| Meyer Morton | |
| Birth Name: | Myer Isakovitz |
| Birth Date: | November 20, 1889 |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Death Date: | February 8, 1948 |
| Death Place: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Citizenship: | United States |
| Alma Mater: | University of Michigan |
Meyer Morton, born Myer Isakovitz (November 20, 1889 – February 8, 1948) was an American football player and official and lawyer from Chicago, Illinois.
Morton was born in November 1889 in Chicago. His birth name was Myer Isakovitz.[1] His parents, Martin "Max" Morton and Elizabeth "Bessie" (Schreier) Morton, were Russian Jews, his parents immigrating between 1879 and 1882. They became naturalized U.S. citizens in 1890.[2]
At the time of the 1900 United States Census, the family's last name was recorded as "Isacovitz."[3] At the time of the 1910 United States Census, the family had changed its name to Morton and was living in Troy, New York. The father was employed as a salesman at a dry goods store.[4]
Morton enrolled at the University of Michigan and received a law degree as part of the Class of 1912. While attending Michigan, he played on the freshman baseball and track teams. He was also a reserve player on the undefeated 1910 Michigan Wolverines football team as a sophomore and a member of the class football team as a junior.[5] [6]
After graduating from Michigan, Morton returned to Chicago and worked as a lawyer there from 1915 to 1948. At the time of World War I, Morton was single, living in Chicago and working as a self-employed lawyer. He was serving as a private in the National Guard, Illinois - 1st Cavalry.[7]
Morton also worked on Saturdays as a game official for the Big Ten Conference for 23 years from the 1920s to the 1940s.[8] After serving as the head linesman a game between Notre Dame and Northwestern in October 1926, Morton was criticized by Knute Rockne who felt that Morton had over-penalized the Fighting Irish team. Rockne recalled it was "the only time in my life I ever got sore at an official" and felt it was unfair that Michigan coach Fielding H. Yost was picking game officials for Notre Dame. In his history of the Michigan - Notre Dame rivalry, John Kryk wrote:
Meyer Morton, as Rockne well knew, was a Conference man. Worse, a Michigan man. Still worse, a Yost man. Indeed, Morton was a prominent member of the University of Michigan Club of Chicago, and his correspondence with Yost and others dot the Michigan files of the 1920s and 1930s.[9]
At the time of World War II, Morton was living in Chicago and working for the Chicago Flexible Shaft Co., a manufacturer of electrical appliances that later became known as Sunbeam Products.[10]
Morton died in 1948 in Chicago.
During his lifetime, Morton was one of the leading members of the "M" Club of Chicago.[9] In 1925, the club began a tradition of giving an award each year to the Michigan football player who showed "the greatest development and most promise as a result of the annual spring practice."[8] For many years, Morton traveled from Chicago to present the award in Ann Arbor. Beginning in 1948, after Morton's death, the annual award was renamed the Meyer Morton Award.[8]
The award has been presented to many of the legends in Michigan football history, including Gerald R. Ford (1932), Ron Kramer (1954), Jim Harbaugh (1984), and Desmond Howard (1991). A complete list of the past winners is set forth below.[11]
| Year | Player | Year | Player | Year | Player | Year | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Ray Baer | 1950 | Roger Zatkoff | 1973 | Paul Seal | 1996 | Damon Denson |
| 1926 | George Rich | 1951 | Merritt Green | 1974 | Dennis Franklin | 1997 | Clint Copenhaver |
| 1927 | LaVerne Taylor | 1952 | Gene Knutson | 1975 | Dan Jilek | 1998 | Tai Streets |
| 1928 | Danny Holmes | 1953 | Don Dugger Tony Branoff | 1976 | Greg Morton | 1999 | Grady Brooks |
| 1929 | Roy Hudson | 1954 | Ron Kramer | 1977 | John Anderson | 2000 | Jeff Backus |
| 1930 | Estel Tessmer | 1955 | Jim Van Pelt | 1978 | Gene Johnson | 2001 | Bill Seymour |
| 1931 | Herman Everhardus | 1956 | John Herrnstein Bob Ptacek | 1979 | Curtis Greer | 2002 | Victor Hobson |
| 1932 | Gerald R. Ford | 1957 | Charles Teusher | 1980 | George Lilja | 2003 | John Navarre |
| 1933 | Mike Savage | 1958 | Dick Syring | 1981 | Stan Edwards | 2004 | Braylon Edwards |
| 1934 | Matt Patanelli | 1959 | Willard Hildebrand | 1982 | Stefan Humphries | 2005 | Tim Massaquoi |
| 1935 | Bob Cooper | 1960 | Bill Freehan | 1983 | Steve Smith | 2006 | Steve Breaston |
| 1936 | John Jordan | 1961 | Dave Raimey | 1984 | Jim Harbaugh | 2007 | Chad Henne |
| 1937 | Fred Trosko | 1962 | John Minko | 1985 | Clay Miller | 2008 | Will Johnson |
| 1938 | Archie Kodros | 1963 | Tom Keating | 1986 | Doug Mallory | 2009 | Stevie Brown |
| 1939 | Ralph Fritz | 1964 | Tom Mack | 1987 | Jamie Morris | 2010 | Greg Banks |
| 1940 | George Ceithaml | 1965 | Bill Keating | 1988 | John Vitale | 2011 | John McColgan |
| 1941 | Merv Pregulman | 1966 | Donald A. Bailey | 1989 | Chris Calloway | 2012 | Brennen Beyer |
| 1942 | Bob Wiese | 1967 | Dick Yanz | 1990 | Matt Elliott | 2013 | James Ross III |
| 1943 | Clem Bauman | 1968 | Bob Baumgartner | 1991 | Desmond Howard | 2014 | Joe Bolden |
| 1946 | Bob Ballou | 1969 | Don Moorhead | 1992 | Chris Hutchinson | ||
| 1947 | Alvin Wistert | 1970 | Jim Betts | 1993 | Todd Collins | ||
| 1948 | Leo Koceski | 1971 | Guy Murdock | 1994 | Jay Riemersma | ||
| 1949 | Don Dufek | 1972 | Randy Logan | 1995 | Jarrett Irons |