Rob Morris
Encyclopedia
Robert Samuel Morris partly of Icelandic
Mormon
Decent . He is a retired American football
linebacker
who played for the Indianapolis Colts
. He was originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts
28th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Brigham Young University
. Morris is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
(BYU), where was a semi-finalist for the Butkus Award and was named as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press
, Sporting News and The Football News.
by the Indianapolis Colts, where he has spent his entire career. Morris started at middle linebacker
for the Colts for the first 5 years of his career, and was the Colts leading special teams tackler
in the 2006 season
. Morris also started
9 games for the Colts during the 2006 season, including 3 games in the playoffs and Super Bowl XLI
, replacing Gilbert Gardner
to improve the Colts' run defense. In 2001
, Morris had his best statistical year with 114 total tackles (84 solo) and one sack
. Morris was an unrestricted free agent after the 2006 NFL season had concluded, but on March 5, 2007, Morris was re-signed by Indianapolis. On February 27, 2008 the Colts released him due to a failed physical.
Icelanders
Icelanders are a Scandinavian ethnic group and a nation, native to Iceland.On 17 June 1944, when an Icelandic republic was founded the Icelanders became independent from the Danish monarchy. The language spoken is Icelandic, a North Germanic language, and Lutheranism is the predominant religion...
Mormon
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
Decent . He is a retired American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
who played for the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
. He was originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
28th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University Cougars football
The Brigham Young Cougars football team is a college football program representing Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The Cougars won the national championship in 1984 and have a Heisman Trophy winner in Ty Detmer. Since 1965, BYU has claimed 23 conference championships and played in 29 bowl...
. Morris is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
College career
He attended and played football for Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU), where was a semi-finalist for the Butkus Award and was named as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Sporting News and The Football News.
Professional career
In 2000, Morris was selected in the first round (28th overall) of the NFL DraftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Indianapolis Colts, where he has spent his entire career. Morris started at middle linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Colts for the first 5 years of his career, and was the Colts leading special teams tackler
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
in the 2006 season
2006 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2006 Indianapolis Colts season was the 54th season for the team in the National Football League and 23rd in Indianapolis. The 2006 Colts season began with the team trying to maintain or improve on their regular season record of 14–2 from the 2005 season, and advance farther into the playoffs....
. Morris also started
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
9 games for the Colts during the 2006 season, including 3 games in the playoffs and Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI
Super Bowl XLI was an American football game that featured the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League champion for the 2006 season...
, replacing Gilbert Gardner
Gilbert Gardner
Gilbert Ravelle Gardner, II is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue....
to improve the Colts' run defense. In 2001
2001 Indianapolis Colts season
The 2001 Indianapolis Colts season was the 49th season for the team in the National Football League and 18th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 2001 season with a record of 6 wins and 10 losses, and finished fourth in the AFC East division...
, Morris had his best statistical year with 114 total tackles (84 solo) and one sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
. Morris was an unrestricted free agent after the 2006 NFL season had concluded, but on March 5, 2007, Morris was re-signed by Indianapolis. On February 27, 2008 the Colts released him due to a failed physical.