Torrance Moran Norris (; born June 16, 1978) 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 wi ...

fullback. He was drafted by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

. Norris has also played for the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

Early years

Moran graduated from

Madison High School Madison High School may refer to: * Madison County High School (Alabama), Gurley, Alabama * Madison High School (Idaho), Rexburg, Idaho * Madison Consolidated High School, Madison, Indiana * Madison High School (Kansas), Madison, Kansas * Kentuc ...

in Houston, Texas in 1996.

College career

Norris went on to play for the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

He was drafted by the

in the 4th round (115th overall) in the 2001 NFL Draft. Norris played his entire season with the Saints before being waived on September 17, 2002.

Houston Texans

A day after being waived by the Saints, Norris was claimed off waived by the Houston Texans on September 18, 2002. He was a member of the Texans through the 2005 season. In 2005, Norris played in all 16 games with five starts and had one reception for four yards and 12 special teams tackles.

First stint with 49ers

Norris was signed as a

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 49ers in 2006. That season, he helped 49ers

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

Frank Gore Franklin Gore Sr. (born May 14, 1983) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A member of the San Francisco 49ers during most of his career, he ranks third in NFL career rus ...

rush for 1,695 yards and earn a

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

selection. Norris caught two passes for touchdowns that season; one of those coming in the

season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try ...

against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, helping to knock them out of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

. Norris was released by the 49ers during final cuts on August 30, 2008.

Detroit Lions

Norris was signed by the Detroit Lions on 9 October 2008 after

Marcus Thomas was waived. Norris was released before the team's next game on 12 October 2008 when

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 ...

Drew Henson Drew Daniel Henson (born February 13, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and National Football League quarterback. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at ...

was promoted to the active roster. Norris was once again signed by the Lions on 13 October 2008 after

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

Gerald Alexander Gerald Alexander (born June 28, 1984) is an American football coach and former safety,. He played college football at Boise State, and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He also played for the Jacksonvil ...

was put 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 ...

Second stint with 49ers

unrestricted 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 ...

in the 2009 offseason, Norris was re-signed by the

on February 27, 2009. The three-year, $5 million contract included a $1.5-million signing bonus.

Second stint with Texans

Norris had a brief stint with the Texans during the 2012 preseason. He was signed on June 14, 2012 and was released on August 31.

Moran Norris Foundation

The Moran Norris Foundation was started in 2005. Moran and his wife Tamara, both Houston natives created the foundation to help at-risk students achieve their goals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Moran 1978 births Living people American football fullbacks Detroit Lions players Houston Texans players Kansas Jayhawks football players New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Houston San Francisco 49ers players