Click here to read Tony Barnhart's column in the Atlanta Jounrnal-Consitution

George Morris, the 1981 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Georgia Tech, died Dec. 10 of an apparent heart attack. He was 76.

"George Morris earned a place in the Hall of Fame for his exploits in the early 1950s playing for Bobby Dodd and the Yellow Jackets, yet it's what he did year after year that truly earned a place in our hearts," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "His warm nature and welcoming presence had become a fixture at our Annual Awards Dinner in New York and Enshrinement Festival in South Bend each year, and he was a true leader in our chapter network, working with the Chick-fil-A Bowl to annually distribute over $50,000 in scholarships at our Greater Atlanta Chapter Banquet. George was a true friend, and he'll always have a place in our hearts as one of the gridiron's and the National Football Foundation's greatest. He will be missed."

At 6-2, and 205-pounds, Morris became the immovable middleman in Coach Bobby Dodd's Georgia Tech line during the early 1950s. That decade was a Golden Era of Tech football during which the Ramblin' Wreck ripped off 23 straight victories. Defense was the key to the streak, and center Morris was the key to the defense. During his junior and senior seasons, only two opponents managed to score more than one touchdown against Tech. The 1951 campaign produced an 11-0-1 record, which included a regular-season 14-14 tie with Duke and a 17-14 victory over Baylor in the Orange Bowl.

Could things get any better? Well, in 1952 senior captain George Morris spirited his team to a perfect 12-game march, climaxed by a 24-7 triumph over Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama nearly spoiled that perfect season, but a Morris fumble recovery deep in Tide territory led to a Tech touchdown and a 7-3 victory. Morris made 114 unassisted tackles over the 1952 season and earned All-America and academic All-America recognition. Of the 21 All-America football players coached by Dodd, he said none was greater than center-linebacker George Morris.

In addition to being a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Dodd has been inducted in to the Mississippi Football Hall of Fame, George Football Hall of Fame and the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame. He represented Georgia Tech as one of the ACC Championship Football Legends for 2007.

A native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Morris settled in Atlanta, Georgia, after serving in the U.S. Army in Korea and playing professionally for the San Francisco 49ers. He became a successful business executive, working for the Georgia Power Company, the Royal Crown Cola Company and Georgia Morris and Associates.

He was an Official with the Southeastern Conference for thirty years. He was actively involved in the Chic-Fil-A Bowl and Scholar Athlete Selection Committee and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. He also served as the NFF Greater Atlanta president, raising and distributing over $50,000 in scholarships each year to local high school football players.

George is survived by his wife of 55 years, Polly, five children and six grandchildren. A funeral service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, December 13, 2007, at Peachtree Road Methodist Church. The family will receive visitors in the narthex at 1:00 pm prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alexander Tharpe Fund, c/o the George Morris Memorial Scholarship Fund, Georgia Tech Athletic Association, 150 Bobby Dodd Way, NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30332.

NFF