Maynard Morrison

Maynard Davis "Doc" Morrison (May 28, 1909 – June 2, 2006) was an All-American football fullback and center for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1929 to 1931. Michigan football coach Harry Kipke ranked Morrison as the finest linebacker he ever saw. "No one ever got past him," Kipke said. In 1931, he was chosen by Grantland Rice and the NEA Service as a first-team All-American at center and helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten Conference championship. Maynard also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League.

College career 1929 season As a sophomore in 1929, Morrison was already a significant contributor at the fullback position. When Morrison finished his freshman year, he "was rated the outstanding fullback prospect in Michigan history." In the fall of 1929, Morrison missed five games at the beginning of the season due to injury. Then, against Illinois, he was placed in the lineup at tackle and became "the individual star of the Wolverines by a wide, handsome and undisputed margin." He scored a touchdown in a 14–12 victory over Harvard, as he "hurled his 210 pound bulk through the Crimson forward wall for a touchdown." After a scoreless tie with Iowa, the Associated Press reported that Morrison “was responsible for most of the Wolverine’s first downs.”

1930 season In the summer of 1930, Coach Kipke reported that he had 15 varsity caliber backs but was lacking in talent in the line. Accordingly, Kipke reported he was considering moving Morrison to the center position. Again in early September, Kipke announced that “so great is the lack of linemen” that he proposed making a center of Morrison. However, before making the move, Kipke had to persuade Morrison's father. One newspaper account in 1930 reported: "Maynard Morrison was a pretty good fullback last year at Michigan. Coach Harry Kipke though he saw great center possibilities in the young man from Royal Oak. But Morrison’s father wanted him to carry the ball. Kipke made the trip himself to Royal Oak to persuade Papa Morrison that Maynard would be better at flipping the ball than lugging it."

After ten days of experimenting during fall practice, Kipke made the switch, moving Maynard from fullback to center.

Morrison performed well at his new position in 1930, being praised by the AP for his “defensive genius.” At the end of the 1930 season, Morrison was named to All-Big Ten teams by the United Press and the NEA (Newspaper Enterprise Association) Service. One reporter noted that Morrison "was just about everything a coach could ask for in a center."

1931 season In 1931, Morrison started nine games for the 8–1–1 Wolverines team that tied for the Big Ten Conference championship. Morrison was selected as a first-team All-American in 1931 by Grantland Rice for Collier’s magazine and by the NEA Service All-America Board. The NEA Service All-America Board made their All-American selections based on more than 680 reports from coaches, writers and officials representing every section of the country where football was played.

In announcing Morrison as its All-Big Ten team center, the Associated Press described him as "Michigan’s 210 pound center from Royal Oak, Michigan," a player who was "big, shifty and fast," and "the key man of Michigan's defense." Football writer Merle Oliver called Morrison Michigan’s “diagnostician of enemy plays.”

Morrison was part of a long line of All-American centers at Michigan, starting with William Cunningham and Germany Schulz followed by Ernie Vick, Jack Blott, Bob Brown, and Chuck Bernard.

Professional career Maynard played for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League from 1933 to 1934.

Honors and accolades Among the honors received by Morrison are the following: First-team All-Big Ten in 1930 and 1931; First-team All-American in 1931 (as selected by Grantland Rice and the NEA Service); Inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1982. Inducted into the Royal Oak High School (Royal Oak, Michigan) Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2005, Morrison was selected as one of the 100 greatest Michigan football players of all time by the "Motown Sports Revival," ranking 50th on the all-time team.