Dennis Morgan, White Plains football star of the 1960s, dies at 63
Dennis Morgan, who starred on the gridiron for White Plains High School in the 1960s and played in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, died on Oct. 25 at age 63.
Morgan suffered a heart attack at MetLife Stadium while watching the Cowboys play the New York Giants.
New Jersey State Police Capt. Stephen Jones told the Associated Press Morgan went into cardiac arrest Sunday and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Born June 26, 1952 in White Plains to the late Henrietta and Charles Morgan Sr., Dennis Morgan played baseball and ran track as a youth in White Plains before stepping onto the gridiron in junior high. He is survived by his brothers, Troy Morgan, Sr. of Stamford, Conn. and Charles Morgan of White Plains, his sister Alice Morgan of S. Carolina., his nieces, Alysia and Alexandria Morgan and a nephew, Troy Morgan, Jr.
"It was at White Plains High School where my brother blossomed into an exceptional athlete," his brother, Charles Morgan, told The Journal News on Friday. "His pictures are still on the wall there. When I last walked through there, I saw him up there at least five times."
Dennis Morgan starred on the undefeated 1969 White Plains football team before heading to college at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Shortly after his arrival, the school decided to focus its athletic resources on its' highly-popular basketball program and dropped football.
"That year, my brother had a great game against Western Illinois, running for like four touchdowns and over 200 yards," Charles Morgan said. "After that year, they called him up and said, 'How'd you like to run the ball for us?'"
Morgan did just that for the next three seasons, picking up a degree in physical education and earning an honorable mention in the Associated Press' All-America selections in 1972.
Morgan was selected in the 10th round (255th overall) in the 1974 NFL draft by the Cowboys and reported to training camp that summer.
"When he got there to camp, they noticed his big red afro," Charles said. Ed "Too Tall" Jones promptly "coined the nickname 'Strawberry,' and it stuck. For the rest of his time in the NFL, and the rest of his life, he was 'Strawberry.'"
Though he'd appear in just 13 games with Dallas, his lone NFL touchdown left a mark.
In Week Five of the 1974 season, the Cowboys visited St. Louis, where Morgan returned a first quarter Cardinals punt 98 yards for a touchdown — which, to this day, is the longest punt return touchdown in Cowboys' history.
"I caught it on the 2-yard line," Dennis Morgan told The Journal News' Rick Carpiniello in 2012. "I ran straight and veered to the right. And outran them. The whole team shook my hand. Even Tom Landry hugged me, and he's not that type. But for that occasion, he hugged me. Tom Landry wasn't a hugger. But for this occasion, he hugged me."
The next year, Morgan was released by the Cowboys and picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles, appearing in four games.
Described by his brother Charles as a meek and humble man, Morgan had other offers from NFL teams, including the New England Patriots, but instead walked away from football.
"He could take it or leave it," Charles said. "The fame and fortune didn't appeal to him."
His NFL career over, Dennis Morgan served several years in the U.S. Army, earning an honorable discharge.
"He wanted to serve," Charles said. "He said if he wasn't playing pro football, serving the country was the next-best thing to do."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.