The Denver Broncos lost 1 of their Ring of Fame members on Saturday after former starting quarterback Craig Morton died at 83 years old. The team announced the news about Morton’s death on social media.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Broncos Ring of Fame quarterback Craig Morton, who died on Saturday at the age of 83,” the Broncos wrote on their official X account on Monday. “Morton quarterbacked the Broncos from 1977-82 and led the team to its first playoff appearance and Super Bowl berth (XII vs. Dallas) in the 1977 season.”
Morton finished his lengthy NFL career with the Broncos, playing the final 6 seasons of in Denver from 1977 to 1982. He is most well known for guiding the Broncos to their 1st Super Bowl appearance in franchise history following the 1977 season.
Morton was also named both NFL Comeback Player of the Year and AFC Offensive Player of the Year in 1977.
“The Ring of Famer guided the Broncos to a 12-2 record that season and notched home playoff wins against the Steelers and Cowboys,” Broncos lead writer Aric Dilalla wrote. “For his performance during that 1977 season, Morton was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Year. He was also named the Sporting News Player of the Year, the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year and the NFL UPI MVP for the 1997 season.”
Morton is the 1st starting quarterback in NFL history to appear in the Super Bowl with 2 different teams after leading the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl V. He’s also the 1st — and so far only — quarterback in NFL history to lead 2 different franchises to their 1st Super Bowl appearance.
Craig Morton’s Star-Crossed College Career
In his time, Morton played for some of the greatest coaches in football history.
Morton, 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, was All-State in football, basketball, and baseball at Campbell High School in the San Francisco suburbs before staying close to home to play for Cal, where his head coach was Marv Levy and offensive coordinator was Bill Walsh — a pair of future NFL head coaches and Pro Football Hall of Famers.
Despite never playing on a winning team in college, Morton was named All-American in 1964 and finished 7th in the Heisman Trophy voting — right ahead of quarterback Joe Namath and running back Gale Sayers. Morton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
Drafted No. 5 Overall as Backup Quarterback
Cowboys head coach Tom Landry drafted Morton with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1965 NFL draft, then parked him on the bench behind Don Meredith for 4 seasons.
Morton became the Cowboys starter in 1969 and held the spot until 1972, when Landry famously played both Morton and Staubach, including 1 game where he rotated them between plays.
After massive blowback over his approach, Landry eventually went with Staubach, who promptly led the Cowboys to the 1st Super Bowl win in franchise history.
After 2 seasons on the bench with the Cowboys and repeatedly asking for a trade, Morton was finally traded to the New York Giants in 1974 in exchange for their 1975 1st round pick — a pick the Cowboys would eventually use on Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White.
Morton spent 3 lousy seasons with the Giants before he was traded to the Broncos, where he finished out his career with 3 division titles in 6 years.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Record-Setting Broncos QB QB Craig Morton Dies at 83 Years Old appeared first on HEAVY.