CURLY MORRISON, AN OHIO GUY THROUGH AND THROUGH

By STEVE KING

The death on Sunday of Fred “Curly” Morrison, a running back on some of the Browns’ early teams, reminds us that pro football used to be such a regional sport in the way talent was procured.

Morrison, 94, who died from complications after suffering a broken hip, played in the Columbus suburbs at Upper Arlington High School and then at Ohio State, first as a walk-on before developing into a star and being the MVP in 1950 when the Buckeyes won their first Rose Bowl by defeating California 17-14. Morrison then went on to play for the Browns from 1954-56, being part of NFL championship teams the first two seasons, including in 1954 when he scored a touchdown in the 56-10 title game victory over the Detroit Lions, and in 1955 when he led the Browns in rushing with 824 yards.

Former Ohio State fullback Fred "Curly" Morrison dies at age 94 https://t.co/61yNqorzxL

— BuckeyeXtra.com (@BuckeyeXtra) November 16, 2020

Morrison’s coach with the Browns was, of course, Paul Brown, who grew up in Massillon, played at Massillon High School and then served as the head coach at Ohio State from 1941-43, guiding the Buckeyes in 1942 to their first national championship.

Considering their backgrounds, it’s not a surprise that Brown acquired Morrison in a trade with the Chicago Bears to help fill the void created when fullback Marion Motley was dealt to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The scope of scouting was not nearly as far-reaching as it is today. Pro teams knew the prospects from their region, but they knew little about players in other regions. So coaches went with who, and what, they knew, and as a result, Brown, who obviously knew Ohio and Ohio State through and through, used that to build his early Browns teams, getting players such as Ohio natives and OSU products Lou Groza, Bill Willis, Dante Lavelli, Lin Houston and Tommy James, in addition to Motley. Brown knew Otto Graham, who played with Northwestern, from having coached against him in the Big Ten.