Raiders Safety Morrow was Great, and Then He Was Gone

Safety Tommy Morrow of the Oakland Raiders is another forgotten star from the early days of the American Football League during the 1960s, except among longtime members of Raider Nation.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Morrow was an undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi who signed with the Raiders after playing in the 1962 Senior Bowl and was outstanding for three seasons for the Silver and Black before his career tragically was ended because of a knee injury.

Morrow helped the 1958 Southern Miss Golden Eagles finish at 9-0 and capture the small college football national championship and is a member of the school’s athletic Hall of Fame and the Alabama Hall of Fame after growing up in Georgiana, Ala.

As a rookie with the Raiders in 1962, Morrow stood out on a team that went 1-13 when he started all 14 games at safety and led the team with 10 interceptions that he returned for 141 yards, in addition to punting 45 times for an average of 36.8 yards, with a long of 59 yards.

The following season, when Al Davis came to the Raiders as a coach and general manager, Morrow again started all 14 games and had nine interceptions for 104 yards and two sacks while being selected to the All-AFL first team by the Associated Press, Newspaper Enterprises Associated, the New York Daily News and United Press International.

Morrow made three of Oakland’s five interceptions against George Blanda and returned them for 35 yards as the Raiders beat the Houston Oilers, 24-13, in the 1963 season opener, and had two more in the third game of the season against Babe Parrili of the Boston Patriots, plus another two the following week against Dick Wood of the New York Jets.

Understandably, Morrow was a favorite of Davis and figured to be a star for years to come.

And why not, Morrow set a pro football record that still stands making interceptions in eight consecutive games, the last four of the 1962 season and the first four in 1963 as the Raiders turned their fortunes around with a 10-4 record.

Morrow made 13 of his 23 career interceptions during that eight-game streak and had that total number in only 42 career games with the Raiders.

In 1964, which unfortunately turned out to be his final season, Morrow again started in all 14 games for the Raiders and made four interceptions that he returned for 101 yards and a career-best 25.2-yard average, including a career-best 77-yarder.

But unfortunately, that was it, as Morrow sustained a knee injury that ended his career after only three brilliant seasons with the Raiders.

Oh, what might have been.

“Had he not been injured, Morrow might have become one of the all-time great safeties in pro football history,” Davis said. “Actually, he was pretty darn good while he was here. He really had a knack for getting to the ball once it was in the air.”

Morrow passed away after a lengthy illness on April 4, 2018, at the age of 79 in Loudon, Tenn.

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