Mike Morris, the 6-foot-6, 300-pounder from Pahokee, spent a lot of joyous time on the turf of Lumen Field after the Seattle Seahawks rumbled into the Super Bowl with their victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 25.
A former Cardinal Newman and American Heritage-Delray football star, Morris was celebrating the lifelong achievement with his mother, Melanie, a principal at Glades Central, his sister Milan, who works as a Jacksonville Jaguars scout, his father, his cousins, his best friend.
And then the 24-year-old Morris finally entered the Seahawks locker room – another football player from The Muck making great.
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“We were so happy,’’ Morris said. “We had a great time. I actually spent so much time with my family on the field, I missed a little bit of stuff going on in the locker room. When I walked in, my asthma kicked in from all the cigar smoke. It was honestly a great time.’’
And now the Seahawks are preparing for Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara – 4.5-point favorites over the New England Patriots.
Morris’ emotions are finally arranging themselves after a few days of fluttering in dreamland.
“Honestly, every time someone asks me that, I kind of stutter up a bit,’’ Morris said. “It’s hard to put everything you’ve ever worked for into words. It’s incomprehensible. One of my best friends, he was getting emotional but I wasn’t getting emotional because I can’t even process what’s going on. I’m just truly thankful to be going there and now my mind has shifted. I’m just ready to play.’’
Mike Morris will play on special teams
And Morris will play a lot as Seattle’s special-teams star.
On the defensive line/outside linebacker depth chart, he’s stuck behind a glorious set of players but he’s made his name in other phases.
The Michigan man is on the field for all the kickoffs, kick returns, punt returns and punt coverage. He takes snaps at DE occasionally but never more than a dozen a game.
“I’m a big man running,’’ Morris says. “I got a lot of miles after a game and I feel every bit of it.’’
Before Week 10 against Arizona, Morris, in his third season in Seattle after being a fifth-round pick in 2023, was named one of three game captains, alongside quarterback Sam Darnold.
“I feel like the way I’ve been playing the past season, I was being recognized by my team and coaches as well,’’ Morris said. “Just making an impact. Special teams is how much you care about football. As a team, we care about it a lot. I’m in position to serve and help the team.’’
His mother, father and sister will be in Santa Clara this weekend, but he hasn’t invited a whole big group. Best to focus on winning Super Bowl 60.
After taking off last Monday and Tuesday, the Seahawks practiced Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday before flying into the mayhem of Super Bowl Week.
“We’re making it about the game,’’ Morris said. “Stuff is going to come up and we’re going to have fun with it, enjoy it. But we’re going to keep the main thing the main thing. We’ll have a lot of fun with whatever they have planned for us, but when it comes to playing ball, we’re going to do what we do best.’’
Morris played in just one game as a rookie before going on injured reserve. The past two seasons, he’s been a special-teams demon – a position he had never performed at Cardinal Newman, American-Heritage or Michigan.
Mike Morris stuck behind Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence
One day, Morris hopes to be an every-down edge rusher. Seattle is blessed to have All Pro defensive end Leonard Williams, defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence, who is a potential Hall of Famer, 2023 first-rounder Byron Murphy and linebacker Uchenna Nwosul.
“Those are four of our starters and all of them are making a plethora of money,’’ Morris said. “It’s some odds there, but I handle my business. If you get caught up with the other stuff, it distracts. Those guys are playing amazingly. They got us here. I’m not complaining.’’
Being around Williams and Lawrence will only help.
“I feel I will take everything I learned from them with me,’’ Morris said. “I want to be in Seattle the rest of my career. If that’s not the case, I’ll take all the information my coaches gave me and take it wherever I go. But Seattle is my home and that’s where I want to be. ‘’
Morris’ sister was a basketball superstar at Cardinal Newman and won Palm Beach Post’s Player of the Year in 2017.
There’s another Cardinal Newman/Seahawks connection. Seattle’s linebackers coach, Chris Partridge, is cousin of the Crusaders’ athletic director/assistant football coach, Ryan Partridge, who’s coming off capturing the school’s first state football championship in December.
Ryan Partridge, whose uncle is former NFL punter Rick Partridge, was in Seattle for the NFC championship game.
Morris has fond memories of his Cardinal Newman/American Heritage days and now warns parents not to focus so much on transferring in high school because of football.
“It’s going to actual campuses and doing well and going to football camps,’’ Morris said. “Parents get too wrapped up into thinking the football at the school is deteriorating and let’s go to a different school. No, let the kid have fun with his friends and having a good time.
“After high school, everything else is super business-oriented, especially how NIL is moving in college. The NFL, you’re not having fun unless you’re playing very well or on a very good team. It gets a lot less fun after high school.’’
It’s been a lot more fun in Seattle than the first two seasons when the Seahawks missed the playoffs. The 14-3 regular-season romp in 2025, followed by two playoffs wins, wasn’t on anyone’s radar.
“It was not caring about what anyone thinks, not caring what social media thinks, not caring what ESPN thinks,’’ Morris said. “It was taking care of things day by day. Today we had a good practice and that’s all that matters. Our next goal is having a good day tomorrow. That’s the way we think.
“We won’t think about the Super Bowl until the day of the game. Obviously, we’re game-planning, preparing, but we have to take care of today. That’s how we approached everything.’’
Morris has no regrets on how his football career has played out, even if he missed out by one year on the NIL money explosion.
“Of course I’ll always look back,’’ Morris said. “But I’m too happy now. I’ve done too well for myself in college and the NFL. I’m truly content.’’
And, no, playing for the Miami Dolphins isn’t on the bucket list. In the offseason, Morris goes back to the Pahokee area, but only for a few weeks.
“I really like the weather here (in Seattle),’’ Morris said. “In Florida, people really like the heat. It’s cute until you experience it 24/7 and experience a true hurricane season. My wife is from Indiana and she loves Florida weather, but you haven’t really lived in it.’’
The only thing that could top this Super Bowl is if Seattle gets back and faces his sister’s Jaguars, who made the playoffs this season but were knocked out in the first round by the Bills.
“We’re both super-high achievers,’’ Morris said. “Honestly, I’m just so proud of her. It’s expected in our household but so proud of my sister.’’
Super Bowl 60
New England Patriots vs. Seattle Seahawks
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Cal.
Sunday, Feb. 8
6:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mike Morris: From Palm Beach County high school star to Super Bowl 60
Reporting by Marc Berman, Special to The Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
