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"Up Close" with Alfred Morris

Alfred Morris Head Shot 2010


Leading the Sun Belt Conference in rushing yards last season, running back Alfred Morris made quite the name for himself after racking up 1,392 yards out of the Florida Atlantic backfield in his first season as a starter. A redshirt-junior, Morris was almost unknown to Owl fans before the 2009 season had started, until he earned the starting role after an impressive preseason camp. With one of his best games coming at Louisiana-Lafayette, Morris accounted for 221 yards of offense and two touchdowns while leading a FAU attack that’s finished second in the conference in total offense.

Running out of FAU’s pro-style offense, Morris has brought an old school type of approach to the team and has been labeled as a power running back, something different from many college teams now a days. Keeping a humble approach to the whole process, Morris often credits his offensive line and teammates for the success that he has found. Morris claims to have never really had a player for a role model throughout his lifetime, and would rather be his own person, instead of trying to be someone else. A preseason All-Sun Belt selection, Morris will again start at running back for the Owls.

Playing high school football at Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida, Morris ran for 1,049 yards and 17 touchdowns his senior season while also playing defense and totaling 147 tackles and five interceptions. Morris was also recently honored for his academic work with the University Male Student Athlete of the Year.

Morris recently sat down with us for “Up Close”.

Quick Hits

What is your favorite food?

“Junk food I guess.” (Morris had a candy bar in his hand)

What is your pet peeve?

“Being ignored. If I speak to you, or ask you a question, and you totally ignore me like I didn’t speak, it annoys me so bad. It gets underneath my skin.”

Who is your current off the field role model?

“My mother Yvonne Morris, because she showed us by example that if anything is worth having you can work hard for and obtain it.  It took her all together about seven to eight years to get a bachelors degree and then she went back and got a masters degree. While she did that she took care of us, made sure we had food on the table, cooked and cleaned. She was always there and she worked a job. I still to this day do not how she did all of that stuff at one time, but she got it done and is a role model.

What are you most proud of?

“Having a strong mind, and just being able to be humble and not get all caught up in the hype. I just thank god for how my parents raised me. I’m just blessed to have both my parents. I can only imagine how it is to have a single parent home. I’m proud to have both my parents and for them to have raised me and my brothers right.”

What is your major?

“Exercise Science and Health Promotions.”

What is your Faith?

“Christian.”

Line of scrimmage

What aspect of your game do you feel is your strength?

“Determination and the drive. The fight from within; there isn’t really a way to explain it. My high school coaches told me that football is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. It’s mainly mental, because a lot of things I don’t want to do, or I feel I can’t do, but in my head I tell myself to keep pushing.

What aspect of your game do you feel is your weakness?

“I never really think about weakness’s I kind of just drone them out and just try to build around them. Probably working on catching.”

Down the field

Besides football, what brought you to FAU?

“The scenery and the nice weather. All of the palm trees it’s just nice, it’s almost like paradise.”

What are your goals for the upcoming season?

“Win. For me and my teammates to come together as one body, one mind, one goal and having a better season than the we had last year and be able to finish. We had three games last year that we should have won, but we lost in the fourth quarter. Just work on that, winning.”

What game are you looking forward to the most next season?

“UAB, it’s the first game of the season and you know you can’t look past any games, so start from there and knock it down.”

What do you want FAU fans to know about you personally?

“I really don’t go out much, but I go to the movies right around the corner at Movie Co. I guess you could say I’m a movie buff. My favorite movie ever is Love & Basketball.”

Touchdown

Coming up, our next player looks up to the NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez.

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