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Thoughts on Milt Morin and Bill Munson

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:41 am
by Bryan
Watching clips of Milt Morin, I think he was an underrated/'forgotten' TE of his era. He was a fairly large TE for his time (6-4, 240), but he was athletic and had soft hands. He put up some consistent numbers (40 catches, 600 yards/season) and did make two pro bowls, but he didn't have any eye-popping seasons and his TD totals were low.

I noticed that when I watch defensive linemen highlights of the 1960's and 1970's, invariably there will be a clip of that lineman sacking Bill Munson. For whatever reason, Utah State produced a ton of NFL players in the early 1960's, and Munson was their QB. He wasn't big or athletic, but it seemed like it he was hard to bring down. He ended up playing quite a bit despite never really being his team's #1 starter, and his career lasted 16 years. He split time with Roman Gabriel and Greg Landry.

Does anyone have any thoughts/'scouting reports' on these guys?

Re: Thoughts on Milt Morin and Bill Munson

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:51 pm
by BD Sullivan
Fully agree on Morin's unsung image. He always seemed to come up with a clutch catch--he broke about four tackles in scoring a late game-tying touchdown against Kansas City in 1973. I recall, he was expected to be out for an extended period to start the 1969 season--yet was ready for the first game.

Re: Thoughts on Milt Morin and Bill Munson

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 3:52 pm
by JuggernautJ
Morin:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/p ... riMi00.htm

Munson:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/p ... nsBi00.htm

I don't remember Milt Morin at all... I guess my pre-teen consciousness didn't extend to TEs.

I do remember watching Bill Munson play and I think the description above represents my memories of him pretty well.
He was an adequate but not spectacular QB on a middle-of-the-road team (as I remember him with Detroit).
I didn't even remember he played for the Seahawks...

Re: Thoughts on Milt Morin and Bill Munson

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:10 pm
by Saban1
Bryan wrote:Watching clips of Milt Morin, I think he was an underrated/'forgotten' TE of his era. He was a fairly large TE for his time (6-4, 240), but he was athletic and had soft hands. He put up some consistent numbers (40 catches, 600 yards/season) and did make two pro bowls, but he didn't have any eye-popping seasons and his TD totals were low.

I noticed that when I watch defensive linemen highlights of the 1960's and 1970's, invariably there will be a clip of that lineman sacking Bill Munson. For whatever reason, Utah State produced a ton of NFL players in the early 1960's, and Munson was their QB. He wasn't big or athletic, but it seemed like it he was hard to bring down. He ended up playing quite a bit despite never really being his team's #1 starter, and his career lasted 16 years. He split time with Roman Gabriel and Greg Landry.

Does anyone have any thoughts/'scouting reports' on these guys?

Milt Morin was also considered a very good blocker. His pass catching numbers may have been higher except that the Cleveland Browns also had receivers like Gary Collins and Paul Warfield and running backs like Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green who also caught their share of passes for much of the time that Morin was with the team.

Re: Thoughts on Milt Morin and Bill Munson

Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:54 pm
by BD Sullivan
Morin later became a corrections officer for 15 years, yet he apparently never went on a power trip with dealing with inmates, which gained him plenty of respect. He died in 2010.

Munson drowned in 2000 in what was ruled an accident at his home. Oddly, over a two-week span, he was one of three former Lion QB's to die: Tobin Rote on 6/27, Karl Sweetan on 7/2 and Munson on 7/10. Munson was traded from the Rams to Lions in 1968, with the Rams getting Milt Plum (among others) and a first rounder in 1969.