National Football Foundation

John Morris, the legendary play-by-play announcer and "The Voice of the Baylor Bears" for more than three decades, was honored as the recipient of the 2024 NFF Chris Schenkel Award 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.
 
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 was the first school in history with two NFF Chris Schenkel Award recipients.
 
"Frank Fallon was my mentor, and I worked with him in the booth for eight years and then followed him when he retired," said Morris. "He was absolutely the best there has ever been, and we strive every day to live up to the high standard he set. Frank will always be the Voice of the Baylor Bears. I am just the caretaker of this position for as long as God allows me to stay. So proud that Baylor is the first school to have two recipients of this prestigious award."
 
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 and the Dave Campbell Award also by the Chamber in 2024, for his contributions to football in Central Texas.
 
A native Kentuckian, Morris grew up in Danville, Kentucky and is married to the former Terri Melton, who graduated from Baylor in 1985. All three of their children, Meagan, Maddie, and M.J, have also earned degrees from Baylor.