 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 28, 1885 Sugar Branch, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 1982 (aged 97) Miami Springs, Florida, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1908–1911 | Vanderbilt |
| Position(s) | Quarterback (football) Catcher, Outfielder (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1915–1916 | SMU |
| 1918 | Vanderbilt |
| 1921 | SMU (assistant) |
| 1922–1934 | SMU |
| 1935–1939 | Vanderbilt |
| 1940–1948 | Temple |
| 1949–1952 | Austin |
| Basketball | |
| 1918–1920 | Vanderbilt |
| Baseball | |
| 1919 | Vanderbilt |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 155–130–33 (football) 8–2 (basketball) 3–3 (baseball) |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football As coach, 3 SWC (1923, 1926, 1931) As player, 2 SIAA (1910, 1911) Baseball As player, 2 SIAA (1910, 1912) | |
| Awards | |
| 2x All-Southern (1910, 1911) AP Southeast All-Time team (1869-1919) 1934 All-time Vandy team SEC Coach of the Year (1937) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile) | |
Jesse Raymond Morrison (February 28, 1885 – November 19, 1982) was an American football and baseball player and a coach of football, basketball, and baseball.[1] He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (1915–1916, 1922–1934), Vanderbilt University (1918, 1935–1939), Temple University (1940–1948), and Austin College (1949–1952), compiling a career college football record of 155–130–33. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.
As a player, he was one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of Vanderbilt Commodores football. Morrison was selected as the quarterback and kick returner for an Associated Press Southeast Area All-Time football team 1869–1919 era. He piloted the team to two Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) titles in 1910 and 1911. The 1910 team fought defending national champion Yale to a scoreless tie. Yale coach Ted Coy called Morrison "the greatest player I have seen in years." In 1911, Coy selected Morrison All-American and the Atlanta Constitution voted Vanderbilt the best backfield in the South.
He took over as coach at his alma mater Vanderbilt after the retirement of legendary coach Dan McGugin. Morrison was the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Coach of the Year in 1937. He was also the first head coach in the history of SMU Mustangs football, and helped popularize the forward pass in the Southwest with his "Flying Circus" teams, most notably when led by Gerald Mann.
- ^ Porter, David L. (1987). Biographical dictionary of American sports. Football. New York, New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 031325771X.