Jon Morris, a center who helped anchor the New England Patriots offensive line for 11 seasons and became the franchise’s first NFL Pro Bowler, has died at age 84, the team announced Thursday.
The Patriots did not disclose a cause of death. In a statement, the organization called Morris “one of the franchise’s earliest stars and among the most accomplished centers of his era.”
Morris joined the team in 1964, when it was still known as the Boston Patriots and played in the American Football League. He appeared in six AFL All-Star Games before earning NFL Pro Bowl honors in 1970, becoming the first Patriots player to do so.
Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft praised Morris’s role in shaping the franchise’s early identity.
“Jon Morris was one of the great players who helped build the foundation of our franchise,” Kraft said. “For generations of Patriots fans, he represented the toughness, dedication and pride of those early teams. It meant so much to me to call Jon in 2011 and tell him he had been selected to our Hall of Fame, ensuring that his contributions would always be remembered. On behalf of our family and the entire Patriots organization, we extend our deepest condolences to Jon’s family, friends and former teammates.”
A graduate of College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, Morris was drafted by the Patriots in the 1964 AFL Draft and by the Green Bay Packers in that year’s NFL Draft. He chose to begin his professional career in New England.
He played for the Patriots through the 1974 season before moving on to the Detroit Lions from 1975 to 1977 and finishing his playing career with the Chicago Bears in 1978, retiring at age 36.
Morris returned to New England in 1979 to work as a radio color commentator for the team, a role he held until 1987. He later worked as an analyst for NBC.
In 2011, the Patriots’ senior selection committee voted to induct Morris into the team’s Hall of Fame, an honor he once called the “crowning achievement of my football life.”
“The Patriots extend their heartfelt sympathies to all who knew and loved him,” the team said in its statement.
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