Remembering former Arrow quarterback Kyle Morris – one of the best ever

By Clinton Courier | March 6, 2025 |

Quarterback Kyle Morris at the Univ. of Florida

By Danny C. Davis

The Clinton Arrows have lost another great football star with the recent passing of former quarterback Kyle Morris.

Morris lost a ten-year battle with cancer on February 8. He was 56.

In my opinion, he was the pure best drop back passing quarterback ever for Clinton – or at least since 1976, when I first started covering the Arrows. Cam Akers was also a great quarterback, but Akers was a running back that played quarterback and was the also the best athlete on the field.

In 1983, Morris, then just 14, was the first quarterback at the time to start as a ninth grader for Clinton. Thirty years later, Akers would play as a ninth-grade QB, too, but Morris was the first.

Jerry Mahon had been an Arrow football assistant since 1978, and was elevated to the head coach position in the spring of 1983. Former Arrow standout quarterback Steve Jordan was hired to coach quarterbacks and running backs prior to the 1983 season.

Mahon and Jordan had watched young Kyle Morris play in the eighth grade and were impressed. They decided to move Morris up to the varsity team and make him the starting quarterback for the 1983 season.

“He was tall and very athletic for his age,” said Jordan. “We felt he could do exactly what we wanted to do with our offense – and he did.”

Morris did not disappoint.

Practice shot of young Arrow QB Kyle Morris

He was the starting QB for the Arrows for the season opener on September 2, 1983, at Roy Burkett Field, and helped lead the Arrows to a 7-0 win over Forest Hill. He would go on to quarterback the Arrows for four seasons through the 1986 season, playing in 40 games.

But the first two seasons were tough, with the Arrows still trying to make the transition from the old Little Dixie Conference to the new MHSAA playoff format against local larger, more powerful opponents like Callaway, Murrah and Brookhaven.

After Clinton finished 4-6 for the 1983 and 1984 seasons, Mahon left, and former great Arrow head coach James Sloan returned from Co-Lin Junior College in March of 1984 to coach the Arrows once again.

Sloan recognized Morris’ talents and took advantage of his strength as a drop back passer. Behind Morris, CHS showed tremendous improvement in the 1985 season, despite finishing 4-6 again. And, after five long years, the Arrows looked to be back once again as a contender. Five of the Arrows’ six losses were by a TD or less. Morris led the Arrows to a big 20-14 come-from-behind win at Arrow Field on September 27, 1985, against rival Brandon. Trailing 20-7 in the fourth quarter, Morris connected with Todd Smith for a 46-yard TD and a 92-yard pass-scoring play to D’Wayne Peace to get the win. It was a career best night for Morris, throwing for 273 yards and rushing for 93 yards. This was believed to be, at the time, a Clinton football record.

By Morris’s senior season, he was receiving national recruiting attention. Clinton beat Wingfield and Murrah for the first time ever. The Arrows beat rival Pearl for the first time since 1980. Morris led the Arrows to a big 32-7 district win at home over Brookhaven. It was the Arrows’ first win over BHS in modern history. Morris threw for 181 yards and ran for another touchdown in the big win.

Wife Kathryn Merrill and Kyle Morris

Clinton fell on the road to # 1-ranked Warren Central 13-0 in Morris’ final game at CHS. Clinton barely missed the playoffs, but Morris had led Clinton to a 7-3 record, their best in six years and a winning season for the first time since 1980. As the starting QB, he and Coach James Sloan helped change the football culture at Roy Burkett Field that season, back to where the program was six years earlier.

It should also be noted that Kyle Morris was also an excellent punter and often pinned opponents with his punts inside the 20-yard line.

At the Arrow football awards banquet, Kyle was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player and was voted a permanent co-captain, along with defensive lineman Bill Tillman.

Kyle Morris was a big Florida fan growing up, despite his dad Bob Morris playing football at Florida State.

“Growing up, Kyle was always a big Florida Gator fan,” said life-long best friend Jeff Long, a former Clinton Arrow standout baseball player and a Championship Arrow Soccer head coach.
“He narrowed down where he wanted to play to Mississippi State and Florida; but, in the end, he chose the Gators,” said Long.

Life-long friend Jeff Long (left) played baseball at Delta State, while Kyle Morris (right) played at baseball at Mississippi College.

Morris was signed by Florida head coach Galen Hall. After a red shirt freshman year, Morris played QB in ten games in 1988, throwing for 1,217 yards. Under new head coach Gary Darnell in 1989, Morrris appeared in six games, passing for 1,098 yards. He played in five games in 1990 under new head coach Steve Superior, throwing for 121 yards.

Morris transferred to Mississippi College for his final 1991 season, starting at QB, and he also played baseball for the Choctaws.

After college, he began a successful career with Cal Main Foods. Years later, Morris bought Live Oak Golf Course just outside of Clinton on U.S. Hwy 49. He renovated the 18-hole course into one of the best in the state, and added Roosevelt’s restaurant. It has become a favorite by golfers and others in the area. Most recently, Morris opened The Reed House at Live Oaks, a state-of-the-art wedding and other events venue.

“Kyle has been my best friend since we met and played flag football in the fourth grade,” said Long. “We also played baseball together at Clinton. We both made the varsity team as freshman. He was not just a great athlete, but was such a nice guy with a big heart. He really changed Live Oaks Golf Course and put on a lot of big-time tournaments, attracting big name golfers across the south. I remember going to his first game that he played quarterback at Florida. We were so close. He fought a hard battle and will be missed by so many.”

Steve Jordan agreed.

“Kyle was one of the most talented and coachable players I ever coached. He always listened, and, from his freshman year on, he always wanted to get better and improve. Kyle was always a very polite person and always a fun guy to be around.”