Piece by Alex Christ
From 1960-1966, the American Football League and the National Football League competed for college athletes before both leagues merged in the 1967 NFL Draft. Over the course of these seven years, the AFL and NFL teams selected many Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and Hall of Fame players, but each player had the option to play in either league.
In this countdown of each AFL/NFL team in existence during this seven year stretch, we will take a look at some of the greatest players selected in these drafts and how their careers would have been the same or different if they chose to play for the other team they were drafted by in the AFL or NFL.
1964: The Case of Jon Morris (2nd round pick (NFL), 4th round pick (AFL))
After graduating from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. in the spring of 1960, Jon Morris left the nation’s capital for the College of the Holy Cross to play for future Hall of Fame head coach Eddie Anderson and the Crusaders. With big expectations to replace future Pro Bowl offensive lineman Vince Promuto on the Crusaders roster, Morris led Holy Cross to two winning seasons and a 9-0 shutout victory over archrival, Boston College, in his last game at Holy Cross in 1963.
But, while Morris was creating his own legacy with the Crusaders, the NFL’s Green Bay Packers and the AFL’s Boston Patriots were building bright futures for their franchises under new regimes. As the Packers started to dominate the NFL with three consecutive appearances in the NFL Championship Game (two wins) under Hall of Fame head coach Vince Lombardi, the Patriots began to develop a winning chemistry after hiring former Boston College head coach, Mike Holovak, halfway through the 1961 season to reverse their fortunes after losing 12 of their first 19 games in the AFL.
However, on the same day that Jon Morris played his last game at Holy Cross, the Patriots selected Morris in the 4th round of the AFL Draft before the Packers drafted him two days later in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. But, despite drafting Morris within the first 30 picks of their league’s draft, Vince Lombardi and Mike Holovak already had an established center on their rosters in future Hall of Famer Jim Ringo for the Packers as well as Walt Cudzik for the Patriots.
But, during the 1964 offseason, Lombardi and Holovak made compelling moves by trading their established centers despite Ringo’s seven Pro Bowl appearances with the Packers and Cudzik’s iron man streak of 56 consecutive starts since the Patriots first AFL game in 1960. With an opportunity to play for a championship team right away or a postseason contender on the rise, Jon Morris decided to sign with the Patriots after Mike Holovak guaranteed Morris the starting job on his offense while Vince Lombardi couldn’t guarantee the same for Morris on his experienced roster.
After winning only two games in his last season at Holy Cross, Jon Morris joined the Patriots just after Boston came up short in the 1963 AFL Championship against the San Diego Chargers. With big expectations to reach the AFL playoffs again, Morris would become a key piece on the Patriots offense as Boston competed for a division title in 1964 as well as 1966, but would fall short of the postseason by one game in both years.
Despite never reaching the playoffs in his career, Jon Morris would become a fan favorite in the Boston/New England area and would start 123 games from 1964-1972 while earning seven straight AFL All-Star/Pro Bowl honors from 1964-1970 as well as an AFL All-Pro selection in 1966. After blocking for 1964 AFL passing champion Babe Parilli and 1966 AFL rushing champion Jim Nance (AFL MVP), Morris would leave the Patriots after seven straight losing seasons including two injury-riddled years in 1973-1974.
After a promising comeback with the Detroit Lions from 1975-1977 (started 42 consecutive games), Jon Morris would retire after playing just 10 games for the Chicago Bears in 1978 before returning to New England as a color commentator for the Patriots radio broadcast team from 1979-1987. But, Morris’ legacy with the Patriots would come full circle in 2011 when he would be inducted in the Patriots Hall of Fame.
However, as Packers fans look back on Vince Lombardi’s decision to not guarantee Jon Morris the starting center position on Green Bay’s offense, would Morris have been able to fill in the shoes left by Jim Ringo after he was traded during the 1964 offseason?
My answer to this question is… yes. Even with two future Hall of Famers still on his offensive line in Forrest Gregg and Jerry Kramer, Vince Lombardi was beginning to find younger talent as the Packers were starting to show some age on their roster. Six rounds after selecting Jon Morris in the 1964 NFL Draft, Lombardi would draft another center, Ken Bowman, who would actually start six games in his rookie season due to injuries on Green Bay’s offensive line.
Two years later, Vince Lombardi would draft another offensive lineman, future All-Pro Gale Gillingham, who would eventually replace Jerry Kramer after his last season in 1968. But, in his last season as Green Bay’s general manager in 1968, Lombardi would complete the Packers new offensive line unit of the 1970’s by selecting Bill Lueck and Dick Himes (Himes would eventually replace Forrest Gregg after the 1970 NFL season).
With Vince Lombardi’s pursuit to rebuild his roster with younger talent, Jon Morris could have been another valuable asset on Green Bay’s offensive line while leading the Packers to three straight NFL Championships/Super Bowls from 1965-1967. But, even with Jim Ringo’s six All-Pro selections that he earned in Green Bay, Morris would have filled in Ringo’s shoes perfectly on the Packers offensive line in the same way he did when he filled in Vince Promuto’s shoes at Holy Cross.
A Question for Green Bay Packers/NFL Fans to Think About (Leave your answer/comment below)
In 1962, Jim Ringo and the Packers offensive line helped future Hall of Fame fullback Jim Taylor to win the NFL rushing title with 1,474 yards along with 19 rushing TD’s to earn league MVP honors.
In 1966, Jon Morris and the Patriots offensive line helped Jim Nance, a 19th round draft pick in 1965, to win the AFL rushing title with 1,458 yards along with 11 rushing TD’s to earn AFL MVP honors.
In your opinion, which rushing title do you think is the most impressive considering the Packers won the NFL Championship in 1962 and the Patriots missed the AFL playoffs by one game in 1966?
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