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Former Dolphins Great Mercury Morris Passes Away

The electric running back was part of the Miami Dolphins' great backfield for the Super Bowl teams of the 1970s

Alain Poupart

Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris (22) carries the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium.
Miami Dolphins running back Mercury Morris (22) carries the ball against the Minnesota Vikings during Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium. / Rod Hanna-Imagn Images
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The Miami Dolphins have lost another member of their Super Bowl teams of the 1970s.

Running back Mercury Morris has died at the age of 77, his son GhostWridah posted on social media Sunday morning.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Eugene "Mercury" Morris, legendary Miami Dolphins running back and cherished member of the NFL family, at the age of 77," wrote GhostWridah, a Miami-based musicl artist who was born Troy-Jeffery Morris. " Beyond the field, Mercury was a dedicated father, a loving brother, a loyal friend, and a pillar in the community. His presence extended far beyond football, as he touched the lives of many throughout his time in Miami."

Morris is survived by his children Geno, Maceo, Tiffany, Troy and Elliott, and his siblings Cynthia, Valerie and Janice.

The Dolphins released a statement on the passing of Morris early Sunday afternoon.

Among those who posted their respects on X were former Morris teammate Larry Csonka and current Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert.

MORRIS WAS A BIG-PLAY BACK AND RETURNER

Morris played for the Dolphins from 1969 through 1975 after arriving as a third-round pick out of West Texas A&M.

While his role was limited mostly to kick returns at the start, he became a member of perhaps the best running back trio in NFL history along with Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick. The group, in fact, was the subject of an NFL Films documentary called "The Perfect Backfield."

During the Dolphins' perfect season of 1972 — still the only perfect season ever recorded in the NFL — Morris rushed for exactly 1,000 yards and with Csonka made the Dolphins the first team ever to have two 1,000-yard rushers.

Morris was a three-time Pro Bowl selection (1971-73). He led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 1972 with 12 and had three kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career, one in each of his first three seasons, including a team-record 105-yard score as a rookie in 1969.

Morris finished out his NFL career with one season with the San Diego Chargers after being traded for a fourth-round pick, but his heart always was with the Dolphins.

MORRIS IN THE DOLPHINS RECORD BOOKS

Some statistical highlights:

-- Morris is fourth on the team's all-time rushing list with 3,877 yards, trailing only Csonka, Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.

-- Morris' 5.1-yard average per carry is the best among running backs with at least 500 rushing attempts, with Tony Nathan at 4.8 yards.

-- Morris is third in Dolphins career kickoff return yards with 2,947, trailing only Wes Welker (3756) and Ted Ginn Jr. (2947).

-- His 26.5-yard kickoff return average is the team's second-highest among players with at least 1,000 career yards. It may come as a surprise to many, but the all-time leader is Jarvis Landry at 27.0.

-- Morris holds the franchise record with three career kickoff returns for touchdown with three ... Ted Ginn Jr. and Jakeem Grant both have two.

-- With 33 career touchdowns for the Dolphins, Morris is tied for ninth on the team's all-time list with Tony Nathan and Paul Warfield. The top eight are Mark Clayton (82), Nat Moore (75), Mark Duper (59), Larry Csonka (59), Ricky Williams (54), Chris Chambers (43), Ronnie Brown (38) and Karim Abdul-Jabbar (34).

-- Morris' 1,000-yard season in 1972 is one of 15 in Dolphins history. Ricky Williams and Larry Csonka both have three of them, with the rest split among nine players: Jay Ajayi, Delvin Williams, Lamar Smith, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, Lamar Miller, Reggie Bush, Raheem Mostert, Ronnie Brown and Morris.

-- Morris has two of the Dolphins' 12 seasons with 10 or more rushing touchdowns, with 12 in 1972 and 10 in 1973. That's tied for most in team history with Ricky Williams and Karim Abdul-Jabbar. The other six belong to Raheem Mostert, Lamar Smith, Csonka, Don Nottingham, Ron Davenport and Brown.

-- Morris' 29.0 kickoff return average in 1970 is the highest for any Dolphins player with at least 25 returns in a season.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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