Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who played for the undefeated Miami Dolphins in 1972 and helped the team win two Super Bowl titles, has died.
Morris, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was 77. In a statement, his family said his “talent and passion left an indelible mark on the sport.”
“Beyond the playing field, Mercury was a devoted father, a loving brother, a loyal friend and a pillar in the community,” his family wrote in the statement. “His presence extended far beyond football as he touched the lives of many people during his time in Miami.”
Morris had some personal problems after his football career ended, most notably his 20-year prison sentence following his 1982 conviction on cocaine trafficking charges.
He fought the conviction, admitting that he used cocaine (partly to deal with numerous lingering injuries) but that he never sold the drug.
Mercury Morris was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but later turned his life around.
Morris was a vital part of the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins team that won the Super Bowl.
His conviction was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court in 1986 and Morris became a motivational speaker urging people to avoid drugs.
“Did I feel bitter? Not really,” Morris wrote in his 1998 book Against the Grain. “I wouldn’t recommend anyone spend three days in prison, let alone three years. But I have to be honest: I needed to go through what I went through in order to develop the character I had when I became a free man.”
Morris was the starting scrumhalf and one of three running backs used by Dolphins coach Don Shula in Miami’s back-to-back title seasons of 1972 and 1973, along with Pro Football Hall of Famers Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick.
Morris led the Dolphins in rushing touchdowns in both seasons, finishing with an NFL-best 12 in 1972 and then 10 more in 1973.
Those two seasons, the best in Dolphins history, also turned out to be the best of Morris’ eight-year career. In 1972 he rushed for a career-high 1,000 yards, then rushed for 954 more along with a league-record 6.4 yards per carry the following season.
Morris scores against the New England Patriots during a game at the Orange Bowl in 1972
“I think Shula gave everybody a different kind of direction and purpose being coached by this guy,” Morris said in 2008. “We were middle-class people and middle-class fans, and Shula was a blue-collar worker. And he had a kind of work ethic that really allowed you to see that if you work hard and do what you’re supposed to do, then things are going to work out for you – not all the time, but you adapt to that and do what’s necessary to try to do the best you can.”
Morris made no secret of his pride in the fact that the 1972 Dolphins were the first — and still only — undefeated, untied team in NFL history, achieving a perfect season.
He also tried to make this clear: No, the Dolphins were not rooting for teams that came close to matching their feat of perfection, and they did not have champagne on ice waiting for the moment when the last undefeated team in a season was defeated.
The cause of death of the NFL legend, who passed away at the age of 77, has not yet been revealed.
“And for the record, we DO NOT TOAST every time an undefeated team loses,” Morris posted on social media in 2015, when the Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers started 14-0 before losing the penultimate game of their regular season. “No champagne in my glass, just Canada Dry ginger beer! Ha!”
That sense of humor also applied to his beloved Dolphins at times. When Miami was 0-8 in the 2007 season, en route to an 0-13 start to the season and a 1-15 record, Morris offered another of his many memorable quips.
“The Dolphins aren’t embarrassing me, because our record is one of the best,” Morris said. “That’s not my team. People say, ‘Your team is doing bad.’ I say, ‘Everyone on my team has AARP cards.'”
Morris was inducted into the Dolphins Walk of Fame in 2013. He remains fourth on the team’s all-time rushing list with 3,877 yards behind Csonka (6,737), Ricky Williams (6,436) and Ronnie Brown (4,815).