Jon Morris, a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, has died, the team announced Thursday. He is 84.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
The Boston Patriots selected Morris in the fourth round of the 1964 AFL draft, and the Packers took him in the second round of the NFL draft. The Holy Cross product signed with the Patriots and spent 11 of his 15 NFL seasons in New England.
Morris was a six-time AFL all-star center from 1964-69 and a Pro Bowl selection in 1970 when the team joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger.
Morris spent the 1974-77 season in Detroit before a final season with Chicago in 1978.
“Jon Morris is one of those great players who helped build the foundation of our franchise,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “For generations of Patriots fans, he represents the toughness, dedication and pride of those first teams.”
Morris played alongside future Patriots Hall of Famers Gino Cappelletti, Babe Parilli and Jim Nance, and he entered the team’s Hall of Fame in 2011. Morris was also on the Patriots’ 50th anniversary team in 2009.