Torrance Moran Norris ( ; born June 16, 1978) 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 ...

fullback. He was selected by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in the fourth round of the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...

. He played

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Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. Norris has also played for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Early life

Moran graduated from Madison High School in Houston, Texas in 1996.

College career

Norris went on to play for the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round (115th overall) in the

. Norris played his entire season with the Saints before being waived on September 17, 2002.

Houston Texans (first stint)

A day after being waived by the Saints, Norris was claimed off waived by the Houston Texans on September 18, 2002. He was a member of the Texans through the 2005 season. In 2005, Norris played in all 16 games with five starts and had one reception for four yards and 12 special teams tackles.

San Francisco 49ers (first stint)

Norris was signed as a

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 49ers in 2006. That season, he helped 49ers

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 ...

Frank Gore rush for 1,695 yards and earn a

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

selection. Norris caught two passes for touchdowns that season; one of those coming in the

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against the

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, helping to knock them out of the

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. Norris was released by the 49ers during final cuts on August 30, 2008.

Detroit Lions

Norris was signed by the Detroit Lions on 9 October 2008 after running back Marcus Thomas was waived. Norris was released before the team's next game on 12 October 2008 when

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 ...

Drew Henson was promoted to the active roster. Norris was once again signed by the Lions on 13 October 2008 after

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 ...

Gerald Alexander was put 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 ...

San Francisco 49ers (second stint)

unrestricted 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 ...

in the 2009 offseason, Norris was re-signed by the San Francisco 49ers on February 27, 2009. The three-year, $5 million contract included a $1.5-million signing bonus.

Houston Texans (second stint)

Norris had a brief stint with the Texans during the 2012 preseason. He was signed on June 14, 2012, and was released on August 31.

Moran Norris Foundation

The Moran Norris Foundation was started in 2005. Moran and his wife Tamara, both Houston natives created the foundation to help at-risk students achieve their goals.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Moran 1978 births Living people American football fullbacks Detroit Lions players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Kansas Jayhawks football players New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Houston San Francisco 49ers players