John Morris, “The Voice of the Baylor Bears,” to Receive 2024 NFF Chris Schenkel Award

[Hutton, Josie]


BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Nov. 5, 2024

John Morris, “The Voice of the Baylor Bears,” to Receive 2024 NFF Chris Schenkel Award
Morris will be honored for his distinguished career in broadcasting during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 10.
For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu>  or Max Calderone; 254-265-1639, max_calderone at baylor.edu<mailto:max_calderone at baylor.edu> or Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720,  josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>

IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that legendary play-by-play announcer John Morris, who has been “The Voice of the Baylor Bears” for more than three decades, will be the recipient of the 2024 NFF Chris Schenkel Award. He will officially be honored Dec. 10 during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino.

The full-time play-by-play announcer for Baylor football and men’s basketball, Morris, affectionately known as “J-Mo,” has been the signature voice of Baylor Athletics for 30 seasons, broadcasting 11 different sports during his 38 years at the school.

“John Morris has had an astounding run at Baylor, connecting with fans and engaging them with his positive insights for nearly four decades,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “Universally respected among sports broadcasters as one of the best in the business, he is often praised for being an even better person. We are extremely pleased to name him the 2024 recipient of the NFF Chris Schenkel Award.”

First presented in 1996, the award recognizes individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university or platform. The award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient Chris Schenkel, the longtime ABC Sports broadcaster who emceed the NFF Annual Awards Dinner for 28 consecutive years from 1968 to 1995.

Morris’ tenure, which began when College Football Hall of Fame Coach Grant Teaff still controlled the sidelines at Baylor and the Bears played in the Southwest Conference, included eight years (1987–94) alongside the legendary Frank Fallon, who claimed the NFF Chris Schenkel Award in 2001. Morris succeeded Fallon in his current fulltime role in 1995. Baylor now becomes the first school in history with two NFF Chris Schenkel Award recipients.

Entering the 2024 season, Morris has called 429 consecutive BU Football games, including three conference titles (2013, 2014, 2021) and 14 bowl games. The 2021 season marked the Bear’s most recent title, which included a 21-7 win over Ole Miss in the 2022 Sugar Bowl. The Bears finished 12-2 and at No. 6 in the final AP Poll, setting school records for wins in a season and final rankings.

Morris was on the call for back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2013 and 2014, which earned the Bears appearances in the Fiesta and Cotton bowls, respectively. He also called the games during the 2019 season as the Bears went 11-3 and appeared in the Sugar Bowl.

The 2013 season marked the Bears’ first-ever Big 12 title and their first conference crown since winning the Southwest Conference in 1980. The appearance in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, following the 2013 season, was the team’s first berth in a major bowl game since playing in the 1981 Cotton Bowl. The Bears have finished in the top 15 national rankings six times and appeared in a school record seven consecutive bowl games from 2010-16 during Morris’s tenure.

Morris had the honor of calling the plays during Robert Griffin III’s run to the Heisman Trophy in 2011, and Baylor has produced three NFF National Scholar-Athletes and Campbell Trophy® Finalists (Joe Pawelek – 2009, Nick Florence – 2012, Spencer Drango – 2015) during his time in the booth. Morris was also on the call when the Bears claimed the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship in 2021.

Morris hosts the Baylor Coach’s Show and the Sic ‘Em Podcast, produced in partnership with Sport & Story.

Morris was recognized by the National Sports Media Association in 2019 as the Texas Co-Sportscaster of the Year, making him just the second Texas announcer to earn the award while serving a university and the first to earn the honor outside of one of the state's four largest media markets.

A 1980 Baylor graduate, Morris worked 15 years as TV sports anchor and sports director on Waco’s CBS affiliate, KWTX-TV, before moving to Baylor Athletics fulltime in 1995. In 1999, Morris was named one of Baylor’s Outstanding Young Alumni, and he was honored with the Frank Fallon Sportsmanship Award from the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce in 2002.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Morris is married to Terri Melton, who graduated from Baylor in 1985. All three of their children have also earned degrees from Baylor.

Morris becomes the fourth NFF Chris Schenkel Award recipient from teams currently in the Big 12. He will be honored during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 10 alongside the recipients of the other NFF Major Awards, including the late Buddy Teevens (Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award), Michigan Athletics Director Warde Manuel (John L. Toner Award for excellence in athletics administration), and the yet-to-be-announced recipients of the NFF Legacy Awards.

In addition to the presentation of the NFF Major Awards, the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas will provide the stage for the induction of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class; the presentation of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments; and the bestowing of the 35th William V. Campbell Trophy® to the nation’s top football scholar-athlete.

Click here<https://footballfoundation.org/feature/NFF2024> for more information on the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, including how to purchase tickets and obtain discounted airfare and hotel accommodations.

Click here<https://footballfoundation.org/roster.aspx?roster=5> for the full list of past NFF Chris Schenkel Award Recipients.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship, and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the criteria, selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; I Played; the William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation & Hatchell Cup presented by the Original Bob’s Steak & Chop House; and a series of programs and initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Bruin Capital, Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Hampshire Companies, Hanold Associates Executive Search, Jostens, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, New York Athletic Club, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.

- BaylorBears.com -



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