Mike Hogan
CFL.ca
For Matt Morris’ teammates every Saturday in the fall months has been “Groundhog Day”.
If you never saw the Bill Murray movie of that title, he played a weatherman who woke up to find every day was February 2nd. For football players on Morris’ University of Toronto Varsity Blues that movie must have hit home. The once-proud Varsity Blues had become the laughing stock of the CIS. Every Saturday was the same, it ended with a loss.
That’s hard to fathom for anyone who remembers the days of “The Big Four” in Canadian university football when the U-of-T battled McGill, Queen’s and Western for national bragging rights. The Blues have won four Grey Cups, a pair of Vanier Cups and 25 Yates Cups in their 130-year history.
Heading into year 131, the latest edition of the Blues was similar to those by-gone years in name only. Venerable Varsity Stadium had been replaced by a newer, sleeker model – but the ghosts of the glory days had vanished when the wrecking ball took down Canada’s most storied football facility. Entering the 2008 season the Blues had lost a mind numbing 49-consecutive football games and there was no reason to believe that the season opener would be any different. The calendar may have read September 1st, but it had Bill Murray’s February 2nd written all over it. The day would be the same.
But for Matt Morris and company this day would be different. Morris, a defensive back and kick returner, would help the Blues experience something they hadn’t felt since 2001… a win. The Blues defeated Waterloo 18-17 on a last-minute field goal. Morris, undersized by CFL standards, was a major contributor to the streak snapper by forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble, knocking down a pass, returning a punt for 27-yards and taking a kickoff back 92-yards to the one-yard line. This would not be the only game the Scarborough, Ont. native would be noticed.
“My most fond football memory would have to be helping the U of T Blues record their first win in 49 games and having a big role in the game,” said Morris. “I am proud that I could help my home town university get back on the right track.”
Morris had played two years at Colgate and transferred to Saginaw Valley State before coming back to Canada.
“The biggest obstacle in my football career so far would be leaving home to pursue football in the NCAA,” he said. “It was extremely hard on my mother and father. Although they knew it was best for me it was hard for them to see their first son leave home.”
Morris was not on many scouts’ list of prospects before the season started and to be honest not much was said about him before his appearance at the CFL’s Evaluation Camp held in Toronto the weekend of March 7th.
That changed.
Duane Forde of TSN has established himself as the most respected prospect evaluator among those in Canadian media. At the conclusion of the E-Camp Forde looked back at the weekend in a column posted on tsn.ca and wrote, “Matt Morris impressed so much with his athleticism, skill, attitude, and intelligence that scouts should now be able to overlook the fact that he’s just 5’8”.”
Among the numbers Morris posted were a 4.59 second 40-yard dash and a 35½ inch vertical jump. He was also solid in the one-on-one coverage drills.
“I think my speed and athleticism can contribute to a team,” says Morris. “My willingness to put in the work as well as my competitive nature will pay off for any team that drafts me.”
If he wasn’t on the draft radar before he is now and that can do nothing but help the U-of-T when it comes to recruiting. The Blues have not had a player in the CFL since Chris Morris (no relation to Matt) wrapped up a 14 year, three Grey Cup career with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2005.
“Matt has a great attitude,” says Greg DeLaval, head coach of the Varsity Blues. “He loves to be on specials and will play any position asked of him. He is an excellent student and can handle the intellectual challenge of CFL offenses and defenses.”
As he begins what he hopes is a long CFL career, the next date Matt Morris will be looking toward is May 2nd, draft day —
and a day that Morris has never experienced before.
Mike Hogan is the Voice of the Argonauts on THE FAN 590 in Toronto and has been the Voice of the Vanier Cup for more than a decade. He is also a member of the CIS Football Top-10 Committee.
