Jon Morris, a cornerstone of the early New England Patriots and one of the best offensive linemen in franchise history, has died at 84, the team announced Thursday.
Morris spent 11 seasons as a steady force on the Boston Patriots’ offensive line after the team selected him in the fourth round of the 1964 draft, 29th overall. He stayed with the club through 1974 and became one of the defining players of those AFL years, earning six AFL All-Star nods from 1964 through 1969 and serving as a captain.
“Jon Morris was one of the great players who helped build the foundation of our franchise,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a statement released by the team. “For generations of Patriots fans, he represented the toughness, dedication and pride of those early teams.
“It meant so much to me to call Jon in 2011 and tell him he had been selected to our Hall of Fame, ensuring that his contributions would always be remembered. On behalf of our family and the entire Patriots organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Jon's family, friends and former teammates.”
Morris’ place in team history stretched beyond those AFL years. He was the first Patriots player to be selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1970 merger with the NFL, adding that honor to five All-AFL Team selections - one First Team and four Second Team. He also earned spots on the franchise’s All-1960s Team and the Patriots’ 35th and 50th Anniversary Teams.
When the Patriots drafted him, Morris had another option waiting in the Green Bay Packers, who also picked him in the fourth round that year. He later explained why Boston won out.
“I was 22, and Boston was a lively town, and I felt comfortable there," Morris said, via Holy Cross Magazine in 2010. "Green Bay seemed dead outside football."
Over his Patriots career, Morris appeared in 130 games and was a key part of the blocking that helped fullback Jim Nance in the running game. After leaving New England, he finished his pro career with the Detroit Lions from 1975-77 and the Chicago Bears in 1978.
A Holy Cross graduate, Morris later returned to the Patriots as a radio broadcaster from 1979 to 1987. He was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2011 as the third offensive lineman to receive the honor, following John Hannah and Bruce Armstrong, and the first to go in through the newly formed senior committee.
Morris called that recognition “the crowning achivement of my football life.”
“I’m thrilled beyond words,” Morris said when his Hall of Fame nomination came in 2008. “It’s really nice for an old-timer like me.
I played with Nance, so I know how good he was. ... But this is almost like a once-in-a-lifetime situation for me, because there are so many great players in the organization.”
Morris also appeared on the initial ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, though he did not advance further in the voting process.
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