Ray Morrison
Sport(s) | Football, basketball, baseball |
---|---|
Biographical details | |
Born |
Sugar Branch, Indiana | February 28, 1885
Died |
November 19, 1982 97) Miami Springs, Florida | (aged
Playing career | |
Football | |
1908–1911 | Vanderbilt |
Position(s) |
Quarterback (football) Catcher (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 |
Football: 155–130–34 (.539) Basketball: 8–2 (.800) Baseball: 3–3 (.500) |
Bowls | 0–1 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Football: 2 SIAA (as player) (1910, 1911) 3 SWC (1923, 1926, 1931) Basketball: 1 SIAA (1920) | |
Awards | |
2x All-Southern (1910, 1911) Associated Press Southeast Area All-Time football team 1869-1919 era. 1934 All-time Vandy team SEC Coach of the Year (1937) | |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile) | |
J. Ray Morrison (February 28, 1885 – November 19, 1982) was an American football and baseball player and a coach of football, basketball, and baseball. 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 155–130–34. Morrison was also the head basketball coach at Vanderbilt for one season in 1918–19, tallying a mark of 8–2, and the head baseball coach at the school in 1919, notching a record of 3–3. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.
Early years
Ray Morrison was born on February 28, 1885 in Sugar Branch, Indiana. Soon after the family moved to McKenzie, Tennessee, where Morrison attended school. He also spent a year at McTyiere School for Boys.
Vanderbilt University
To achieve funds for college, Morrison worked on a dredge boat on the Mississippi River for a year.[1]
Football
He played football as a prominent halfback and quarterback for Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt football teams from 1908 to 1911.[2] He is considered one of the best quarterbacks in Vanderbilt's long history.[1] The team posted a 30–6–2 record during his four years.[1] Morrison was selected as the quarterback and kick returner for an Associated Press Southeast Area All-Time football team 1869-1919 era.[3]
1908
The 1908 squad was hampered by a wealth of sophomores, which McGugin with the help of halfback Morrison led to a 7–2–1 campaign,[4] derailed mostly by losses to Sewanee.
1910
The 1910 team fought defending national champion Yale to a scoreless tie on Yale Field. Yale coach Ted Coy called Morrison "the greatest player I have seen in years."[1]
1911
Edwin Pope's Football's Greatest Coaches on the 1911 team reads "A lightning-swift backfield of Lew Hardage, Wilson Collins, Ammie Sikes, and Ray Morrison pushed Vandy through 1911 with only a 9-8 loss to Michigan." The Atlanta Constitution voted it the best backfield in the South.[5] Ted Coy selected Morrison All-American.[6]
Morrison won Bachelor of Ugliness for the class of 1912.
Coaching years
SMU
Ray Morrison was the first head coach in the history of SMU Mustangs football. He won just two games in two years from 1915 to 1916.[1]
War football
Upon American entry into World War I, Morrison went to Fort Oglethorpe. He coached Vanderbilt in 1918 when McGugin left for the military, and led the team to a 4–2 record. In 1919, Morrison spent a year at Gulf Coast Military Academy as athletics director and teacher.[1]
Return to SMU
In 1920, Morrison returned to SMU. He notably brought the forward pass to the southwest during his time at SMU.[7] Morrison was one of the first to pass not just on first down, but on first and second down too.[1] Gerald Mann was one of his best passers.
Vanderbilt
Upon the retirement of the legendary McGugin, Morrison was hand-picked as successor.[1]
Temple
Morrison resigned from his position at Vanderbilt to go to Temple,[8] and resigned from Temple in 1949.[9]
Head coaching record
Football
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SMU Mustangs (Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1915–1916) | |||||||||
1915 | SMU | 2–5 | |||||||
1916 | SMU | 0–8–3 | |||||||
Vanderbilt Commodores (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1918) | |||||||||
1918 | Vanderbilt | 4–2 | 3–0 | ||||||
SMU Mustangs (Southwest Conference) (1922–1934) | |||||||||
1922 | SMU | 6–3–1 | 2–2 | T–3rd | |||||
1923 | SMU | 9–0 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
1924 | SMU | 5–1–4 | 2–0–4 | 2nd | L Dixie Classic | ||||
1925 | SMU | 5–2–2 | 1–1–2 | 4th | |||||
1926 | SMU | 8–0–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
1927 | SMU | 7–2 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
1928 | SMU | 6–3–1 | 2–2–1 | 5th | |||||
1929 | SMU | 6–0–4 | 3–0–2 | 2nd | |||||
1930 | SMU | 6–3–1 | 2–2–1 | T–4th | |||||
1931 | SMU | 9–1–1 | 5–0–1 | 1st | |||||
1932 | SMU | 3–7–2 | 1–4–1 | T–5th | |||||
1933 | SMU | 4–7–1 | 2–4 | 6th | |||||
1934 | SMU | 8–2–2 | 3–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
SMU: | 84–44–23 | ||||||||
Vanderbilt Commodores (Southeastern Conference) (1935–1939) | |||||||||
1935 | Vanderbilt | 7–3 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
1936 | Vanderbilt | 3–5–1 | 1–3–1 | 9th | |||||
1937 | Vanderbilt | 7–2 | 4–2 | 4th | |||||
1938 | Vanderbilt | 6–3 | 4–3 | 6th | |||||
1939 | Vanderbilt | 2–7–1 | 1–6 | 11th | |||||
Vanderbilt: | 29–22–2 | 17–15–1 | |||||||
Temple Owls (Independent) (1940–1948) | |||||||||
1940 | Temple | 4–4–1 | |||||||
1941 | Temple | 7–2 | |||||||
1942 | Temple | 2–5–3 | |||||||
1943 | Temple | 2–6 | |||||||
1944 | Temple | 2–4–2 | |||||||
1945 | Temple | 7–1 | |||||||
1946 | Temple | 2–4–2 | |||||||
1947 | Temple | 3–6 | |||||||
1948 | Temple | 2–6–1 | |||||||
Temple: | 31–38–9 | ||||||||
Austin Kangaroos () (1949–1952) | |||||||||
Austin: | 11–26 | ||||||||
Total: | 155–130–34 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Traughber, pp. 46-50
- ↑ http://www.vucommodores.com/genrel/092607aac.html
- ↑ "All-Time Football Team Lists Greats Of Past, Present". Gadsden Times. July 27, 1969.
- ↑ Edwin Pope (1955). Football's Greatest Coaches. p. 341. Retrieved March 8, 2015 – via archive.org.
- ↑ Charles Weatherby. "Wilson Collins". The Miracle Braves of 1914: Boston's Original Worst-to-First World Series: 13.
- ↑ "Dopesters Pick American Teams: Ted Coy Makes Known His Choice of Team, But Camp Has Yet to Name One". The Syracuse Herald. December 4, 1911. p. 12.
- ↑ "Shaping College Football". google.com.
- ↑ "Ray Morrison Is Temple University Grid Coach". Lawrence Journal-World. March 4, 1940.
- ↑ "Ray Morrison Quits As Temple Football Coach". Chicago Daily Tribune. January 28, 1949.
Bibliography
- Traughber, Bill (2011). Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-60949-423-0.
External links
- Ray Morrison at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Ray Morrison at the College Football Data Warehouse
- Ray Morrison at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com