Andre Morris

Andre Morris (born October 26, 1972) is an American former sprinter.[1]

Early life and family

Morris was one of five children born to Frankie Morris.[2] He has one sister and three brothers.[2] His wife's name is Kim, and he has six children.[3]

Morris attended Russellville High School in Russellville, Kentucky.[3] At 5 ft 10 1⁄2 in (1.79 m), he was told he was too small to play football, but he began earning playing time as a sophomore following an injury to another player.[2][4] He was named a Blue Chip All-American in football three times.[2] Playing tailback, he was the scoring leader on Russellville's 1990 team that won the Class A state championship.[3][5] He also competed on the track and field team, winning state titles in the 400 metres and the 4 × 400 metres relay.[3]

College career

Morris graduated high school in 1991.[3] Despite being recruited by traditional football powerhouses Michigan and Penn State, he followed a high school teammate to Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas.[2] In his second week at the school, he suffered an ankle injury.[2] Soon after, his friend left Hutchinson, and Morris never played in a game for the school.[2] He continued running track and was named a Junior College All-American, earning him a scholarship to the University of Iowa.[3]

Attracted by the fact that the school's head track coach and one assistant coach were both African-Americans like himself, Morris enrolled at Iowa in the spring 1994 semester.[2] Although he considered trying out for the football team, he decided to stick with track and twice won the 200 metres at the Big Ten outdoor championships.[2] He also won the 400 metres once and was twice a member of the championship 4 × 100 metres relay team.[2] One year, he won the 400 metres, but was disqualified.[4] At the 1995 World University Games, Morris and his teammates broke a Games record in the 4 x 100 metres relay with a time of 3:00.40.[6]

In 1994 and 1996, Morris was named an NCAA Division I All-American in the 4 × 100 metres relay and in 1995, he was an All-American in the 400 metres.[4] At the team's awards banquet in 1995, Morris was named most valuable team member, most outstanding sprinter, most improved member, and shared the most inspirational award with his 4 x 100 teammates.[7] He graduated in summer 1996 with a bachelor's degree in art history.[2]

International career

After graduation, Morris moved to Iowa City, Iowa, where he worked as a cook and a janitor while training for a career as a professional athlete.[2] He did not hire a coach, but in 2001, he was reported to run the 40-yard dash in 4.1 seconds and bench press 365 pounds (166 kg).[2] He qualified to compete at both the indoor and outdoor the U.S. National Championships eight times.[3] In 1996 and 2000, he participated in the United States Olympic Trials.[3] He twice won championships in the World Indoor Championships.[3] At the 1999 event in Tokyo, he, Dameon Johnson, Deon Minor, and Milton Campbell formed a 4 × 100 metres relay team that set a world record, completing the race in 3:02.83.[8] The team received $60,000 for the feat.[8] The record was broken in 2015.[3]

Despite his success, Morris told The Gazette in 1999, "I hate track. I'm doing it because I can do it. I love football more than anything."[4] That year, he joined the semi-professional Iowa Tractors for their inaugural season in the South Central Football League, playing wide receiver, running back and returning punts and kickoffs.[4] After a successful stint with the Tractors, he tried out for the National Football League's Carolina Panthers, but was hampered by a knee injury.[3][2]

References

  1. ↑ "Profile". iaaf.org. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Boyer, Ann Scholl (December 26, 2001). "NFL dreams are still in the running". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rose, Rod (January 5, 2015). "New RHS Hall of Fame inductees". The News-Democrat & Leader (Russellville, Kentucky).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Ogden, J. R. (August 29, 1999). "Speedy Tractor eyes the NFL". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa).
  5. ↑ Embry, Mike (December 1, 1990). "RUSSELLVILLE RECOVERS FROM QUICK TD, BEATS BELLEVUE 21-7". Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Kentucky).
  6. ↑ Maloney, Mike (September 5, 1995). "DR. DOT OF U OF L MAKES AMERICA'S FIRST SOFTBALL TEAM". Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Kentucky).
  7. ↑ "NEWS NOTES/ AREA SPORTS". The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). November 7, 1995.
  8. 1 2 Maloney, Mark (March 25, 1999). "ADVERSITY HASN'T KEPT HARDEN FROM COMEBACK". Lexington Herald-Leader (Lexington, Kentucky).


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 28, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.