Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff: 47 Days with Johnny Morris
By Peter Jurich
Johnny Morris sets franchise records, wins championship with Chicago Bears
Morris quickly became an important part of the team's offense from this position, and he finished his rookie season with over 400 yards and two touchdowns. Morris also contributed nearly 500 yards as a returner. In his second season, Morris was able to start in all 12 of the team's games where he added over 500 yards as a returner, 509 total yards on offense, and two touchdowns.
In just his third season, Morris's 641 offensive yards and six touchdowns were good enough showing for the Long Beach native to be named to his first and only Pro Bowl. The following season was a similar outing for Morris, who finished just shy of the 600-yard mark, but his statistical impact took off in the 1962 season, where the flanker was able to accumulate nearly 900 yards and five touchdowns.
In 1963, the Chicago Bears as a team reached great success, making it to the NFL Championship game, largely on the back of Morris, who finished the year with 715 yards and two touchdowns. Morris managed only two receptions for roughly 20 yards in the Championship game, but the Bears were able to prevail against the New York Giants, earning Morris and his teammates the like of Mike Ditka, Doug Atkins, and Bill George a championship ring.
Following the team's championship run, Morris had by far the best season of his career. In 1964, Morris's 1,200 receiving yards were not only the best on the team, but that of the league as well. This total not only earned Morris MVP votes, but he finished the season on the First-Team All-Pro list for the only time in his career. His 93 receptions also led the league throughout the season.
After his best season, where he began to be used exclusively as a pass catcher, Morris had another strong season to the tune of 846 receiving yards. Unfortunately, the star offensive talent missed all but two games the following year. Morris came back in 1967, but after posting just 237 yards on the season, the decade-long Bear called it quits the ensuing offseason.