Morris Watts, a coach who spent more than 50 years working in the sport of football, has passed away. He was 88 years old.
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Michigan State, the team with which Watts became a pivotal figure, offered its condolences with a statement on X.
"We mourn the passing of former longtime coach Morris Watts," the Spartans said. "Watts served as our offensive coordinator from 1986-90, 1992-94, and 1999-2002, and as interim head coach in 2002. We send our deepest condolences to the Watts family."
Photo credit: Michigan State University
Watts, a Missouri native, attended Tulsa, where he played running back for three seasons. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1961 and then he earned his master's degree from Pittsburgh State in Kansas in 1964.
The former Tulsa running back moved into coaching in 1965. He kicked off his career with Drake in 1965, and he remained with the team for seven seasons while working in multiple roles on the offensive side of the ball. He then joined Louisville in 1972, where he coached quarterbacks and wide receivers while serving as offensive coordinator.
Watts moved on to Indiana in 1973 and kicked off a nine-year tenure. He then worked as offensive coordinator for Kansas in 1982. He also coached quarterbacks for two seasons with the USFL's Birmingham Stallions.
The Missouri native kicked off his first tenure with Michigan State in 1986. He served as offensive coordinator until 1990 as the Spartans posted five consecutive winning seasons. The team won the Rose Bowl in 1987, the Aloha Bowl in 1989, and the Sun Bowl in 1990.
Watts also served as offensive coordinator for the Spartans in 1992-1994 and again in 1999-2002. He served as the interim head coach during the final three games in 2002. He went 1-2 as a head coach with a 56-21 win over Indiana, a 45-42 loss to Purdue, and a 61-7 loss to Penn State.
Watts's coaching resume also includes one season coaching quarterbacks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1991), one season as Mississippi State's OC (2003), two seasons at Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma (2007-2008), two seasons with Miami University in Ohio (2009-2010), six seasons with Central Michigan (2011-2016), one season with Arkansas (2017), and one season at Texas Southern (2018).
