Riley D. Morris (March 22, 1934 or 1935 – April 5, 1997) was an

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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who played three seasons in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL) for 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 ...

and five seasons in the Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) for the Boston / New Bedford Sweepers, the Waterbury Orbits and the Quincy Giants. 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 ...

for the

Florida A&M Rattlers The Florida A&M Rattlers represent Florida A&M University (FAMU) in college athletics. Florida A&M is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and participates in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). FAMU offers men's s ...

Early life and education

Morris was born in either 1934 or 1935 in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. He attended Stanton Preparatory School there and graduated in c. 1954. Morris joined Florida A&M University after graduating from Stanton Prep and as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

was described as having "tremendous possibilities" by coach Hansel Tookes. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

, he earned a starting position and was reported by the '' Tallahassee Democrat'' as a "bright prospect." As a junior in 1956, Morris was named third-team All- SIAC. In September 1957, ''

The Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acqu ...

'' reported that Morris is "looked upon by some as one of the best men at his position in the country." He returned as Florida A&M starting tackle for his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

year. The '' Alabama Tribune'' listed him as a potential All-American candidate. The 1957 Florida A&M football team compiled an undefeated 9–0 record and were named Black college national champions.

Professional career

Despite having been out of the sport for the prior two seasons, Morris was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers of the

(AFL) in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

. When asked "the best pro prospect among the unheralded gridders

layers Layer or layered may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Layers'' (Kungs album) * ''Layers'' (Les McCann album) * ''Layers'' (Royce da 5'9" album) *"Layers", the title track of Royce da 5'9"'s sixth studio album *Layer, a female Maveric ...

who reported to camp," Coach

Sid Gillman Sidney Gillman (October 26, 1911 – January 3, 2003) was an American football player, coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or w ...

named Morris. The ''Tallahassee Democrat'' reported that he was "touted as the fastest man in camp" and made the first seven tackles in a practice game. He was waived on September 7, being one of the final roster cuts. ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' reported that Morris "will be back to haunt the Chargers," as he was immediately claimed by the rival

after being waived by Los Angeles. On September 19, he was promoted to the Raiders active roster. The '' Oakland Tribune'' reported that he "has been a big surprise to the Raiders ... ehas improved in every game as a corner

." Coach

Eddie Erdelatz Edward J. Erdelatz (April 21, 1913 – November 10, 1966) was an American collegiate and professional football player and coach who served as head football coach of the U.S. Naval Academy for nine years. Erdelatz was also the first head coach of ...

said Morris "just loves to knock people down on that field." Morris finished the season having played in between twelve and fourteen games, twelve as a starter. With ten

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...

s, Morris placed first in the league, tied with Mel Branch. The 1960 Oakland Raiders compiled a record of 6–8, third place in the AFL Western Division. Morris returned as Raiders starting linebacker in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

. In a week fourteen game against the

Boston Patriots Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

, he picked off a

Babe Parilli Vito "Babe" Parilli (May 7, 1930 – July 15, 2017) was an American football quarterback and coach who played professionally for 18 seasons. Parilli spent five seasons in the National Football League (NFL), three in the Canadian Football League ( ...

pass and returned it 35 yards for his first career touchdown. Morris finished the season with fourteen games played, all as a starter, and three interceptions returned for 79 yards and one touchdown. He also made three sacks, as the Raiders finished with a record of 2–12. In May

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

, Morris' position was changed from linebacker to

. He missed most of the season due to an injury, but was re-activated for the final four games of the season. Shortly after returning from injury, Morris "provided the Raiders with their best pass rush in weeks" against the San Diego Chargers. The Raiders finished with a record of 1–13, as Morris appeared in four games. He was waived by the Raiders in July

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

. In July

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, Morris was signed by the

. He was waived in August as part of roster cuts. He later joined the Boston Sweepers in the Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL). Morris helped the Sweepers compile a record of 11–3 ''en route'' to the league championship. He scored two touchdowns that year. After the season ended, he was named a first-team All-ACFL selection. Morris returned to the Sweepers (renamed the New Bedford Sweepers) in 1965 and helped them win their second consecutive league title. He returned for a third season with the Sweepers in 1966. After the Sweepers folded, Morris joined the Waterbury Orbits in 1967. After spending the following season out of football, Morris played a final season with the

Quincy Giants Quincy may refer to: People *Quincy (name), including a list of people with the name Quincy *Quincy political family, including members of the family Places and jurisdictions France * Quincy, Cher, a commune in the Cher département * A hamlet ...

in 1969. Morris was nicknamed "The Rattler" by his Raiders teammates for his college (whose sports teams are called the Rattlers) and for his "quick strikes" on the football field.

Later life and death

Morris later was employed at

Polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...

Norwood, Massachusetts Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Norwood is part of the Greater Boston area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,611. The town was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is ...

. He also was a golfer. Morris died on April 5, 1997.

References

Notes

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Riley 1934 births 1997 deaths Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida American football defensive ends American football linebackers Florida A&M Rattlers football players Los Angeles Chargers players Oakland Raiders players Boston Patriots players Atlantic Coast Football League players