Wednesday, September 23, 2015

1975 Profile: Craig Morton

Quarterback
No. 15
California
"Morton came to the Giants from Dallas for a No. 1 draft choice just before the trading deadline in 1974 and moved right in as the No. 1 quarterback. In fact, with just three days work, he played the following Sunday against the Cowboys in relief of Jim Del Gaizo, then started the remaining games. Morton's presence improved the offense considerably.
The Giants scored but 68 points in the first seven games of the year, then increased production to 127 for the final seven with Morton doing the orchestration. By season's end, he had completed 122 of 237 passes for 1,510 yards and nine touchdowns for the Giants and enjoyed several outstanding afternoons. Craig had 21 completions for 259 yards against the Cardinals and was 21-for-32 against the Jets. Mostly, he brought direction and leadership to a young club, and freed now from WFL obligations, should benefit from being with the club from the start of training camp.
Craig originally was a No. 1 draft choice of Dallas in 1965 and spent 10 years with the Cowboys, several of those seasons as the No. 1 quarterback, including taking the club to a Super Bowl. He had a banner year in 1972 with a club record 185 completions for 2,396 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Morton was an All-American quarterback at California, starring for three seasons and setting records in the process. A teammate in the backfield was Mike Epstein, later a major league baseball player. Craig was also a top baseball player at Cal, turning down a baseball bonus to join the Cowboys.
Craig was born in Flint, Michigan and was raised in Campbell, California, where he was an All-State high school star in football, baseball and basketball. He has a restaurant in Dallas and spends time skiing in Aspen."

-1975 New York Giants Media Guide

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