Jon Morris, former Patriots center and six-time AFL All-Star, dies at 84
The Patriots announced the death of Jon Morris, who anchored their offensive line for 11 seasons and later played for Detroit and Chicago.
Why Jon Morris is trending
Jon Morris is trending because the Patriots announced Thursday, October 15, that the former center had died at 84. The team, based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, did not disclose a cause of death.
Morris played 15 seasons across the AFL and NFL, 11 of them with the Boston and New England Patriots. He was a six-time AFL All-Star and made the Pro Bowl in 1970, the year the franchise moved into the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger. Beyond the Patriots' own statement, no further details about his death have been made public, and nothing else about the circumstances is confirmed right now.
A career split between two leagues and three cities
Morris came out of Holy Cross and was drafted twice in 1964, in the fourth round by the Boston Patriots in the AFL and in the second round by the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. He chose to stay in New England, a decision that turned into an 11-year run with the franchise.
That stretch ran from 1964 through 1969 in the AFL and carried into the 1970 merger season, where he earned his only Pro Bowl selection. He later spent three seasons with the Detroit Lions, from 1974 to 1977, and finished his career with the Chicago Bears in 1978, closing out a 15-year professional run.
Anchoring the Patriots' early offensive line
During his years in Boston and New England, Morris lined up alongside future Patriots Hall of Famers Gino Cappelletti, Babe Parilli and Jim Nance. Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a statement that Morris helped build the foundation of the franchise, crediting him with representing "the toughness, dedication and pride of those early teams."
The team inducted Morris into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2011 and had already placed him on the franchise's 50th anniversary team in 2009, recognition of a career that started in the AFL's early years and carried the Patriots name through the NFL merger.
What we still don't know
The Patriots have not released a cause of death, and no information about funeral or memorial plans has been shared publicly. At this point, the team's own announcement is the only confirmed source on Morris' death. Anyone looking for further updates should expect them to come directly from the Patriots organization rather than secondhand reports.
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.