Mike Morris (long snapper)

Mike Morris (born February 22, 1961) is an American former football long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 season. He played college football for the Northeast Missouri State Bulldogs. He also played in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons. He currently serves as the strength and conditioning coach at Concordia University, St. Paul.[1][2]

Mike Morris
Current position
TitleStrength and conditioning coach
TeamConcordia–St. Paul
ConferenceNSIC
Biographical details
Born (1961-02-22) February 22, 1961 (age 63)
Centerville, Iowa, U.S.
Alma materNortheast Missouri State University
Playing career
1979–1982Northeast Missouri State
1983Michigan Panthers
1984Arizona Outlaws
1986Denver Broncos[a]
1987–1988St. Louis / Phoenix Cardinals
1989Kansas City Chiefs
1989New England Patriots
1990Seattle Seahawks
1990Cleveland Browns
1991–1999Minnesota Vikings
Position(s)Long snapper
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2011–presentConcordia–St. Paul (S&C)

Playing career

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Morris was a four-year starter at Northeast Missouri State (now known as Truman State University), and entered the National Football League as an undrafted free agent. He played brief stints for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Cleveland Browns before settling in as the long snapper for the Minnesota Vikings, where he played at a high level consistently throughout the 1990s.

Coaching career

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On July 28, 2011, Morris was hired as the Strength and conditioning coach at the Concordia University, St. Paul.[1][2]

Broadcasting

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Following the end of his football career, Morris took over the morning drive time slot on sports radio station KFAN. Morris broadcast using the moniker 'Superstar Mike Morris.' His show was known as The Power Trip Morning Show, and every show had a common theme ending with a tribute to a particular soldier and a thanks to the soldiers of the US armed forces. 'The Power Trip Morning Show' continues to air as of July 2020 with other local personalities (and no longer features the traditional ending). Morris was also the co-host of Vikings Fanline, adding his thoughts (as a former NFL player) after games, often including banter and strong opinions with live callers over the radio airwaves.

In 2001, Morris was offered the position of Minnesota Vikings radio play by play announcer by KFAN after Lee Hamilton was fired after one preseason game. Morris's hiring, however, was vetoed by the Vikings & the job was given to Terry Stembridge, Jr.[3]

On September 9, 2013, Morris and co-host Bob Sansevere started "Mike & Bob Afternoons" on WGVX 105 The Ticket. Sansevere later got his own time slot, Morris teamed with co-host Ben Holsen on a new show called "Radioactive Sports". The format for both shows was Minnesota sports talk.[citation needed] 105 The Ticket later changed its format thus eliminating all local programming and ending Radioactive Sports.

Morris currently appears on ESPN1500 in Minneapolis during the Mackey & Judd show. He is generally on Mondays and Fridays, and also hosts Viking Ventline for the station. Morris is the owner of a physical conditioning studio in Burnsville, Minnesota, the "MILO Barbell Company".[4] He was released from the station as part of broader layoffs in August 2018.[5]

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ Offseason and/or practice squad member only
  1. ^ a b "Concordia Announces Hiring of 'the Superstar' Mike Morris". northernsun.org. July 28, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Mike Morris - Football". cspbears.com. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  3. ^ COAST TO COAST – SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global
  4. ^ "Power Trip 4th Hour". Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  5. ^ "ESPN 1500 Announces Programming Changes | KSTP.com". kstp.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018.