Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Syracuse All-time Leading Rusher Joe Morris Named ACC Football Legend

Wednesday, October 23, 2019, By News Staff
Share
ACCawardsSportsSyracuse Football

School rushing king Joe Morris has been selected as Syracuse University’s representative in the 2019 ACC Football Legends Class, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

Honored football player greets fans

A member of Syracuse’s All-Century Team, Morris’ No. 47 jersey was retired by the University in 2018.

Morris will join 13 other greats as honorees during the ACC Night of Legends at the Charlotte Convention Center on Friday, Dec. 6. The class will also be recognized during the on-field, pregame festivities at the 15th annual Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game set for Saturday, Dec. 7 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.

A four-year starter at running back for the Orange from 1978-81, Morris logged 813 carries for a team-record 4,299 yards (5.3 avg.) and 25 touchdowns. He also excelled as a kick returner, running back 40 kickoffs for 1,004 yards (25.1 avg.) and two scores.

Overall, Morris holds outright or shares 16 Syracuse records, including the single-game (252 vs. Kansas, 1979), single-season (1,372 in 1979) and career rushing yardage marks. Additionally, he is the program’s all-time leader in rushing yards per game (113.1), 100-yard games (22) and all-purpose yards (5,581).

The Ayers, Massachusetts, native posted three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including his rookie year of 1978 when he became the only freshman in team history to reach the milestone. Morris finished the campaign with 1,001 yards and was named ECAC Rookie of the Year.

The next season, Morris authored the finest one-year rushing performance in Syracuse history. He ran for a school-record 1,372 yards and seven touchdowns on 238 carries (5.7 avg.). He also led the Orange to their first bowl victory in 18 years, closing the season with 155 yards to propel the Orange to a 31-7 triumph over McNeese State in the 1979 Independence Bowl.

Morris’s list of collegiate honors includes All-America certificates in 1979 and 1981, and the 1980 ECAC Offensive Player of the Year Award, an honor he shared with Yale’s Rich Diana, despite playing only six games because of injury.

Following his Orange career, Morris was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He spent eight seasons (1982-88, 1991) in the NFL, including seven in New York. While with the Giants, Morris set franchise career rushing record with 5,296 yards (since broken). He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and helped the team win its first Super Bowl title in 1986.

A member of Syracuse’s All-Century Team, Morris’ No. 47 jersey was retired by the school in 2018.

Previous Orange standouts to be honored as ACC Football Legends include Floyd Little (2013), Art Monk (2014), Chris Gedney (2015), Tom Coughlin (2017) and Don McPherson (2018).

2019 ACC Football Legends Class
Joe Nash (1978-81), Boston College, DL

Brian Dawkins (1992-95), Clemson, FS

Christopher Port (1986-89), Duke, OT

Ron Sellers (1966-68), Florida State, FL

Derrick Morgan (2007-09), Georgia Tech, LB

Deion Branch (2000-01), Louisville, WR

Bernie Kosar (1983-84), Miami, QB

Julius Peppers (1998-2000), North Carolina, LB

Nate Irving (2006-10), NC State, LB

Rickey Jackson (1977-80), Pittsburgh, LB

Joe Morris (1978-81), Syracuse, RB

Don Majkowski (1984-86), Virginia, QB

DeAngelo Hall (2001-03), Virginia Tech, CB

Bob McCreary (1958-60), Wake Forest, OT/DT

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • US Army Awards Meritorious Civilian Service Medal to Professor Mark Glauser
    Tuesday, March 2, 2021, By Alex Dunbar
  • ‘Is Election Disinformation Free Speech or Defamation? Courts Will Decide’
    Tuesday, March 2, 2021, By Lily Datz
  • University to Guarantee Admission to Eligible Area High School Graduates After Completing Initial Enlistment in US Military
    Tuesday, March 2, 2021, By Brandon Dyer
  • Q&A With Keith Henderson, the University’s New Chief Compliance Officer
    Monday, March 1, 2021, By News Staff
  • ‘ADA Live!’ Focuses on Protection and Advocacy Systems for People With Disabilities
    Sunday, February 28, 2021, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Q&A With Keith Henderson, the University’s New Chief Compliance Officer

Keith Henderson joined the University in 2020 as chief compliance officer within the Office of University Counsel. In his role, Henderson oversees all of the University’s compliance efforts, including the governance structure, compliance with all state and federal laws and…

First-Years, Seniors Invited to Complete Student Engagement Survey

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) will launch on Wednesday, March 3. All students with first-year and senior standing are invited to complete the survey, which will be emailed directly to their Syracuse University email. The survey, administered every…

‘ADA Live!’ Focuses on Protection and Advocacy Systems for People With Disabilities

The next “ADA Live!” podcast on Wednesday, March 3, will feature Curt Decker, founder and executive director of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). Decker will discuss the history of the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) System, some important legislation they…

COVID-19 Update: New York State Guidance | Mandatory Testing | Vaccine Eligibility

Dear Students, Families, Faculty and Staff: The landscape of federal, state and local policy guidance related to the COVID health emergency continues to evolve at a rapid pace. We are following these policy changes and amended public health guidelines very…

Important Update for Flexible Spending Accounts

Recent COVID-19 relief legislation has allowed the University to continue to offer faculty and staff flexibility in managing their 2020 and 2021 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Effective immediately, faculty and staff have additional options for their FSAs including the ability…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.