In his career, Morton played in 207 games (144 starts) and earned a QB record of 81-62-1. He completed 2,053 of 3,786 passes (54.2%) for 27,908 yards and 183 touchdowns.
Born on February 5, 1983 in Flint, Michigan, Morton was a star in college at Cal despite the team’s struggles. He amassed a Pac-8-record 4,501 passing yards and an assortment of school records.
When he joined the Cowboys, he began a career marked by successful teams and shared the spotlight as part of a succession of legendary quarterbacks, first backing up “Dandy” Don Meredith and then battling against Pro Football Hall of Famer and all-time great Staubach.
Morton was Dallas’ QB1 from 1969-1970, the latter season marking the aforementioned first Super Bowl appearance for the franchise. In 1971, legendary head coach Tom Landry switched out Morton and Staubach as the starting QB, even having them switch plays in one game. Staubach eventually entered as a starter during the team’s Super Bowl victory.
However, in ’72, Morton was back at QB1 after Staubach suffered a shoulder injury. Morton held the starting reins when Staubach returned.
Morton was eventually traded to the Giants and spent a total of 34 games with the franchise, which struggled throughout his tenure.