Warm Reception
Last Saturday face-painted Crimson fans rushed the field in Harvard Stadium to congratulate their undefeated football team. For a moment, Harvard students cared about victory on the gridiron, or at least about post-victory bacchanalia. This unlikely moment was brought to you in (large) part by Harvards star wide receiver, Carl E. Morris `03.
Morris caught nine passes for 155 yards and scored two touchdowns against UPenn. I would love to say that Carls performance was unbelievable, but having been through more than a few of them, its standard operating procedure, says head football coach Tim Murphy.
But Murphy first saw Morris in action on the basketball court. Morris played basketball, soccer, and baseball at Episcopal, a small high school in Alexandria, Virginia, before he took up football. When I first saw him play basketball, it didnt take me long to realize he could be a dominant athlete at this level, Murphy told the Boston Globe. By his junior year of high school, Morris was ready for a change, and decided to give football a shot. At boarding school, I could take up football. My parents finally couldnt stop me, he says smiling. My mother is British and didnt even know what a first down was when I started playing. Now, she tells me what I need to do better! He pauses before continuing in a soft voice: Every time I play, I want to prove that I am the best for my parents.
Morris parents are a constant source of motivation and support for him. Theyve attended the past 24 games, travelling from his hometown of Sterling, VA. Morris has always been close with his parents and his older sister Jemma, whom he calls after every game. The decision to attend boarding school was difficult for Morris, but he knows that it was for the best. The first few months at boarding school I was not happy at all. But no matter how hard things are, I know that my parents are working 10 times harder just so I can be where I am.
Morris decision to attend Harvard, however, was not as difficult. Although recruited by a number of top schools, Coach Murphy went out of his way to bring Morris to Cambridge. During his school visit Morris stayed with his cousin on the football team, Mike Brooks 01. The location and diversity of Harvard were both persuasive factors in Morris decision.
And hes happy with his choice.
This is the closest team Ive ever been a part of. Were all good friends. You start with 117 friends as a freshman, Morris gushes. Its a good team atmosphere. Outside of this cozy camraderie, Harvard can be inhospitable to its student athletes. Morris often feels unfairly stereotyped as a jock. Non-athletes sometimes think you dont deserve to be there. That makes it more natural for athletes to become friends. You all are going through the same things.
Morris believes that he and quarterback Neil T. Rose 02 have been so successful because of their tight friendship. Were great friends, and were always working together on the field, and over the last two years we really formed a bond on the field. I usually know what hes going to do before he does it, and I think its the same with him, says Morris.
Rose believes that Morris makes him a better quarterback. With Morris, Rose feels that he is one half of a good tandem. We feed off of each other. We share a similar sense of humor, so you could find us joking around a lot. But when it comes to football, we are focused and determined, and I guess its his same determination to be the best that draws me to him.
This friendship fuels action on the field. The biggest thing that keeps the team going is our bond. Every time I go out there I want to help my team. The last two seasons have been agony. But now it is so much harder to walk away from it. This season especially, we work so hard and we do it for each other, Rose says.
This fall, Morris has set records for most catches in a season, catches in a career, yardage in a career, and touchdowns for a season. What makes Carl such a distinctive athlete is his fierce competitiveness. Yes, he is very talented, but his ability to perform under pressure when you really need it is what sets him apart from most athletes, says Murphy.
The pressure will definitely be on this weekend, with Harvard fighting for the Ivy League championship. I want to say its going to be like every other game, but its not. The seniors have never beaten Yale. Were all just trying to give them the perfect ending to a perfect season, he says sincerely. The chance to be one of the best Harvard teams in history is just incredible. At the same time, Morris isnt all saccharine sentiment. If we lose on Saturday, he admits, it will ruin the season. Our goal is to be undefeated. I think anything less than that will be unacceptable for us.
But while the spotlight is on Morris this week, he is happy that the teams success is finally getting campus-wide attention. And despite the high expectations, he is trying to stay calm throughout the week. As the game gets closer, I begin to get very nervous. It is usually the worst just before kick-off, but after we break the huddle to run the first play, its all gone, and I can shut everything else out and just play football, he says.
When the floodlights shut off for the season, Morris changes his focus to non-football activities. Or, at least to non-tackle football activities. In the spring, he helps coach a flag football team of third and fourth graders. He loves the off-season and the chance to catch up on classwork, relax with friends, and give back to the community. Most weekends, he likes hanging out with friends in his room and giving his body a rest.
Sleeping is my main hobby, he says with a coy half-smile. Im not that wild or crazy, but I do like Harvard a lot. Morris, a private and guarded person, cherishes his tight knit circle of friends. Im a lot goofier with my good friends, he says. His relatively high-profile status can be isolating, though. It makes it tougher to become friends with people sometimes, because people have preconceived notions of who I am.
Though Morris feels football defines his public persona at Harvard, he is unsure if the sport will continue to define him in the future. If the football option is there for me, Id like to take it. But I dont really know what I would do with my concentration right now, he says. Morris wanted to study business in college but opted for economics as the next best choice. The past two summers he has worked in Boston, most recently in a law firm. But I dont want to be a lawyer, he laughs. He worked with renowned personal trainer Mike Boyle this past summer and has definitely seen improvements.
If Carl continues to work as hard as he has and improve as much as he has from year to year, theres no question in my mind that he has a chance to play on Sundays in the NFL, says Murphy. The way Morris sees it, hes still learning the game. Morris fans wonder just how much higher the learning curve can go.