Don Morrison obit

UTA Mourns the Passing of Former Football and Track & Field Athlete Don Morrison

 

He was not on the list.

ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics family mourns the loss of former football and track & field athlete Don Morrison, who passed away peacefully on Monday, September, 1.

Born on December 16, 1949, in Dallas, Texas, Don was the beloved son of Sanford Wilson Morrison and Mildred Viola Youngquist.

"We are all very saddened by Don Morrison's passing," UTA Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jon Fagg said. "Don was a tremendous student-athlete during his time here at Arlington - both on the gridiron and as a thrower on the track and field team as evidenced by his Hall of Honor inclusion in 2018. He will be greatly missed and will forever be an important part of our UTA family."

Morrison a native of Forney, Texas, had a decorated career for the Mavs from 1968-70, before a nine-year NFL career.

A 6-foot-5, 255-pound force on the offensive end, Morrison joined the UTA roster for the 1967 season after starring at Class-A Forney High School. He arrived with a 210-pound projectable frame before developing into a physical weapon as the biggest player on the roster.

With the NCAA requiring all freshmen to sit out their first season on campus, Morrison was limited to a practice and "B Team" role. He was one of three UTA freshmen to make the traveling squad in 1967, when the Mavs went 10-1 and won the Pecan Bowl.

In 1968, Morrison immediately seized a starting role and earned second-team all-conference accolades, the first of three all-league honors for the three-year starter. He was tabbed first-team all-league after the 1969 season.

Morrison, a 13-time letterwinner at Forney High School, was named co-captain of the 1970 team and earned honorable mention All-America accolades twice.

Morrison was not just a star for the UTA football team, he also thrived as a thrower for the track and field program.

He competed in javelin, shot-put and discus while earning three track letters.

Following his collegiate career at UTA, Morrison was selected in the fourth round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He played seven seasons, and 94 games, with the Saints (1971-77), before a year with Baltimore (1978) and Detroit (1979).

After retiring from professional football, Morrison embarked on a fulfilling career as a fireman at University Park, where he retired after serving for two decades. His commitment to service and helping others continued as he became a financial planner and served as the Constable of Precinct 3, making a positive impact on his community.

Don's life was filled with love and joy, shared with his wife, Stephanie of Wolfe City; his children, Chris Morrison and wife Lacie, Katie Walden and husband Jordan, their mother, Marsha Brown, children Sean Green, Amber Landeros and husband Juan, Chance Green and wife Karley; and his 10 cherished grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sanford Wilson and Mildred Viola Morrison and infant sister Vicki Lynn.

Visitation will be Friday, September 5, from 5-7 p.m. and a memorial service celebrating Don's life and legacy will be held on Saturday, September 6, at 11 a.m., both at R.W. Owens Funeral home in Wolfe City, TX.

Aan offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL, he played for ) for the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Colts, and Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Texas-Arlington Mavericks.

Morrison also competed in javelin, shot put, and discus for the track team.

Morrison played 123 NFL games in nine seasons, including 94 games and 92 starts with the New Orleans Saints from 1971-77, and was a standout offensive lineman at Texas-Arlington who was inducted into the school's Hall of Honor in 2018.

But the most likely source to have provided that information probably would have been anyone but Morrison, because he wasn't interested in sharing it unsolicited.

"He never would talk about it, his football life," said his son, Chris Morrison. "He would talk about his professional life with us if we asked him, but he never brought it up. He never wanted to outshine whatever we were doing."

Don Morrison, New Orleans' fourth-round draft pick (No. 98 overall) in 1971, died peacefully on Monday. He was 75.

"He was my hero, he was my John Wayne," Chris Morrison said. "Same thing with my sister (Katie Walden). I played a little bit of football and some baseball, and they found out Dad played football and he was always like, 'No, this is their time. I had my time, this is their time.'"

Twice, Morrison was named an honorable mention All-American at UTA, where he also competed in javelin, shot put and discus.

And following his football career, which concluded with a season with the Baltimore Colts and one with the Lions, he served as a fireman for 20 years, then as a financial planner and constable.

But the football field was where he shone brightest, even though he was reluctant to boast about it.

"A funny thing he used to say (when approached about playing football)," Chris said. "They would all say, 'Hey, Mr. Don, you played football.' People would come up that knew him, or whatever.

"He'd say, 'Nah, I never held a football in my life,' because he was an offensive lineman. He wasn't lying, but he was funny. He was low key like that, he had that 'Dad' sense of humor. He was always on, he never let up."

And he never let on that he was as good as he was while playing it.

"He always told me, let your play speak for itself," Chris said. "He said you never qualify yourself for anybody. He said that's very unbecoming, he said that's not something you do, it's not something I'll ever do."

Over time, the low-key approach was appreciated.

"It didn't occur to me until years later, but it meant the world to us," Chris said. "I mean, we didn't do a 10th of the things he did. It never occurred to me as a kid because you're fighting for every inch of what you're trying to accomplish, but it means the world.

"I think (former NFL coach) Bum Phillips – it might have been when (Morrison) played – was quoted as he was the best player to never be all-conference, all-NFL because he never stayed around to talk the media. He never said much, the first thing he wanted to do was go out with his family and hang out."

And primarily, that's where Morrison's concentration was centered.

"That was his main focus," Chris said. "When he was playing, it was on the field but when he was done he drew the line, he said you have to have a family life – that was his focus. He was secure in himself that much that he never, ever talked about himself in that light."

"He was a good guy, a good country boy from Texas," said former teammate Jake Kupp, the Saints' left tackle from 1967-75. "He was a good ballplayer, and a good friend. We played a lot of practical jokes on each other, just a lot of fun.

"I remember he was big and athletic, kept himself in good shape. He was our starting left tackle, started at a pretty young age. Hard worker and a good teammate. He worked hard in the weight room, I remember he bench pressed around 600 pounds."