Beau Martin Morgan (born August 4, 1975) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. He also was a member of the

Memphis Maniax The Memphis Maniax were an American football team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The team was part of the XFL (2001), XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. Home gam ...

in the XFL. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Air Force Falcons The Air Force Falcons are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, located in El Paso County, Colorado north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. Th ...

, earning third-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 1996.

Early years

Morgan attended Trinity Christian Academy, where he was coached by his father Barry. He was the starter at

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

in a

wishbone offense The wishbone formation, also known simply as the bone, is an offensive formation in American football. The style of attack to which it gives rise is known as the wishbone offense. Like the spread offense in the 2000s to the present, the wishbone ...

. He led the school to two consecutive state championships as a junior and senior, while being named MVP of both championship games. He finished with 5,000 passing yards and 70 passing touchdowns, while rushing for 2,200 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns. He also practiced track, where he recorded a best long jump of 23' 6 3/4" and 100 meter time of 10.9. Morgan finished 3rd at the Texas Relays in the long jump his senior year.

College career

Morgan accepted a football scholarship from the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...

, after most schools viewed him as an athlete more than a

during his recruiting process. Although he saw no varsity playing time during his freshman season, he did start 5 games for the program's

junior varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

. As a sophomore, he became the starter for the final 3 games at

, after Preston McConnell suffered a separated right shoulder against the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

. He rushed 140 times for 600 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns, while completing 41-of-89 passes for 873 yards and 5 passing touchdowns. His first start was a win in Colorado Springs against #10 ranked Utah, 44-38. As a junior, he rushed 229 times for 1,285 yards (fourth in school history) and 19 rushing touchdowns (second in school history), while completing 90-of-169 passes for 1,165 yards and 12 passing touchdowns (fourth in school history). His 31 total touchdowns were a school record. He also became the eighth player in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

history to both pass (1,165) and rush (1,285) for more than 1,000 yards in a single-season. As a senior, he rushed 225 times for 1,498 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, while completing 95-of-180 passes for 1,210 yards and 8 passing touchdowns. He finished tenth in the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

voting. His 1,498 rushing yards set an

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

single-season-record for

s. He became the first player in

history to pass and rush for over 1,000 yards in two different seasons. He also became the second player ( Brian Mitchell was the first) in

history to both pass (3,248) and rush (3,379) for more than 3,000 yards in a career. Against the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, he rushed for 183 yards to lead his team to a 20-17 overtime upset win against the #8 ranked Irish. Against

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

, he rushed for 243 yards (second in school history). He finished his college career with 594 carries for 3,379 yards (second in school history), 42 rushing touchdowns (school record), 3,248 passing yards (fifth in school history), 25 passing touchdowns (third in school history), 6,627 total offense yards (school record), 67 total touchdowns (school record) and 252 points (tied school record).

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Morgan was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

after the 1997 NFL draft on April 25. He dropped because of his two-year military commitment with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and the lack of a defined playing position. He was converted into a

during

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

. He played in the preseason opener against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

, making 3 receptions for 12 yards and 8 carries for 8 yards. He spent just over 2 weeks with the team and was placed on the reserve/military list on August 4. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, he spent 3 weeks in

. In the preseason opener against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

, he had 16 carries for 53 yards (led the team), 2 receptions for 21 yards and a 24-yard kickoff return. In the second preseason game against the

, he rushed 5 times for 27 yards (led the team). He was placed on the reserve/military list on August 12. In

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, he was released before the start of the season on September 5 and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on September 7. He was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

with a foot injury on October 16. In

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, he was moved to

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

during the preseason. He was released before the start of the season on July 13.

Memphis Maniax (XFL)

Morgan signed with the

of the XFL for its lone season in 2001. He was the third-string

behind Jim Druckenmiller and

Marcus Crandell Marcus Cornelius Crandell (born January 6, 1974) is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback and coach. He was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Huskies of the University of Saskatchewan. He played 1 ...

, but mostly played running back and wide receiver. He led the team in special teams tackles on the season, and he collected 17 carries for 37 yards, 10 receptions for 82 yards and 2 receiving

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

Personal life

In 1997, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving as an assistant football coach at the

. In 1998, he fulfilled his military obligation by serving as a public affairs officer at

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home t ...

. His brother Blane was also a starting

for the

and would later become an assistant football coach at the school.

References

External links

Beau Morgan Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Beau 1975 births Living people Air Force Falcons football coaches Air Force Falcons football players American football quarterbacks Dallas Cowboys players Memphis Maniax players Military personnel from Texas Players of American football from Texas Sportspeople from Nacogdoches, Texas