Chad Morton
| Chicago Bears | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running backs coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | April 4, 1977 Torrance, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 191 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | South (Torrance) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | USC | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2000 / round: 5 / pick: 166 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| As a coach: | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
As a coach: | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Chad Akio Morton (born April 4, 1977) is an American professional football coach and former running back and kick/punt returner who is the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the running backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2017 to 2023.
Morton played college football for the USC and was selected in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. After a standout rookie year with the Saints, Morton played five more years between stints with the New York Jets, the Washington Redskins, and the New York Giants.
Morton previously served as an assistant coach for the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, where he was part of the coaching staff when the team won the Super Bowl in 2010.
Early life
[edit]Morton attended South High School in Torrance, California, where he was a letterman in football.
Playing career
[edit]College
[edit]Morton was a running back at the University of Southern California in the late-1990s. A notable moment in Morton's college football career was in 1999, when he guaranteed a Trojans victory prior to a game against the UCLA who carried an eight-game winning streak against USC. Morton ran for 143 yards in a USC victory. In 2010, it was named by ESPN as the fourth biggest moment in the USC-UCLA football rivalry.[2]
National Football League
[edit]Selected 166th overall (the fifth round) of the 2000 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints, Morton became one of very few rookie running backs in Saints history to get significant playing time (16 games) and make an impact on offense and as a kick returner his first year in the pros.[3] He contributed a career-best receiving year 213 yards on 30 catches (7.1 yards per reception), plus 136 yards rushing, and 1,029 yards from 44 kick returns[4] to the Saints' successful, 10-6 NFC West title-winning 2000 season. Morton's postseason contributions were especially crucial to the 2000 Saints. Following the New Orleans Saints' first ever playoff win, they hosted the Minnesota Vikings for the divisional round game, and Morton set the record for most receptions in a single playoff game by a rookie[5] while tying the playoff game record for most receptions by a player, with 13[1] in the ultimately losing effort against the Vikings.
Morton's career-best year at kick returner came with the 2002 New York Jets, as he earned .1,509 yards and two touchdowns[4] (both TDs in a single game) returning kickoffs for Herman Edwards' Jets squad, which won the AFC East title that year and ran away with a blowout win in the first round of the playoffs before falling in the divisional round to the ultimate AFC Championship winners, the Raiders.
He was a first alternate to the 2005 Pro Bowl as a kick returner.
His last year playing football was 2006 with the New York Giants, as he suffered a career-ending ACL tear in Week 16 while covering a punt. On February 13, 2007, he was released by the Giants.
NFL records
[edit]- Most kickoff return touchdowns in a single game: 2 (2002 vs Buffalo Bills) (tied with 9 others)
- Longest overtime kickoff returned for a touchdown: 96 (2002 vs Buffalo Bills)
- Most receptions in a playoff game by a rookie: 13 (2000)[1]
- Most receptions in a playoff game: 13 (2000) (tied with 3 others)[1]
Coaching career
[edit]Green Bay Packers
[edit]In 2009, Morton was hired by the Green Bay Packers as their coaching administrator. In February 2010, Morton was promoted to assistant special teams coach.[6] Morton assisted the Packers 2010 special teams units that ultimately won championship rings in Super Bowl XLV. With a coaching staff shakeup following the Packers' 2013 season, he left Green Bay.[6]
Seattle Seahawks
[edit]In 2014, Morton was hired by the Seattle Seahawks as their assistant special teams coach under head coach Pete Carroll. In 2015, Morton was promoted to assistant running backs coach. In 2017, he was promoted to running backs coach.[7] In 2022, Morton was promoted to run game coordinator and running backs coach.
Chicago Bears
[edit]On February 21, 2024, Morton was hired by the Chicago Bears as their running backs coach under head coach Matt Eberflus.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Chad Morton is of mixed ethnicity, African American and Japanese. He is married to his wife Tamra and is the younger brother of Eric Morton, Dartmouth WR and wide receiver Johnnie Morton.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e NFL Playoff Records: Individual - Receiving
- ^ Mark Saxton (December 2, 2010). "USC rivalry moment No. 4: Chad Morton's guarantee". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b "NFL Players: Chad Morton - Career Stats".
- ^ NFL Playoff Records: Receptions - none of the other players listed tied with Morton at 13 receptions were in their rookie year.
- ^ a b Vandermause, Mike (February 3, 2014). "Packers won't bring back special teams assistant Morton". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ "Seahawks Announce 2018 Coaching Staff". Seahawks.com. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (February 21, 2024). "Matt Eberflus finalizes Bears coaching staff". Chicago Bears. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
