Beau Martin Morgan (born August 4, 1975) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. He also was a member of the

Memphis Maniax The Memphis Maniax were an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was part of the XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. Home games were played ...

in the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

Early years

Morgan attended Trinity Christian Academy, where he was coached by his father Barry. He was the starter at

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

in a

wishbone offense The wishbone formation, also known simply as the bone, is an offensive formation in American football. The style of attack to which it gives rise is known as the wishbone offense. Like the spread offense in the 2000s to the present, the wishbone ...

. He led the school to two consecutive state championships as a junior and senior, while being named MVP of both championship games. He finished with 5,000 passing yards and 70 passing touchdowns, while rushing for 2,200 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns. He also practiced

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

, where he recorded a best long jump of 23' 6 3/4" and 100 meter time of 10.9. Morgan finished 3rd at the Texas Relays in the long jump his senior year.

College career

Morgan accepted a football scholarship from the

, after most schools viewed him as an athlete more than a

during his recruiting process. Although he saw no varsity playing time during his freshman season, he did start 5 games for the program's

junior varsity team Junior varsity (often called "JV") players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as any football, basketball, or baseball game), usually at the high school level–– and formerly at the collegiate level� ...

. As a sophomore, he became the starter for the final 3 games at

, after Preston McConnell suffered a separated right shoulder against the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

. He rushed 140 times for 600 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns, while completing 41-of-89 passes for 873 yards and 5 passing touchdowns. His first start was a win in Colorado Springs against #10 ranked Utah, 44-38. As a junior, he rushed 229 times for 1,285 yards (fourth in school history) and 19 rushing touchdowns (second in school history), while completing 90-of-169 passes for 1,165 yards and 12 passing touchdowns (fourth in school history). His 31 total touchdowns were a school record. He also became the eighth player in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

history to both pass (1,165) and rush (1,285) for more than 1,000 yards in a single-season. As a senior, he rushed 225 times for 1,498 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, while completing 95-of-180 passes for 1,210 yards and 8 passing touchdowns. He finished tenth in the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

voting. His 1,498 rushing yards set an

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

single-season-record for

s. He became the first player in

history to pass and rush for over 1,000 yards in two different seasons. He also became the second player ( Brian Mitchell was the first) in

history to both pass (3,248) and rush (3,379) for more than 3,000 yards in a career. Against the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, he rushed for 183 yards to lead his team to a 20-17 overtime upset win against the #8 ranked Irish. Against

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado State University is classified among "R1: ...

, he rushed for 243 yards (second in school history). He finished his college career with 594 carries for 3,379 yards (second in school history), 42 rushing touchdowns (school record), 3,248 passing yards (fifth in school history), 25 passing touchdowns (third in school history), 6,627 total offense yards (school record), 67 total touchdowns (school record) and 252 points (tied school record).

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Morgan was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

after the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

on April 25. He dropped because of his two-year military commitment with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

and the lack of a defined playing position. He was converted into a

during

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

. He played in the preseason opener against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

, making 3 receptions for 12 yards and 8 carries for 8 yards. He spent just over 2 weeks with the team and was placed on the reserve/military list on August 4. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, he spent 3 weeks in

. In the preseason opener against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, he had 16 carries for 53 yards (led the team), 2 receptions for 21 yards and a 24-yard kickoff return. In the second preseason game against the

, he rushed 5 times for 27 yards (led the team). He was placed on the reserve/military list on August 12. In

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, he was released before the start of the season on September 5 and signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 7. He was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

with a foot injury on October 16. In

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, he was moved to

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

during the preseason. He was released before the start of the season on July 13.

Memphis Maniax (XFL)

Morgan signed with the

of the

for its lone season in 2001. He was the third-string

behind

Jim Druckenmiller James David Druckenmiller, Jr. (born September 19, 1972) is a former American football quarterback. In his career, Druckenmiller played for the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League, as well a ...

and

Marcus Crandell Marcus Crandell (born June 1, 1974) is a former professional Canadian football quarterback and coach. He was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Huskies of the University of Saskatchewan. He played 11 seasons for the Edmon ...

, but mostly played running back and wide receiver. He led the team in special teams tackles on the season, and he collected 17 carries for 37 yards, 10 receptions for 82 yards and 2 receiving

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

Personal life

In 1997, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving as an assistant football coach at the

. In 1998, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving as a public affairs officer at

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the Nor ...

. His brother Blane was also a starting

for the

and would later become an assistant football coach at the school.

References

External links

Beau Morgan Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Beau 1975 births Living people People from Nacogdoches, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football quarterbacks Air Force Falcons football players Dallas Cowboys players Memphis Maniax players Air Force Falcons football coaches Military personnel from Texas