Craig Morton

Craig Morton

No. 7, 14, 15
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: February 5, 1943 (1943-02-05) (age 68) Flint, Michigan
Career information
College: California
NFL Draft: 1965 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Debuted in 1965 for the Dallas Cowboys
Last played in 1982 for the Denver Broncos
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (1965-1974) New York Giants (1974-1976) Denver Broncos (1977-1982)
Career highlights and awards
1977 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Denver Broncos Ring of Fame
Stats at NFL.com
College Football Hall of Fame

Larry Craig Morton (born February 5, 1943 in Flint, Michigan) is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82. Morton played for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and the Denver Broncos; he played college football at the University of California.

Morton was the first quarterback in NFL history to start the Super Bowl for two different teams (Dallas in Super Bowl V and Denver in Super Bowl XII), a feat that has only been equaled by Kurt Warner.^[1]

Following his playing career, Morton served as head coach of the USFL's Denver Gold.

Morton was a downfield passer not known for his mobility, and is one of the all time leaders in yards per completion. He also briefly held the record for the most passes completed in a row.

Morton's best statistical season came in his 17th season (1981) when he threw for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, compiling an excellent 90.5 passer rating. Craig was selected All-AFC after the 1977 season by The Sporting News.

In his senior season (1964), Morton was awarded the 1960 W.J. Voit Memorial Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast and was an All-American at Cal. He was drafted by Dallas in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft. He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992. Morton is a notable graduate of Campbell High School in Campbell, California.

Morton is currently a voter in the Harris Interactive College Poll, a component of college football's Bowl Championship Series. He was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame in 1988.

• Although Roger Staubach replaced Morton for the Dallas Cowboys in 1973 and would go on to great success, Morton played seven more NFL seasons than Staubach. The Cowboy teammates graduated college the same year, but Staubach began his NFL career four years later due to his active service in the U.S. Navy, and he chose to retire after the 1979 season, while Morton played for three more seasons.
• Morton wore number 7 for the Broncos, and retired just before the arrival of John Elway in 1983, who, of course, wore the same number and has had it since retired in his honor. Both players are honored in the Broncos Ring of Fame with number 7 next to both player's names.
• In 2008, Morton co-authored a book (with Denver Post writer Adrian Dater) entitled "Then Morton Said to Elway..." - The Best Denver Broncos Stories Ever Told. The book was published by Triumph Books.

Career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Passing					Rushing
		Att	Comp	Yds	TD	Int	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
1965	DAL	34	17	173	2	4	3	-8	-2.67	0
1966	DAL	27	13	225	3	1	7	50	7.14	0
1967	DAL	137	69	978	10	10	15	42	2.8	0
1968	DAL	85	44	752	4	6	4	28	7	2
1969	DAL	302	162	2619	21	15	16	62	3.88	1
1970	DAL	207	102	1819	15	7	16	37	2.31	0
1971	DAL	143	78	1131	7	8	4	9	2.25	1
1972	DAL	339	185	2396	15	21	8	26	3.25	2
1973	DAL	32	13	174	3	1	1	0	0	0
1974	DAL	2	2	12	0	0	1	0	0	0
1974	NYG	237	122	1510	9	13	4	5	1.25	0
1975	NYG	363	186	2359	11	16	22	72	3.27	0
1976	NYG	284	153	1865	9	20	15	48	3.2	0
1977	DEN	254	131	1929	14	8	31	125	4.03	4
1978	DEN	267	146	1802	11	8	17	71	4.18	0
1979	DEN	370	204	2626	16	19	23	13	0.57	1
1980	DEN	301	183	2150	12	13	21	29	1.38	1
1981	DEN	376	225	3195	21	14	8	18	2.25	0
1982	DEN	26	18	193	0	3	1	0	0	0
Total		3786	2053	27908	183	187	215	627	2.92	12

Playoffs

*Super Bowl

Year	Team	Opp	Result	Comp	Att	Yds	TD	Int	Rusing Att	Yds	TD
1969	Dallas	Cleveland	L, 14-38	8	24	95	0	2	--	--	--
1970	Dallas	Detroit	W, 5-0	4	18	38	0	1	--	--	--
1970	Dallas	San Francisco	W, 17-10	7	22	101	1	0	--	--	--
*1970	Dallas	Baltimore	L, 13-16	12	26	127	1	3	1	2	0
1972	Dallas	San Francisco	W, 30-28	8	21	96	1	2	--	--	--
1972	Dallas	Washington	L, 3-26	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
1977	Denver	Pittsburgh	W, 34-21	11	23	164	2	0	5	0	0
1977	Denver	Oakland	W, 20-17	10	20	224	2	1	2	-4	0
*1977	Denver	Dallas	L, 10-27	4	15	39	0	4	0	0	0
1978	Denver	Pittsburgh	L, 10-33	3	5	34	0	0	0	0	0
1979	Denver	Houston	L, 7-13	14	27	144	1	1	2	0	0

References

1. ^ Crouse, Karen (2009-02-01). "Warner Is Left to Ponder His Future". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/sports/football/02kurt.html?hp. Retrieved 2009-02-02. 

Preceded by Don Meredith	Dallas Cowboys Starting Quarterbacks 1969-1970	Succeeded by Roger Staubach
Preceded by Norm Snead	New York Giants Starting Quarterbacks 1974-76	Succeeded by Joe Pisarcik
Preceded by Steve Ramsey	Denver Broncos Starting Quarterbacks 1977-1982	Succeeded by Steve DeBerg
Preceded by Greg Landry	NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award 1977	Succeeded by John Riggins

Persondata
Name	Morton, Craig
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1943-02-05
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death