Football Runs in the Family : Morton Brothers Have Developed into College and High School Standouts

For the Morton brothers, holiday and weekend gatherings at their uncle’s home always meant food, fun and football.

Along with their cousins and neighborhood friends, Johnnie, Eric and Chad Morton always wound up playing street flag football for hours. Their version--played with socks instead of flags--was their first exposure to the sport they all love and continue to play.

Johnnie, the second-leading receiver for USC and a graduate of South High School in Torrance, was 9 when the family tradition began.

“That’s when football was the most fun,” said the eldest Morton brother. “It was so carefree. There was no pressure to play. . . . We just played.”

The Morton brothers haven’t played with their cousins for several years, but they still have fun at the game they love. There is just more at stake now.

Like the time in the 1990 USC-UCLA game when Johnnie, who was a freshman, scored USC’s last two touchdowns in a Trojan 45-42 victory, including the game-winner with 16 seconds left.

This season, he ranks sixth among Pacific 10 Conference receivers with 25 catches for 329 yards and six touchdowns.

Johnnie came to USC as a highly prized recruit after catching 60 passes for 951 yards during his senior season at South in 1988.

With impressive numbers of their own, Eric, 16, and Chad, 15, are creating another set of football memories at South.

Chad, a sophomore running back, saw limited varsity action prior to the Spartans’ Pioneer League opener against West Torrance on Oct. 16. But with an ankle injury sidelining South’s starting tailback, Kapono Tumale, Coach Don Morrow planned to rotate Chad into the game with three other players.

But Chad emerged as South’s prominent ball carrier in an 18-13 victory. The 5-foot-5, 135-pound back rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns in 12 carries and scored the winning TD on a 50-yard run in the fourth quarter.

“(Chad) is the kind of guy that can come in and in five or 10 plays really make a difference in the game,” Morrow said. “He’s not very big, but he’s got better quickness than anybody on the team.”

Eric, a senior wide receiver, also has contributed to South’s 3-0 league record and 5-3 overall record. The Spartans play host to Centennial on Friday night.

As South’s big-play receiver, Eric has 26 catches for 461 yards and two TDs.

“(Eric) is the guy we try to get the ball to most of the time on pass plays,” Morrow said. “His strength, speed and quickness have all increased between his junior and senior years.

“He’s always been a hard worker, but I think he knew going into his senior year that he was going to be the go-to guy.”

The Morton brothers support one another. Johnnie came to South’s first game this season and was impressed with Eric’s play.

“He runs better routes than I do,” Johnnie said. “He really runs precise patterns.”

Football runs deep in the Morton family.

Johnnie Morton Sr., the boys’ father, was a defensive back for Miles College in Fairfield, Ala. His two sons by a previous marriage also played football.

Mike Morton, a former Inglewood High standout running back, played from 1982-86 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, primarily as a return specialist. His brother, Stanley, played baseball and football at Inglewood and was a minor league player for the San Francisco Giants.

Morton Sr. said his wife, Katsuka, has played an important role in their sons’ athletic development.

“She’s been very encouraging by attending all the games,” he said. “She understands the game quite well.”

Although football plays a big part in the Morton family, high priority is given to education and career planning.

Eric, who has a 3.5 grade-point average and is taking college prep classes, said he would like to attend Stanford.

“I’m thinking about going into sports medicine,” Eric said. “It would be interesting because I would be in the sports field even if I don’t play professionally.”

Chad, who missed a football practice to audition for an acting part on television, has appeared in commercials and had a small role in the movie “Beethoven.” He can be seen in a commercial for Double Dip cereal.

“I want to be an actor when I grow up,” Chad said. “Either that or a football player.”

Presently, the closest to realizing his dream of playing professional football is Johnnie.

“As a kid, the idea of playing (professional) football was more of a dream,” Johnnie said. “I think I can take a more realistic view of it now. I think I have a shot at it. It’s just a matter of polishing my skills.”

Johnnie, a communications major, served a summer internship on the “Arsenio Hall Show” as a production assistant.

“I’ve made a lot of connections while I’ve been here (at USC),” Johnnie said. “I might even get into sports broadcasting.”

While his older brothers make their moves on and off the field, Chad is watching and learning.

“I try to mold myself after how both my brothers play,” Chad said. “They’re good athletes, and I’m still young and learning.

“I just want to do what they do, play football and have fun.”