Morris Watts (born 1936) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and coach. Until his retirement in 2016, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Central Michigan University. He previously served as the offensive coordinator at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...

, having joined the RedHawks coaching staff in 2009 as the quarterbacks coach. Morris served as the interim head coach at Michigan State University for the last three games of the 2002 season after

Bobby Williams Robert Vann Williams (born November 21, 1958) is an American football coach who most recently served as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at the University of Oregon from 2018 to 2021. Williams served as the head coach at Mich ...

was fired, compiling a record of 1–2. Morris served three stints at the offensive coordinator at Michigan State (1986–1990, 1992–1994, 1999–2002) and was an assistant coach at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. His ...

(1965–1971), the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

(1972),

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

(1973–1981), the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

(1982),

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

(1983, 1995–1998), and Mississippi State University (2003). He coached quarterbacks for the

Birmingham Stallions The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) from 1984 to 1985 and for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) in 1991. Before coming to Miami University, Watts spent two years at the offensive coordinator at Broken Arrow Senior High in

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County, with a portion in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 census, Broken Arrow has a popu ...

Coaching career

Michigan State

Watts was the offensive coordinator at Michigan State University for eight seasons during the

George Perles George Julius Perles (July 16, 1934 – January 7, 2020) was an American football player and coach. He was a defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach for the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972 to ...

era, from 1986 to 1990 and 1992 to 1994. He rejoined the Spartans as a member of

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...

's coaching staff and became the interim head coach in 2002 when

was fired after guiding a pre-season top 20 team to a 3–6 start. During his brief stint as interim head coach, he was 1–2. Following the season, he left the Michigan State football program for Mississippi State University. He also coached at

(LSU) as an offensive coordinator from 1995 to 1998.

Mississippi State

Watts showed his dynamism when he was hired at Mississippi State by saying at his introduction, "We want to be an offense that is balanced. Does that mean out of 100 plays we'll pass 50 times and run 50 times? No! We may throw 70 and run 30 or we may run 70 and throw 30. We'd like to spread the field and give our kids the best chance to win". In 2003, the Bulldogs were 2–10.

Head coaching record

coached the first 9 games of the season.

References

External links

Texas Southern profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Morris 1936 births Living people American football running backs Central Michigan Chippewas football coaches Drake Bulldogs football coaches Indiana Hoosiers football coaches Kansas Jayhawks football coaches LSU Tigers football coaches Louisville Cardinals football coaches Miami RedHawks football coaches Michigan State Spartans football coaches Mississippi State Bulldogs football coaches Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches Texas Southern Tigers football coaches Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players United States Football League coaches High school football coaches in Missouri High school football coaches in Oklahoma People from Seneca, Missouri