Mercury Morris

Eugene Edward "Mercury" Morris (January 5, 1947 – September 21, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a running back and kick returner. He played for eight years, primarily for the Miami Dolphins in the American Football League (AFL) first as a rookie in 1969. Then he played in the American Football Conference (AFC) after the merger with the National Football League (NFL).

Morris played in three Super Bowls, winning twice and was selected to three Pro Bowls. In 1982, Morris was convicted of felony drug trafficking charges. After three and a half years in prison, he was released following a plea agreement in which he pled no contest to cocaine conspiracy charges.

Amateur career Born in Pittsburgh on January 5, 1947, Morris attended Avonworth High School in the northwestern suburbs of the city. He attended West Texas State University (now West Texas A&M University) in Canyon from 1965 to 1969, where he was an All-American for the Buffaloes at tailback in 1967 and 1968. In 1967, he finished second in the nation to O. J. Simpson of USC in rushing yards with 1,274.

In his record setting year of 1968, Morris set collegiate records for rushing yards in a single game, with 340, rushing yards for a single season with 1,571, and rushing yards over a three-year college career (freshmen being ineligible), with 3,388. Simpson broke the single-season rushing record just one week after Morris set it. Morris's three-season career rushing record was broken two years later by Don McCauley.

After college, Morris was picked 63rd overall in the third round of the 1969 AFL-NFL Common Draft by the AFL's Miami Dolphins.

Professional football career Early career Morris excelled as both a running back and kick returner. The majority of his playing days were spent with the Miami Dolphins. From 1969 to 1971, he backed up Jim Kiick at halfback and served as the Dolphins' primary kickoff return man. In his rookie year of 1969, Morris averaged 26.4 yards per kickoff return, leading the AFL in kickoff returns with 43 and in kickoff return yardage with 1136. Both totals would have also led the NFL. His 105-yard return was the longest in the AFL that season, and he was also one of the AFL's leading punt returners that year. After playing three more games in November and December he suffered a neck injury and reinjured the knee, effectively ending his season. In 1975, Morris led the Dolphins in rushing yards, with 875,

Morris finished in the top five of the NFL in rushing touchdowns twice and total touchdowns once during his eight-year career. His career 5.1 yard per carry average was third all time among NFL players (1st among halfbacks), only behind fullbacks Jim Brown and Marion Motley. As of 2017, he ranked sixth all time behind Brown, Motley, running back Jamaal Charles, and quarterbacks Michael Vick and Randall Cunningham. As of 2017 he was ranked 18th. In 1982, Morris was convicted of cocaine trafficking. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, with a mandatory 15-year term. On March 6, 1986, his conviction was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court because evidence he had offered to prove his entrapment defense had been excluded under a mistaken characterization as hearsay. Morris was granted a new trial. He was able to reach a plea bargain with the prosecutor, resulting in his release from prison on May 23, 1986, after having served three years. He later appeared in an anti-cocaine public service announcement where he talked about his time in prison.

After being released from prison, Morris later began a career as a motivational speaker. He is survived by five children and three sisters.