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Steve Morrison (American football)
Encyclopedia
Steven Craig Morrison is a retired professional American football
linebacker
who played for the Indianapolis Colts
of the National Football League
(NFL) from 1995 to 1998. He is currently the linebackers coach at Eastern Michigan University
. He last served as the defensive coordinator
for the Western Michigan Broncos football
team. Prior to these professional experiences, he had excelled in college football
as an All-Big Ten Conference
inside linebacker from 1990 to 1994 for the Michigan Wolverines
, whom he served as captain
. In high school, he had been a Detroit Free Press
first-team All-State (Michigan) and second-team All-Midwest selection in football and an All-American in lacrosse
.
After retiring from professional football as a player, he gained his first two years of coaching experience as the defensive coordinator for Michigan High School Athletic Association
football champion Brother Rice High School
(his high school alma mater). He then served as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan
for three years. He then assumed a role as an assistant at Western Michigan University
. At Western Michigan, he has served as the linebacker coach after spending a year as the defensive line coach. The 2009 Western Michigan Broncos season
marked Morrison's fifth season on the team's staff, his fourth as linebacker coach and his second as defensive coordinator. Morrison was fired at the conclusion of the season.
on the day of his birth because he had the same lung disease that Patrick Kennedy, the son of United States President John Kennedy, died from. He was then put in an incubator where his mother could not touch him for 12 months. Morrison wanted to be a linebacker because of the tenacity of the position. His favorite book was a book about Jack Lambert and Jack Ham and he grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers
fan. He played soccer when he was a youth.
Morrison competed for Brother Rice High School of the Detroit, Michigan
Catholic High School League
. As a junior who played both fullback
and linebacker
, he was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury in his third game, but the team went 7–2 for the season despite his injury. As a senior, Morrison was part of a 1989 team that lost in the Class A semifinals 6–0 to Martin Luther King High School
at Atwood Stadium
. The team had been ranked as the number three high school team in the Metro Detroit
Area by the Detroit Free Press in its pre-season poll. Morrison had been hailed as a blue chip
athlete entering his senior season in the same pre-season summary. The team was 11–0 and the number one ranked area high school team prior to the loss. Once, Morrison executed an 82-yard punt
during a high school game. During his senior season, his coach, Al Fracassa, was the Detroit Free Press Coach of the Year and Morrison was a First-Team All-Metro Detroit selection at linebacker. However, fellow fullback/linebacker two-way Detroit area player Jerome Bettis
was the first team fullback. Both players earned first-team Detroit Free Press All-State honors. However, a poll of 14 experts selected Bettis first-team all-Midwest (Big Ten States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin because Penn State had not yet joined the conference), but only selected Morrison second-team all Midwest. In high school, Morrison was an All-American in lacrosse
, along with Brother Rice and Michigan football teammate Gannon Dudlar. He was a Catholic High School League Hall of Fame athlete and was inducted in the 1995 Hall of Fame class that included Shawn Respert
, among others.
After attending Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
, his college decision eventually came down to a choice between Michigan and Michigan State University
. He was part of a highly touted Michigan recruiting class that was ranked fourth in the nation and that included five of the top twelve players in the state and seven of the top twelve regional players. He spent five years at the University of Michigan where he anchored the defense as an inside linebacker. In 1990, he was the first true freshman to start on defense since 1987. In his 1991 debut for Michigan against the Boston College Eagles
, he opposed former Brother Rice teammate Pete Mitchell
, who was appearing in his first game. On Mitchell's first career catch, Morrison was warned for making a late hit against Mitchell. A total of seven Brother Rice alumni played in the game. He became a rare five-year varsity letter
winner while wearing #36 for the Michigan Wolverines football
program from 1990
to 1994
, He was mentored by 1991 Butkus Award winner Erick Anderson
. He helped the 1990 three-peat
Big Ten Conference
Champions defend their title for a total of five consecutive conference championships ending in 1992. The 1991 and 1992 teams went to the Rose Bowl. During the 1992 season, he replaced Anderson, who had led Michigan in tackles four consecutive seasons, as the defensive signal caller. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after making 15 tackles against Purdue Boilermakers
on October 31, 1992.
He became team captain in 1994 for coach Gary Moeller
. On a team that had two All-Americans (Ty Law
and Remy Hamilton
), he was one of six All-Big Ten players (Law, Hamilton, Tyrone Wheatley
, Amani Toomer
and Jason Horn
) and a Butkus Award semifinalist. Morrison earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management and communications in 1994 from Michigan.
At the time of his graduation, he ranked third in career tackles
in school history, behind Anderson and Ron Simpkins
. He has since been passed by Jarrett Irons
and Sam Sword
, and he stands fifth with 220 tackles. In terms of tackles and assists combined, Morrison once totaled 23 in a November 14, 1992 game against the Illinois Fighting Illini football
team, which stands as a Michigan Football record for a game at Michigan Stadium
. Morrison suffered compartmental syndrome in his calf
, which necessitated surgical repair to stop internal bleeding, during his 1990 freshman season, for which he earned a medical redshirt
season by the NCAA. As a sophomore (redshirt freshman), he sat out four games with a broken leg. In 1993, he missed the first seven games with a broken foot.
, but signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent after the draft. He played with the Colts from 1995
to 1998
. He accumulated 2 quarterback sack
s, 2 interceptions, and 4 fumble recoveries
. Although the Colts best records during his tenure was 9–7 in both 1995 and 1996, the team made the playoffs twice and Morrison had a chance to play in an American Football Conference
Championship game. During the 1995–1996 NFL playoffs
, the Colts won two playoff games on the road under Ted Marchibroda
to reach the championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
. Despite the playoff success, they changed coaches, as Lindy Infante
took them back to the 1996–1997 NFL playoffs
with a 9–7 record, only to fall in the wild card game to the Steelers again. Morrison started 31 games over the course of his career, including 29 regular season games. In 1997
and 1998, the team had losing seasons, although Morrison started more games as his career progressed. Morrison was signed by the Detroit Lions
for the 1999 NFL season
, but he was waived before the season started.
for his high school alma mater, Brother Rice Warriors, in 2000 and 2001. In 2000, they won the Michigan High School Athletic Association
Division 2 football championship. He was a member of the coaching staff, when his high school coach Fracassa became the winningest coach in Michigan High School football history. From 2002
to 2004
he served in various capacities on the defensive coaching staff for the Michigan Wolverines. In 2002, he served as the video assistant. In 2003, he became a graduate assistant/outside linebackers coach.
, he took the Western Michigan defensive line coaching position on new head coach Bill Cubit
's staff. That same year Scott Shafer
, the current Syracuse University
defensive coordinator, assumed the defensive coordinator position at Western Michigan, and Morrison served under him. Then, in 2006
, Morrison assumed the linebacker coach position. The defense immediately produced results: #1 in the country in interceptions, #1 in sacks per game, and a Mid-American Conference
record rushing yards per game defense. In addition to the team numbers he fostered Ameer Ismail, the nation’s leader in quarterback sacks and tackles for a loss.
On March 12, 2008, after defensive coordinator Bill Miller left to be the Louisville Cardinals football
linebacker coach, Western Michigan promoted Morrison to defensive coordinator
, and he relinquished his recruiting coordinator role to tight end
s coach Jake Moreland. He continued to serve as the linebackers coach in 2008. He converted the defensive scheme from a two-gap scheme to a one-gap scheme upon taking over as defensive coordinator. His coaching style is considered a compromise between styles of the previous coordinators: the highly enthusiastic Shafer style and the laid back Miller style. The 2008 Western Michigan Broncos football team
compiled a 9–3 (6–2 conference) record earning them a trip to the 2008 Texas Bowl
to face the Rice Owls
. His defense ranked toward the middle of the MAC. Rice blew out
Western Michigan by taking a 38–0 lead before allowing two late fourth quarter touchdown
s for a 38–14 final score. On the eve of the Bowl game, the Broncos signed head coach Cubit to a five-year extension and there was no indication he intended to make any changes in his staff. Morrison's 2008 defense produced first-team All-MAC selection Louis Delmas
, who appeared in the January 24, 2009 Senior Bowl
and was the first safety chosen in the 2009 NFL Draft
. After a disappointing 2009 Western Michigan season
in which WMU ranked 102 out of 120 Division I teams, Morrison was fired and replaced by former Hofstra coach Dave Cohen
.
under head coach Ron English
and defensive coordinator
Phil Snow
. The 2010 Eagles
posted a 2–10 record.
. In college, Morrison's family hosted various teammates such as Todd Collins at Christmas time. This is part of a Michigan football tradition that when the team is playing late season Bowl games, the players from outside the Midwest spend Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day morning with local families. Morrison is married to the former Mary Campana. The couple had their third child on May 23, 2007. They now have three sons: Alexander (8-29-01), Marco (11-18-04) and Roman (5-23-07).
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 ....
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) from 1995 to 1998. He is currently the linebackers coach at Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
. He last served as the defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
for the Western Michigan Broncos football
Western Michigan Broncos football
The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season...
team. Prior to these professional experiences, he had excelled in 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...
as an All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
inside linebacker from 1990 to 1994 for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
, whom he served as captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
. In high school, he had been a Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
first-team All-State (Michigan) and second-team All-Midwest selection in football and an All-American in lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
.
After retiring from professional football as a player, he gained his first two years of coaching experience as the defensive coordinator for Michigan High School Athletic Association
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
football champion Brother Rice High School
Brother Rice High School (Michigan)
Brother Rice High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys non-residential college prep school with approximately 700 students located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan . Until 1993 its address was in neighboring Birmingham, Michigan's postal district. In 1993 the U.S...
(his high school alma mater). He then served as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
for three years. He then assumed a role as an assistant at Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
. At Western Michigan, he has served as the linebacker coach after spending a year as the defensive line coach. The 2009 Western Michigan Broncos season
2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2009 NCAA football season. The WMU football team was coached by Bill Cubit and played their homes game in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan...
marked Morrison's fifth season on the team's staff, his fourth as linebacker coach and his second as defensive coordinator. Morrison was fired at the conclusion of the season.
Early years
Barbara Morrison, Steve's mother, says Steve was read his last ritesLast Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
on the day of his birth because he had the same lung disease that Patrick Kennedy, the son of United States President John Kennedy, died from. He was then put in an incubator where his mother could not touch him for 12 months. Morrison wanted to be a linebacker because of the tenacity of the position. His favorite book was a book about Jack Lambert and Jack Ham and he grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
fan. He played soccer when he was a youth.
High school
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
Catholic High School League
Catholic High School League
The Catholic High School League is a school athletic conference based in Detroit, Michigan. All of the schools are currently part of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the governing body for Michigan scholastic sports...
. As a junior who played both fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
and 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...
, he was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury in his third game, but the team went 7–2 for the season despite his injury. As a senior, Morrison was part of a 1989 team that lost in the Class A semifinals 6–0 to Martin Luther King High School
Martin Luther King High School (Michigan)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School is located at 3200 East Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan; the building is operated by the Detroit Board of Education. King's district encompasses Downtown and Midtown Detroit; it also includes the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects, the Martin Luther...
at Atwood Stadium
Atwood Stadium
Atwood Stadium is an 11,000-seat stadium located in Flint, Michigan. It opened on June 8, 1929 and was named after Edwin W. Atwood who donated a portion of the site for the stadium. It has hosted high school football, minor-league baseball, and concerts over the years. Atwood still hosts high...
. The team had been ranked as the number three high school team in the Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
Area by the Detroit Free Press in its pre-season poll. Morrison had been hailed as a blue chip
Blue chip (sports)
The term "blue chip" is commonly used to describe athletes who are being targeted to be drafted or signed by teams at the next level. It is most commonly used to describe high school players being recruited by college teams, but can also refer to collegiate players being scouted by professional...
athlete entering his senior season in the same pre-season summary. The team was 11–0 and the number one ranked area high school team prior to the loss. Once, Morrison executed an 82-yard punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
during a high school game. During his senior season, his coach, Al Fracassa, was the Detroit Free Press Coach of the Year and Morrison was a First-Team All-Metro Detroit selection at linebacker. However, fellow fullback/linebacker two-way Detroit area player Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
was the first team fullback. Both players earned first-team Detroit Free Press All-State honors. However, a poll of 14 experts selected Bettis first-team all-Midwest (Big Ten States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin because Penn State had not yet joined the conference), but only selected Morrison second-team all Midwest. In high school, Morrison was an All-American in lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, along with Brother Rice and Michigan football teammate Gannon Dudlar. He was a Catholic High School League Hall of Fame athlete and was inducted in the 1995 Hall of Fame class that included Shawn Respert
Shawn Respert
Shawn Christopher Respert is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'1", 195 lb. shooting guard, he attended Bishop Borgess High School, and he came to prominence while playing college basketball at Michigan State University where his jersey is now retired...
, among others.
College
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
, his college decision eventually came down to a choice between Michigan and Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. He was part of a highly touted Michigan recruiting class that was ranked fourth in the nation and that included five of the top twelve players in the state and seven of the top twelve regional players. He spent five years at the University of Michigan where he anchored the defense as an inside linebacker. In 1990, he was the first true freshman to start on defense since 1987. In his 1991 debut for Michigan against the Boston College Eagles
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
, he opposed former Brother Rice teammate Pete Mitchell
Pete Mitchell (American football)
Peter Clark Mitchell is a former professional American football player who played tight end for eight seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Giants. He was a two time All-American at Boston College...
, who was appearing in his first game. On Mitchell's first career catch, Morrison was warned for making a late hit against Mitchell. A total of seven Brother Rice alumni played in the game. He became a rare five-year varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
winner while wearing #36 for the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
program from 1990
1990 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split championship and the ensuing controversy led to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets...
to 1994
1994 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season saw yet another controversial finish as both Nebraska and Penn State finished undefeated, and yet Penn State finished a distant second in the final AP and UPI polls. The controversial finish, however, could have been an even worse morass if not for some...
, He was mentored by 1991 Butkus Award winner Erick Anderson
Erick Anderson
Erick Scott Anderson is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Michigan. He won the Butkus Award in 1991.-College career:...
. He helped the 1990 three-peat
Three-peat
Three-peat is a contraction of the words three and repeat, which has been trademarked for commercial use by retired basketball coach Pat Riley; the active trademarks in force are registered under numbers 1552980, 1878690, and 1886018...
Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
Champions defend their title for a total of five consecutive conference championships ending in 1992. The 1991 and 1992 teams went to the Rose Bowl. During the 1992 season, he replaced Anderson, who had led Michigan in tackles four consecutive seasons, as the defensive signal caller. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after making 15 tackles against Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue Boilermakers football
The Purdue Boilermakers football team is the intercollegiate football program of the Purdue University Boilermakers. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of...
on October 31, 1992.
He became team captain in 1994 for coach Gary Moeller
Gary Moeller
Gary O. Moeller is an American football coach best known for being head coach at the University of Michigan from 1990 to 1994. During his five seasons at Michigan, he won 44 games, lost 13 and tied 3 for a winning percentage of .758...
. On a team that had two All-Americans (Ty Law
Ty Law
Tajuan "Ty" Law is a retired football cornerback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 23rd overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
and Remy Hamilton
Remy Hamilton
Remy Martin Hamilton is an American football kicker who played in the National Football League and Arena Football League . In college, he was an All-American for the Michigan Wolverines football team. As a professional, he played for the Detroit Lions of the NFL in addition to exhibition and...
), he was one of six All-Big Ten players (Law, Hamilton, Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Anthony Wheatley is the running backs coach at Syracuse University and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history...
, Amani Toomer
Amani Toomer
Amani Toomer is a retired American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan, where he was a fan favorite.Toomer has also been a member of the Kansas...
and Jason Horn
Jason Horn
Jason Horn is a former All-American defensive tackle who played for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1992 to 1995. Horn grew up on a farm near Lafayette, Indiana, and joined the Wolverines in 1992. Horn played in 48 games over four years at the University of Michigan, compiling 169...
) and a Butkus Award semifinalist. Morrison earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management and communications in 1994 from Michigan.
At the time of his graduation, he ranked third in career tackles
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 school history, behind Anderson and Ron Simpkins
Ron Simpkins
Ronald Bernard Simpkins is a former linebacker who played seven seasons in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals. Simpkins played college football at the University of Michigan, where he was an All-American....
. He has since been passed by Jarrett Irons
Jarrett Irons
Jarrett Irons is a former All-American linebacker who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1993-1996. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Irons was twice selected to the All Big Ten Conference team and was a team co-captain in 1995 and 1996...
and Sam Sword
Sam Sword
Sam Lee-Arthur Sword is a former American football linebacker who played for the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. He played college football at the University of Michigan...
, and he stands fifth with 220 tackles. In terms of tackles and assists combined, Morrison once totaled 23 in a November 14, 1992 game against the Illinois Fighting Illini football
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
team, which stands as a Michigan Football record for a game at Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
. Morrison suffered compartmental syndrome in his calf
Calf (anatomy)
In human anatomy the calf is the back portion of the lower leg . In terms of muscle systems, the calf corresponds to the posterior compartment of the leg. Within the posterior compartment, the two largest muscles are known together as the calf muscle and attach to the heel via the Achilles tendon...
, which necessitated surgical repair to stop internal bleeding, during his 1990 freshman season, for which he earned a medical redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
season by the NCAA. As a sophomore (redshirt freshman), he sat out four games with a broken leg. In 1993, he missed the first seven games with a broken foot.
NFL
He was not drafted in the 1995 NFL draft1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
, but signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent after the draft. He played with the Colts from 1995
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
to 1998
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
. He accumulated 2 quarterback 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...
s, 2 interceptions, and 4 fumble recoveries
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
. Although the Colts best records during his tenure was 9–7 in both 1995 and 1996, the team made the playoffs twice and Morrison had a chance to play in an American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
Championship game. During the 1995–1996 NFL playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1995-96
The NFL playoffs following the 1995 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXX.-Bracket:-AFC: Buffalo Bills 37, Miami Dolphins 22:Although Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 out of 64 passes for 422 yards, the Bills jumped to a 27-0 lead going into the fourth quarter, and rushed for an NFL...
, the Colts won two playoff games on the road under Ted Marchibroda
Ted Marchibroda
Theodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...
to reach the championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. Despite the playoff success, they changed coaches, as Lindy Infante
Lindy Infante
Gelindo "Lindy" Infante is a former American college football player and assistant coach, who became an offensive coordinator and head coach in both the National Football League and the United States Football League...
took them back to the 1996–1997 NFL playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1996-97
The NFL playoffs following the 1996 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXI. This post-season was remarkable in that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each made it all the way to their respective conference championships, only two years after their inception into the league as expansion...
with a 9–7 record, only to fall in the wild card game to the Steelers again. Morrison started 31 games over the course of his career, including 29 regular season games. In 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
and 1998, the team had losing seasons, although Morrison started more games as his career progressed. Morrison was signed by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
for the 1999 NFL season
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
, but he was waived before the season started.
Early coaching experience
He served as the defensive coordinatorDefensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
for his high school alma mater, Brother Rice Warriors, in 2000 and 2001. In 2000, they won the Michigan High School Athletic Association
Michigan High School Athletic Association
-About:The Michigan High School Athletic Association is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing...
Division 2 football championship. He was a member of the coaching staff, when his high school coach Fracassa became the winningest coach in Michigan High School football history. From 2002
2002 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season ended the season with what most consider an exciting double overtime national championship game. Ohio State and Miami both came into the Fiesta Bowl undefeated. The underdog Buckeyes defeated the Hurricanes 31–24, ending Miami's 34 game winning...
to 2004
2004 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with several undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game, triggering controversy. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss...
he served in various capacities on the defensive coaching staff for the Michigan Wolverines. In 2002, he served as the video assistant. In 2003, he became a graduate assistant/outside linebackers coach.
Western Michigan (2005–2009)
In 20052005 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the least amount of controversy surrounding the Bowl Championship Series title game in many years.To an extent it was a return to classic football...
, he took the Western Michigan defensive line coaching position on new head coach Bill Cubit
Bill Cubit
-External links:*...
's staff. That same year Scott Shafer
Scott Shafer
Scott Shafer is an American football coach who is currently the defensive coordinator for the Syracuse University football team. He resigned in December 2008 as the defensive coordinator for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team after less than one year on the job...
, the current Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
defensive coordinator, assumed the defensive coordinator position at Western Michigan, and Morrison served under him. Then, in 2006
2006 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 31, 2006 and, aside from all-star exhibition games that followed, concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game on January 8, 2007 in Glendale, Arizona, where the #2 Florida...
, Morrison assumed the linebacker coach position. The defense immediately produced results: #1 in the country in interceptions, #1 in sacks per game, and a Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
record rushing yards per game defense. In addition to the team numbers he fostered Ameer Ismail, the nation’s leader in quarterback sacks and tackles for a loss.
On March 12, 2008, after defensive coordinator Bill Miller left to be the Louisville Cardinals football
Louisville Cardinals football
The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship...
linebacker coach, Western Michigan promoted Morrison to defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
, and he relinquished his recruiting coordinator role to tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
s coach Jake Moreland. He continued to serve as the linebackers coach in 2008. He converted the defensive scheme from a two-gap scheme to a one-gap scheme upon taking over as defensive coordinator. His coaching style is considered a compromise between styles of the previous coordinators: the highly enthusiastic Shafer style and the laid back Miller style. The 2008 Western Michigan Broncos football team
2008 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 2008 Western Michigan Broncos football team represents Western Michigan University in the 2008 NCAA football season. The WMU football team is coached by Bill Cubit and play their homes game in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan....
compiled a 9–3 (6–2 conference) record earning them a trip to the 2008 Texas Bowl
2008 Texas Bowl
The 2008 Texas Bowl was the third edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game was played at 7:00 PM US CST on Tuesday, December 30, 2008. The game, telecast on NFL Network, featured the hometown Rice Owls against the Western Michigan...
to face the Rice Owls
Rice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
. His defense ranked toward the middle of the MAC. Rice blew out
Blowout (sports)
A blowout is an easy or one-sided victory. It occurs when one athletic team or individual performer outscores another by a large margin or in such a fashion that allows the second team or individual little chance of a victory from a point early in a competition, game, contest or event...
Western Michigan by taking a 38–0 lead before allowing two late fourth quarter touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s for a 38–14 final score. On the eve of the Bowl game, the Broncos signed head coach Cubit to a five-year extension and there was no indication he intended to make any changes in his staff. Morrison's 2008 defense produced first-team All-MAC selection Louis Delmas
Louis Delmas
Louis Delmas is an American Football safety that plays for the Detroit Lions.-Early life and high school career:Delmas played high school football at North Miami Beach High School in North Miami Beach, Florida....
, who appeared in the January 24, 2009 Senior Bowl
2009 Senior Bowl
The 2009 Under Armour Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2008 college football season, and prospects for the 2009 Draft of the professional National Football League ....
and was the first safety chosen in the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. After a disappointing 2009 Western Michigan season
2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team
The 2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2009 NCAA football season. The WMU football team was coached by Bill Cubit and played their homes game in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan...
in which WMU ranked 102 out of 120 Division I teams, Morrison was fired and replaced by former Hofstra coach Dave Cohen
Dave Cohen
Dave Cohen is the current defensive coordinator for the Western Michigan Broncos football team. He was the final head coach of Hofstra University's football program. He coached from 2006 through 2009, but days after the 2009 season ended, Hofstra announced that it was dropping its football program...
.
Eastern Michigan (2010–present)
Morrison is currently serving as the linebackers coach for Eastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan Eagles football
The Eastern Michigan Eagles are a college football program at Eastern Michigan University. They compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mid-American Conference...
under head coach Ron English
Ron English (American football)
-External links:**...
and defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Phil Snow
Phil Snow
Phillip Snow Is the Defensive Coordinator at Eastern Michigan University. He attended Sacramento CC and Cal. State Hayward , where he received a Bachelor's in Physical Education...
. The 2010 Eagles
2010 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team
The 2010 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Eastern Michigan competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference West Division, was coached by Ron English, and played their homes game at Rynearson Stadium...
posted a 2–10 record.
Family
Morrison's family claims to be related to Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. In college, Morrison's family hosted various teammates such as Todd Collins at Christmas time. This is part of a Michigan football tradition that when the team is playing late season Bowl games, the players from outside the Midwest spend Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
and Christmas Day morning with local families. Morrison is married to the former Mary Campana. The couple had their third child on May 23, 2007. They now have three sons: Alexander (8-29-01), Marco (11-18-04) and Roman (5-23-07).