Former Baylor Coach Guy Morriss Dies
Former Baylor coach Guy Morriss passed away Monday after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 71 years old.
Morris was hired at Baylor after the 2002 season after a successful run at Kentucky. He went 18-40 in five seasons, with his best campaign coming in 2005 when the Bears finished 5-6.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Morriss was drafted in the second round out of TCU in 1973 and played 15 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Morriss also coached offensive lines at Mississippi State and Kentucky before being named the Wildcats head coach in 2001.
Morris led the Wildcats to a 7-5 record in 2002 before heading to Waco. Baylor was coming off seven consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, including only eight win during the last three years under coach Kevin Steele.
Perhaps the biggest moment of Morriss’ career at Baylor happened in 2004 against No. 16 Texas A&M. A heavy underdog at home, the Bears forced the Aggies into overtime before Morriss elected to go for the two-point conversion, leading to a 35-34 upset.
The win marked the first time Baylor had defeated A&M since 1985. Morriss was fired in 2007.
Morriss was hired by Texas A&M-Commerce in 2009. In four years with the Lions, he posted a 10-31 overall record, never finishing above .500. He elected to step down as coach following the season finale in 2012.
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Cole Thompson is a sports writer and columnist covering the NFL and college sports for SI's Fan Nation. A 2016 graduate from The University of Alabama, follow him on Twitter @MrColeThompson