Sammy Morris life and biography

Sammy Morris is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Tech.

Sammy Morris was signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent on March 3, 2007 ... Originally was a fifthround draft choice (156th overall) by the Buffalo Bills in the 2000 NFL Draft ... Signed by the Miami Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent on (3/12/04) ... Re-signed by the Dolphins (4/3/06) ... Placed on injured reserve with a chest injury (11/2/07).

Career Highlights

* Morris enters 2010 with 688 career rushes for 2,899 yards and 26 touchdowns and has also totaled 154 receptions for 1,168 yards and one touchdown.
* Has spent his entire NFL career in the AFC East with Buffalo (2000-03), Miami (2004-06) and New England (2007-present).
* In 2008, Morris averaged 4.66 yards per carry, the second best total for a Patriots leading rusher in the last 20 years and the seventh-best total in team history.
* Morris led the Patriots in 2008 with a career-high 727 rushing yards and a career-high seven rushing touchdowns.
* In 2008, Morris was a part of the best rushing season for the Patriots in more than 20 years in terms of total team rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and average yards per carry.
* Morris had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games in his first season with New England in 2007, tallying 117 yards on Monday Night Football at Cincinnati (10/1) and following that up with a 102-yard performance less than a week later against Cleveland (10/7).
* Morris has 106 career special teams tackles. He led the Buffalo Bills in special teams tackles for two seasons, totaling a career-best 31 in 2002 and finishing the season with 28 while serving as Buffalo's special teams captain in 2001. He also led the Dolphins with 16 special teams stops in 2005.

2010 (9/0)
* Had a six-yard catch, a two-yard run and two special teams tackles against the Steelers (11/14).
* Played predominately on special teams, recording one special teams tackle, and returned two kickoffs for a total of four yards against the Browns (11/7).
* Played on special teams and made one tackle in addition to seeing time in a reserve role at running back against the Vikings (10/31).
* Saw time at RB against the Chargers (10/24), carrying the ball one time for a gain of two yards and making one special teams tackle.
* Played in a reserve role at RB against the Ravens (10/17).
* Made a key block on Brandon Tate's 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Dolphins. Also contributed thee yards on two carries (10/4).
* Had 19 yards on six carries against Buffalo (9/26).
* Caught one pass for 19 yards against the Jets (9/19).
* Played in a reserve role in the opener against Cincinnati and as a fullback, had a two-yard carry for a third-down conversion in the first quarter (9/12).

2009 (12/5, 1/1)
* Played in 12 games with five starts at running back and finished with 319 yards rushing on 73 attempts with two touchdowns along with 19 receptions for 180 yards.
* Missed four games due to injury.
* Converted three fourth-down runs during the season.
* Made his first start of the season in the Patriots' 26-10 win vs. Atlanta (9/27) when the team opened in a two-back set. Picked up a hard fought first down with a 2-yard gain on a fourth-and-one carry from the New England 24-yard line in the third quarter to extend a drive that ended in a field goal.
* Converted a tough fourth-and-one rushing opportunity for the second straight week vs. Baltimore (10/4), muscling his way for a 2-yard gain in the first quarter to extend a touchdown drive in the Patriots 27-21 victory. Scored his first touchdown of the 2009 season on a 12-yard run in the second quarter.
* Extended a first quarter touchdown drive at New Orleans (11/30) with a 3-yard run on a fourth-and-one play from the New Orleans' 36-yard line.
* Led the team in rushing with a season-high of 95 yards on 12 carries in the AFC East-clinching 35-7 victory vs. Jacksonville (12/27). Notched his second touchdown run of the season on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. Tied a career-high with a 55-yard run in the second quarter to help set up a touchdown.
* Saw action in his first career postseason game vs. Baltimore (1/10) and had one carry for nine yards and three receptions for 15 yards.

2008 (13/7)
* Led the Patriots with a career-high 727 rushing yards, topping his previous best of 523 yards with Miami in 2004, and also led the team with a career-high seven rushing touchdowns, topping his previous career best of six with Miami in 2004.
* Was a part of the best team rushing season for the Patriots in more than 20 years, totaling 2,278 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns and an average of 4.4 yards per carry.
* Averaged 4.66 yards per carry, the second best total for a Patriots leading rusher in the last 20 years and the seventh-best such total in team history.
* Selected as the Patriots' winner of the Ed Block Courage Award.
* Set a single-game career high with 49 receiving yards out of the backfield with four catches at San Diego (10/12) and tallied his third rushing touchdown of the season on a 1-yard score.
* Tallied single-game career highs in rushing yards (138) and rushing yards per carry average (8.6) against Denver (10/20) and needed just nine carries to eclipse the 100-yard mark.
* Scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers (11/30).
* Punched in what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown on a 2-yard run for his sixth rushing touchdown of the season at Seattle (12/7).
* Started at running back and recorded his second 100-yard rushing game of the season at Oakland (12/14), registering 117 yards rushing on 14 carries and one touchdown and was part of a Patriots rushing attack that gained 277 total yards, the team's highest single-game output since 1985.

2007 (6/2, 0/0):
* Played in six games, making two starts at running back before being placed on injured reserve (11/2) with a chest injury.
* Helped to ice the victory with his first touchdown in a Patriots' uniform with a 3-yard touchdown run vs. the San Diego Chargers (9/16).
* Took in his second rushing touchdown in as many games on a 4-yard run in a win over Buffalo (9/23).
* Compiled the second 100-yard rushing game of his career, going for 117 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown at the Cincinnati Bengals (10/1).
* Made his first start in a Patriots uniform and earned his second straight 100-yard rushing performance, biting off 102 yards on 21 carries versus Cleveland (10/7).
* Started at running back and registered 10 carries for 14 yards before being injured at Dallas (10/14).

2006 (12/4 - Miami)
* Finished second on the Dolphins in rushing with 92 rushes for 400 yards and one touchdown and added 21 catches for 162 yards.
* Started at running back four times, including three games in place of the injured Ronnie Brown and rushed for 241 yards on 57 carries in those games.
* Played extensively following a hand injury to Ronnie Brown against Detroit (11/23) and responded by leading the Dolphins in rushing with 12 carries for 91 yards, including a career-long 55-yard run.
* Led the Dolphins in rushing with 25 carries for 123 yards and one touchdown against New England (12/10), registering his first career 100-yard game.

2005 (16/2 - Miami)
* Played in all 16 games, including two starts, and rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts while catching eight passes for 54 yards.
* Led team with 16 special teams tackles and also forced a fumble.
* Registered a nine-yard touchdown run in the season opener against the Denver Broncos (9/11).
* Posted four special teams tackles and a forced fumble in the 23-21 win over San Diego (12/11), stripping the ball from Darren Sproles on a kickoff return in the third quarter, leading to a Dolphins touchdown.

2004 (13/8 - Miami)
* Started eight of the 13 games in which he played, serving primarily as a running back, backup fullback and special teamer.
* Injuries thrust him into the starting lineup at running back for much of the year and led the team with 523 yards rushing and six touchdowns on 132 attempts.
* Added 22 receptions for 124 yards and one kickoff return for 27 yards.
* Moved into starting spot at halfback against Buffalo (10/17) and responded with a then career-high 91 yards rushing on 18 attempts, while also catching two passes for 28 yards.
* Scored from two yards and one yard against New England (12/20), marking the first time in his career he recorded two rushing touchdowns in a game.
* Concluded the season with 89 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries for a season-best 7.4-yard average per rush attempt against Baltimore (1/2).

2003 (9/0 - Buffalo)
* Played in nine games, all in a reserve role, and was inactive for seven contests, while rushing for 70 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and caught 14 passes for 100 yards.
* Added six kickoff returns for a 24.3-yard average with a long of 52 and nine tackles on special teams.
* Scored his lone touchdown of the year on a seven-yard run against Indianapolis (11/23).

2002 (16/0 - Buffalo)
* Played in all 16 games in a reserve role and served as Buffalo's special teams captain for the second consecutive year.
* Rushed for five yards on two attempts and registered three receptions for 48 yards.
* Led the Bills' special teams with 31 tackles and collected a season-high five special teams tackles against Denver (9/22).

2001 (16/1 - Buffalo)
* Played in all 16 games, including one start, while rushing for 72 yards on 20 carries and had seven receptions for 36 yards.
* Served as a captain on special teams and led that unit with 28 tackles.
* Rushed for a season-high 28 yards on five carries against the N.Y. Jets (12/30).

2000 (12/8 - Buffalo)
* Played in 12 games, including eight starts in his rookie season, while rushing for 341 yards and five touchdowns on 93 attempts and caught 37 passes for 268 yards and a score.
* Contributed 11 tackles on special teams.
* Collected his first NFL start and rushed for nine yards on three carries and caught three passes for 11 yards against the N.Y. Jets (9/17).
* Scored his first career NFL touchdown on a three-yard run against Miami (10/8), beginning a stretch of four straight games in which he had a touchdown run, the second-longest such streak by a rookie in Bills history, trailing only the five-game streak by Joe Cribbs in 1980.
* Amassed a season-high 60 rushing yards on eight attempts, including a 32-yard scoring run against San Diego (10/15).

College

* Played in nine games as a senior, serving as team captain and was second on the team that year with 562 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 140 carries.
* Appeared in the first eight games of his redshirt freshman season of 1996 and rushed for 226 yards and four touchdowns on 29 attempts.

Personal

* Samuel Morris III was born March 23, 1977 in San Antonio, Texas.
* Attended John Jay High School in San Antonio, where he was named the San Antonio Offensive Player of the Year by the San Antonio Express-News and the District 28-5A MVP as a senior and played both quarterback and running back during his prep career.
* Was very active in the community during his tenure in Buffalo and all four seasons, served as a spokesperson for "Hit the Books" summer reading program in which he visited libraries throughout western New York in July to help promote literacy.
* Also was active with "Athletes in Action" and many holiday functions sponsored by the Bills.
* Sammy's father, Samuel Morris II, was a staff sergeant in the Air Force and his brother, Brien Morris, is a staff sergeant in the Air Force stationed at Langley AFB in Virginia.
* Supporter of the Tufts Floating Hospital for Children in Boston.
* In November 2008, helped pass out Thanksgiving food baskets at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries in Boston.
* Majored in communications.
* Sammy and his wife, Leslie, have two daughters, Kiera and Jadyn, and a son, Sammy IV.

Extra
* During the week of Super Bowl XLIII in early 2009, Sammy visited troops in Kuwait and Iraq. He chronicled his journey and his interactions with service members stationed in the region with an internet diary posted on NFL.com.
* Sammy was selected by his teammates as the 2008 winner of the Patriots' Ed Block Courage Award after returning from a season-ending injury in 2007 to lead the Patriots in rushing in 2008.
* Sammy's father, Samuel Morris II, was a staff sergeant in the Air Force and his brother, Brien Morris, is a staff sergeant in the Air Force stationed at Langley AFB in Virginia.

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