Mercury Morris, part of Dolphins’ two Super Bowl victories and perfect season, dies at 77

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Eugene “Mercury” Morris, who starred for the undefeated Miami Dolphins in 1972 as part of an all-star cast and helped the team win two Super Bowl titles, has died, the team said Sunday.

Morris, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, was 77. In a statement, his family said his “talent and passion left an indelible mark on the game.”

“Off the field, Mercury was a devoted father, loving brother, loyal friend and pillar of the community,” his family wrote in the statement. “His presence extended far beyond football as he touched the lives of many during his time in Miami.”

Morris was the starting halfback and one of three go-to runners that Dolphins coach Don Shula used in Miami’s back-to-back title seasons of 1972 and 1973, alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. Morris led the Dolphins in rushing touchdowns in both seasons, finishing with an NFL-best 12 in 1972 and then 10 more in 1973.

“Morris left a lasting impression through his dynamic play, personality and record-breaking accomplishments,” a Dolphins statement on Sunday read in part. “He loved the Dolphins, the fans and the South Florida community and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest players to wear the aqua and orange.”

Those 1972 and 1973 seasons — the best in Dolphins history — also happened to be the best of Morris’ eight-year career. He rushed for a career-high 1,000 yards in 1972, then ran for 954 more yards and a league-best 6.4 yards per carry the following season.

Morris wasted no time in making an impact for the Dolphins. In his first game as a rookie in 1969, he ran a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown against Cincinnati. That remains the longest in team history, and both his three career kick return TDs and his average of 26.5 yards per return are also team records.

“I think Shula gave everyone a different direction and a different purpose when he was coached by this guy,” Morris said in 2008. “We were middle-class people and middle-class fans, and Shula was a blue-collar guy. And he had a kind of work ethic that really showed you that if you work hard and do what you’re supposed to do, things are going to work out for you — not all the time, but you adapt and do what you have to do to make it the best it can be.”

Morris made no secret of his pride that the 1972 Dolphins were the first — and still only — undefeated, untied team in NFL history to post a perfect season.

He also tried to make this clear: No, the Dolphins did not support teams that were close to their level, nor did they have champagne on ice waiting for the last undefeated team of a season to lose.

“And for the record, we do NOT TOAST every time an undefeated team loses,” Morris posted on social media in 2015, when the Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers got off to a 14-0 start before losing the penultimate game of their regular season. “There’s no champagne in my glass, only Canada Dry Ginger Ale! Ha!”

That humor was also occasionally directed at his beloved Dolphins. When Miami was 0-8 in the 2007 season, en route to an 0-13 start and a 1-15 record, Morris offered another of his many memorable jokes.

“The Dolphins don’t make fun of me because our record is at the top of the pile,” Morris said. “That’s not my team. People say, ‘Your team is doing badly.’ I say, ‘My team has all AARP cards.'”

Morris had some personal problems after his football career ended, most notably his 20-year prison sentence following his 1982 conviction for cocaine trafficking. He appealed the conviction, admitting that he used cocaine — partly to cope with numerous ongoing injuries — but never sold the drug. His conviction was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court in 1986, and Morris became a motivational speaker, urging people to avoid drugs.

“Was I bitter? Not really,” Morris wrote in his book “Against The Grain,” published in 1998. “I wouldn’t recommend three days in jail to anyone, let alone three years. But I have to be honest: I had to go through what I did to develop the character I had when I became a free man.”

Morris was inducted into the Dolphins’ Walk of Fame in 2013. He remains fourth on the team’s all-time rushing list with 3,877 yards, trailing Csonka (6,737), Ricky Williams (6,436) and Ronnie Brown (4,815).

Csonka said, “It’s a very sad day for me and our Dolphin family.”

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