RIP Craig morton

[nuklz2594]

for those who saw him play. he was a good QB for cowboys and broncos

[JohnnyCash]

Just reading an article on his passing.  His HC at Cal…Marv Levy.  

[North Buffalo]

Really Marv?  My folks were at Berkeley back then saw him play apparently knew him... I was born there til we moved to Buffalo in '68... RIP.

Edited May 12 by North Buffalo

[Steve O]

I was one of the 37,000 and change that saw him lead a 3rd quarter comeback against the Bills in 79 that featured a 46 yard touchdown pass to former Bill Haven Moses. Remember the game in general, miserable day. Not the play so much.

RIP.

[hondo in seattle]

As a kid, I remember seeing him play for the Cowboys when he and Roger Staubach shared duties.  For whatever little kid reason, I rooted for Morton to win the job outright.

 

RIP.  

[chris heff]

1 hour ago, Steve O said:

I was one of the 37,000 and change that saw him lead a 3rd quarter comeback against the Bills in 79 that featured a 46 yard touchdown pass to former Bill Haven Moses. Remember the game in general, miserable day. Not the play so much.

RIP.

Another brilliant trade, Saban didn’t think Moses was a good enough blocker.

[K-9]

Morton to Hayes was something to see. Travel well, Craig Morton. 

[US Egg]

For lack of a better term and hardly merited, Morton became a sort of a lovable loser that plays so well with America. He was the antithesis to rock star QB’s that were so popular with the NFL explosion of the late ‘60’s and ‘70’s. 
 

Kind of a Four Falls ESPN type story there if I must say so myself.

[Don Otreply]

🙏

[Kelly No huddle]

Extremely underrated in history.  Played in some historical games 

 

My dad says the 77 afc championship was the most intense game hes ever seen. Broncos vs Raiders 

 

 

Edited May 12 by Kelly No huddle

[Jimmy Harris 69]

Craig Morton was an underrated player in mainly because of a couple Super Bowl losses. In between, he won a lot of games and threw for a lot of yards. Reading about his career at Cal and his impact on many, you get a picture of a decent man and a talented athlete.  God mind you well. 
 

“The Dallas Cowboys community is mourning the loss of a legend on Monday. Quarterback Craig Morton, a pivotal figure in the franchise's early rise to prominence, has passed away at the age of 83. Morton led the Cowboys to their first ever championship appearance, Super Bowl V against QB Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts.

The former Cowboys signal-caller leaves behind a legacy defined by resilience, leadership, and lasting impact on one of the NFL's most iconic organizations.

The Cowboys selected Morton fifth overall in the 1965 NFL Draft after a stellar career at the University of California, where he would spend nine full seasons under legendary head coach Tom Landry.

Although the Cowboys ultimately fell short in their first Super Bowl appearance, Morton's steady hand helped lay the groundwork for future success. His contributions during the late 1960s and early 1970s were instrumental in establishing the Cowboys identity as "America's Team."

Mortons's tenure in Dallas was marked by both triumph and adversity, including a well documented quarterback competition with Roger Staubach in which both players famously took turns running plays on offense.

Despite the challenges, Morton remained a consummate professional. Midway through his 10th NFL season, Morton was traded to the New York Giants, playing two and a half seasons before landing with the Denver Broncos.

Without a quarterback controversy hovering in the shadows, Morton led the Broncos to Super Bowl XII — ironically again this former club.

"Denver became a big-league city during that run up to the Super Bowl," he said. "The emotion leading up to that game was amazing. It's something that I'll never forget. Being part of that was truly special." - Craig Morton on Super Bowl memories

Morton threw for 27,908 yards over his career with 183 touchdowns and 187 interceptions. Morton ranked in the top 20 all-time in yards passing and TD passes when he retired following the 1982 season.

He was voted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 1988, along with two other standouts from that ’77 team — Haven Moses and Jim Turner.”

 

Edited May 12 by Jimmy Harris 69

[Kelly No huddle]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sierra Foothills]

29 minutes ago, Kelly No huddle said:

Extremely underrated in history.  Played in some historical games 

 

My dad says the 77 afc championship was the most intense game hes ever seen. Broncos vs Raiders 

 

21 minutes ago, Jimmy Harris 69 said:

Craig Morton was an underrated player in mainly because of a couple Super Bowl losses. In between, he won a lot of games and threw for a lot of yards. Reading about his career at Cal and his impact on many, you get a picture of a decent man and a talented athlete.  God mind you well. 
 

“The Dallas Cowboys community is mourning the loss of a legend on Monday. Quarterback Craig Morton, a pivotal figure in the franchise's early rise to prominence, has passed away at the age of 83. Morton led the Cowboys to their first ever championship appearance, Super Bowl V against QB Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts.

The former Cowboys signal-caller leaves behind a legacy defined by resilience, leadership, and lasting impact on one of the NFL's most iconic organizations.

The Cowboys selected Morton fifth overall in the 1965 NFL Draft after a stellar career at the University of California, where he would spend nine full seasons under legendary head coach Tom Landry.

Although the Cowboys ultimately fell short in their first Super Bowl appearance, Morton's steady hand helped lay the groundwork for future success. His contributions during the late 1960s and early 1970s were instrumental in establishing the Cowboys identity as "America's Team."

Mortons's tenure in Dallas was marked by both triumph and adversity, including a well documented quarterback competition with Roger Staubach in which both players famously took turns running plays on offense.

Despite the challenges, Morton remained a consummate professional. Midway through his 10th NFL season, Morton was traded to the New York Giants, playing two and a half seasons before landing with the Denver Broncos.

Without a quarterback controversy hovering in the shadows, Morton led the Broncos to Super Bowl XII — ironically again this former club.

"Denver became a big-league city during that run up to the Super Bowl," he said. "The emotion leading up to that game was amazing. It's something that I'll never forget. Being part of that was truly special." - Craig Morton on Super Bowl memories

Morton threw for 27,908 yards over his career with 183 touchdowns and 187 interceptions. Morton ranked in the top 20 all-time in yards passing and TD passes when he retired following the 1982 season.

He was voted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 1988, along with two other standouts from that ’77 team — Haven Moses and Jim Turner.”

 

 

Yes, Morton was an excellent quarterback that history will not do justice to.

 

There a lot of really great pros who get buried in the sands of time.

 

[JP51]

I remember him playing with a broken finger and broken ribs in the SB against Dallas... gutsy performance

[nuklz2594]

3 hours ago, US Egg said:

For lack of a better term and hardly merited, Morton became a sort of a lovable loser that plays so well with America. He was the antithesis to rock star QB’s that were so popular with the NFL explosion of the late ‘60’s and ‘70’s. 
 

Kind of a Four Falls ESPN type story there if I must say so myself.

like Danny white

[Paup 1995MVP]

3 hours ago, Jimmy Harris 69 said:

Craig Morton was an underrated player in mainly because of a couple Super Bowl losses. In between, he won a lot of games and threw for a lot of yards. Reading about his career at Cal and his impact on many, you get a picture of a decent man and a talented athlete.  God mind you well. 
 

“The Dallas Cowboys community is mourning the loss of a legend on Monday. Quarterback Craig Morton, a pivotal figure in the franchise's early rise to prominence, has passed away at the age of 83. Morton led the Cowboys to their first ever championship appearance, Super Bowl V against QB Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts.

The former Cowboys signal-caller leaves behind a legacy defined by resilience, leadership, and lasting impact on one of the NFL's most iconic organizations.

The Cowboys selected Morton fifth overall in the 1965 NFL Draft after a stellar career at the University of California, where he would spend nine full seasons under legendary head coach Tom Landry.

Although the Cowboys ultimately fell short in their first Super Bowl appearance, Morton's steady hand helped lay the groundwork for future success. His contributions during the late 1960s and early 1970s were instrumental in establishing the Cowboys identity as "America's Team."

Mortons's tenure in Dallas was marked by both triumph and adversity, including a well documented quarterback competition with Roger Staubach in which both players famously took turns running plays on offense.

Despite the challenges, Morton remained a consummate professional. Midway through his 10th NFL season, Morton was traded to the New York Giants, playing two and a half seasons before landing with the Denver Broncos.

Without a quarterback controversy hovering in the shadows, Morton led the Broncos to Super Bowl XII — ironically again this former club.

"Denver became a big-league city during that run up to the Super Bowl," he said. "The emotion leading up to that game was amazing. It's something that I'll never forget. Being part of that was truly special." - Craig Morton on Super Bowl memories

Morton threw for 27,908 yards over his career with 183 touchdowns and 187 interceptions. Morton ranked in the top 20 all-time in yards passing and TD passes when he retired following the 1982 season.

He was voted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 1988, along with two other standouts from that ’77 team — Haven Moses and Jim Turner.”

 

Thanks for sharing that.  The Broncos coming of age in the 1977 season with the Orange Crush defense was something.  They were the talk of the league that year.  Red Miller was their coach.  A real rah rah type I believe.  They had Barrell Man in the stands.  And the Old Mile High stadium was literally rocking up and down every game that year.  

 

I remember Morton took a lot of hits, but was always tough in the pocket.  And threw a pretty good deep ball when the deep ball was in vogue back in the 70's.  RIP

[chris heff]

8 hours ago, nuklz2594 said:

for those who saw him play. he was a good QB for cowboys and broncos

Also spent a few years with the Giants, between Cowboys and Broncos.

[Walking Tall]

Saw him play in 1981 against the Bills. Threw a beautiful TD pass to Steve Watson in the endzone where I was two rows up in. That was the Broncos only score of the game.

[Old Coot]

7 hours ago, chris heff said:

Another brilliant trade, Saban didn’t think Moses was a good enough blocker.

Saban was a "my way or the highway" guy. He never lasted long in a job. Apparently he preferred the highway.

[nuklz2594]

10 hours ago, JohnnyCash said:

Just reading an article on his passing.  His HC at Cal…Marv Levy.  

QB coach....bill walsh