players
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players
- Los Angeles Rams players
- Sportspeople from Atlanta, Georgia
- People from Austell, Georgia
- Deaths from dementia