Joe Morris

By Chad Hollingsworth
Love of Sports Correspondent

You know how Bill Parcells loves his running backs?

For example, with his front office role in Miami, he’s made Ronnie Brown the primary focus, with Ricky Williams getting some carries on the side.

With the Patriots and the Jets, Parcells relied on future Hall of Famer Curtis Martin. When Parcells coached the Cowboys, he had Troy Hambrick.

Not spectacular, but Hambrick rushed for almost 1,000 yards in the 2003 season. And Parcells did draft and groom both Julius Jones and Marion Barber.

Most importantly, he had some pretty good running backs while he was coaching the Giants to two Super Bowls. Joe Morris was the primary running back for that 1986 championship team.

At Syracuse, Morris set records for all-time rushing that bested the records of NFL legends Jim Brown and Larry Csonka. No doubt his 5-foot-7 frame contributed to his slipping to the second round of the 1982 NFL Draft. However, the Giants’ gain was pretty much every other NFL team’s loss.

Morris didn’t start in any games during his first two seasons in the NFL, but was able to appear in 20 games. He actually scored a touchdown on his very first carry as a rookie. Unfortunately, that was his only touchdown until 1984.

In 1984, Morris saw his role broaden a bit more with the Giants. He started eight games and rushed for 510 yards. The Giants apparently saw enough from him that season to hand him the starting role for the ‘85 season.

Good call for the Giants. Morris rushed for 1,336 and an astounding 21 touchdowns that season. His success in the backfield helped balance out the passing attack, led by Phil Simms. And the defense? I’ll just mention Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks and Harry Carson and leave the rest for imagination/recollection.

Unfortunately, 1985 was the same season that the Chicago Bears were also one of the most dominant football teams to ever play the game. The Giants earned a 10-6 record and a wild card spot, but the Bears were too much for them to handle in the divisional round. The Bears defeated the Giants 21-0, forcing New York to ready themselves for 1986.

Whatever the Giants did to prepare, it worked. Once again, Morris was the rock of the backfield. He started 15 games and scored 15 touchdowns. He also gained more yards on the ground than he did in 1985, with 1,516 yards, and was a major factor with the Giants earning a 14-2 record.

Most importantly, Morris was a huge part of the Super Bowl run. He rushed for 313 yards in three playoff games, including a solid performance against the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. He ran for 67 yards, caught four passes for 20 yards and scored a touchdown in that game.

Morris battled injuries in ‘87, but managed one last 1,000-yard season in ‘88, along with five scores. Coincidentally, the Giants had a 6-9 record in ‘87 and a 10-6 record in ‘88 (but still missed the playoffs). It just goes to show that when he was on the field, the Giants were a better football team.

He only played one more season (with the Browns) before retiring after the ‘91 season. He ended his career with 5,585 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns. He also went to two Pro Bowls and earned a Super Bowl ring. Not bad for a guy many NFL teams overlooked in the 1982 draft, eh?

“Little Joe” Morris was a big part of the Giants’ running game in the 1980s, and this is what gets him a big dose of Old School Love today.