Thomas Morris (American football)

{{Short description|American football and basketball coach (1938–2010)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Thomas Morris

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = 1938

| birth_place = Newport News, Virginia, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date|2010|11|6}}

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = {{Circa|1965}}

| player_team2 = Saint Paul's (VA)

| player_sport3 = Basketball

| player_years4 = {{Circa|1965}}

| player_team4 = Saint Paul's (VA)

| player_positions =

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1966–1970

| coach_team2 = Saint Paul's (VA)

| coach_years3 = 1971–1972

| coach_team3 = Morgan State (assistant)

| coach_years4 = 1973–1976

| coach_team4 = Morgan State (DC)

| coach_years5 = 1977–1979

| coach_team5 = Virginia State

| coach_years6 = 1980

| coach_team6 = Fayetteville State

| coach_years7 = 1981

| coach_team7 = Morgan State

| coach_sport8 = Basketball

| coach_years9 = 1966–1971

| coach_team9 = Saint Paul's (VA)

| admin_years1 = 2002–2005

| admin_team1 = Livingstone (associate AD)

| overall_record = 33–54–5 (football)
44–66 (basketball)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Thomas Roosevelt Morris (1938 – November 6, 2010) was an American college football and college basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia from 1966 to 1970, Virginia State University from 1977 to 1979,{{cite web|url=http://online.fliphtml5.com/pxpy/quvy/|title=Football Media Guide|publisher=Virginia State University|year=2018|access-date=October 5, 2018}} Fayetteville State University in 1980,{{cite web|url=https://fsubroncos.com/sports/2018/6/4/_ot_Football_Data_html.aspx|title=Historical Football Data|publisher=fsubroncos.com|date=June 4, 2018|access-date=October 5, 2018}} and Morgan State University in 1981, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 33–54–5.{{cite web|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/morganstatebears.com/documents/2017/7/12/History_and_Records_.pdf|title=Thomas Morris|publisher=|access-date=July 10, 2018}} Morris was also the head basketball coach at Saint Paul's from 1966 to 1971, tallying a mark of 44–66.

A native of Newport News, Virginia, Morris attended Collis P. Huntington High School there, graduating in 1957. He played football and basketball at Saint Paul's before graduating in 1966.{{cite news |author=|title=St. Paul's Gets New Skipper |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30174879/the_pittsburgh_courier/ |newspaper=Pittsburgh Courier |location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |date=July 23, 1966 |page=14 |access-date=April 2, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} Morris earned a master's degree in education from the College of William & Mary in 1971. He left Saint Paul's the same year and moved to Morgan State as an assistant football coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator at Morgan State in 1973.{{cite news |author=|title=Morgan Mentor Takes New Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30189997/the_evening_sun/ |newspaper=The Evening Sun |location=Hanover, Pennsylvania |agency=Associated Press |date=February 17, 1977 |page=38 |access-date=April 2, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} Morris was also an assistant football coach at Virginia Union University and Norfolk State University.{{cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailypress/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-r-morris&pid=146535687|title=Thomas Morris|publisher=legacy.com|access-date=July 10, 2018}}

Head coaching record

=Football=

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Saint Paul's Tigers

| conf = Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

| startyear = 1966

| endyear = 1971

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1966

| name = Saint Paul's

| overall = 1–7–1

| conference = 1–6–1

| confstanding = 16th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1967

| name = Saint Paul's

| overall = 2–5–1

| conference = 1–5–1

| confstanding = 16th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1968

| name = Saint Paul's

| overall = 1–7

| conference = 0–7

| confstanding = 17th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1969

| name = Saint Paul's

| overall = 1–7

| conference = 0–6

| confstanding = 16th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1970

| name = Saint Paul's

| overall = 3–5

| conference = 1–1

| confstanding = 5th (Northern)

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Saint Paul's

| overall = 8–31–2

| confrecord = 3–25–2

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Virginia State Trojans

| conf = Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

| startyear = 1977

| endyear = 1979

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1977

| name = Virginia State

| overall = 7–3–1

| conference = 6–1–1

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1978

| name = Virginia State

| overall = 5–6

| conference = 5–3

| confstanding = 5th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1979

| name = Virginia State

| overall = 6–4–1

| conference = 5–2–1

| confstanding = 4th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Virginia State

| overall = 18–13–2

| confrecord = 16–6–2

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Fayetteville State Broncos

| conf = Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association

| startyear = 1980

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1980

| name = Fayetteville State

| overall = 3–5–1

| conference = 2–5

| confstanding = 9th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Fayetteville State

| overall = 3–5–1

| confrecord = 2–5

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Morgan State Bears

| conf = NCAA Division II independent

| startyear = 1981

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1981

| name = Morgan State

| overall = 4–5

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Morgan State

| overall = 4–5

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 33–54–5

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

| legend = no

}}

References