There was a time, 60 years ago, when Georgia Tech was a national power. Coached by Bobby Dodd, the Ramblin' Wreck enjoyed a 31-game unbeaten streak over the first years of the 1950s and produced dozens of All Americans and a number of future Hall of Famers.
Two of the best were a pair of centers named Morris, George and Larry. George was captain and star of the 12-0 1952 unit while Larry anchored the team the following two years. They both were tough, talented and smart and ferocious on defense. Both Morrises would eventually be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
It was at a Hall event that I had the pleasure of making acquaintances with George Morris. He was a wonderful man, warm and gregarious. I soon found out that the Morrises were not brothers and then found out that they were a lot closer than siblings in their retirement. Larry, who starred in both college and pro ball, later suffered from dementia. By the time I met George, in 2004, Larry was very sick and George was helping Larry's family as much as he could. Although not brothers, they were linked by being teammates and George knew Larry would help his fmily if the roles were reversed. Sadly George died from a heart attack in 2007. Larry lived on until this December 19 when he died from complications of dementia at age 79.
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