Mercury Morris, Elusive Rusher on a Perfect Dolphins Team, Dies at 77

Mercury Morris, who gave speed and dexterity to the rushing attack of the Miami Dolphins in the early 1970s, helping to power the team to two Super Bowls and the only perfect season in the history of the National Football League, died on Saturday night.He was 77.His son Troy-Jeffery announced the death in a statement that did not specify the cause or where Morris was at the time.At the height of his career, Morris was part of an unusual three-man rushing rotation alongside the fullback Larry Csonka and another running back, Jim Kiick.

Csonka and Kiick were powerful bruisers; Morris, who was born Eugene, gained his nickname from his quick unpredictability on the field.Initially, he had been used mainly as a kick returner.He did not have a single handoff during the Dolphins’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1972 Super Bowl.

Csonka and Kiick, conversely, gained such fame for their partnership on the field and their friendship off it that they were nicknamed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.The next season, Coach Don Shula made Morris an integral part of the offense.After quarterback Bob Griese broke his ankle in Week 5, the running game became even more important for the team.Behind an offensive line featuring future Hall of Famers like Larry Little and Jim Langer, the three backs proved to be unstoppable.

In the regular season, the offense averaged 27.5 points a game, leading the N.F.L., and Morris rushed for a league-leading 12 touchdowns.The Dolphins won their 19th consecutive game in the 1973 Super Bowl in a game dominated by their defense, which held the Washington team, then called the Redskins, to a single touchdown.The next season, Morris led the N.F.L.with 6.4 yards per carry, and the Dolphins were dominant again, losing just two games en route to another Super Bowl victory.After that, however, injuries and rival offers broke apart the team’s rushing triumvirate.Morris was next a major figure in the news in 1982, when he was convicted of conspiracy ...