For the past few years, the Oregon Duck football team has become known for its ability to recruit some of the finest junior college athletes in the country at that time.
As it turns out, the Ducks were able to land some of the best junior college players from this past decade.
On Friday, J.C. Grid-Wire magazine announced its national junior college Anniversary Team of the ’90s, and two Oregon athletes were selected for the honor.
Current Oregon tailback Maurice Morris made the distinguished list as well as former Duck quarterback Akili Smith.
Both Morris and Smith were two of only 12 athletes to be named to the first-team offensive team.
Morris arrived in Eugene in the summer after spending two stellar seasons at Fresno City College in Fresno, Calif. In his two years as tailback at Fresno he became the nation’s all-time leading junior college rusher with 3,708 yards on 593 carries.
Morris set a national junior college record for compiling 4,487 all-purpose yards. He also surpassed Fresno City College’s school records with 26 rushing touchdowns in a single season, 45 in a career and 49 total touchdowns.
He recorded his career high yardage total on Oct. 31, 1998 when he rushed for 334 yards on 49 carries.
“Junior college was a great learning experience for me,” Morris said after a recent practice. “I learned so much and improved so much, which is helping me have success here.”
The 6-foot, 205-pound junior college transfer is certainly living up to expectations at Oregon, as he currently ranks 12th in the nation in rushing with an average of 125 yards per game.
He has surpassed the 100-yard mark in three of Oregon’s first five games, including a 152-yard performance in the Ducks’ 23-16 win over Washington Sept. 30.
Smith’s final game as a Duck was Dec. 25, 1998, in Oregon’s 51-43 loss to Colorado in the Aloha Bowl. He is currently at the helm of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.
Smith attended Grossmont Junior College down in El Cajon, Calif., and was one of the nation’s hottest junior college prospects. In 1996, he was ranked fifth in the nation after throwing for 3,212 yards and 32 touchdowns.
He also finished second in the state of California in total offense with an average of 317.8 yards per game.
Former Oregon running back Reuben Droughns also made the magazine’s list as an honorable mention selection. Droughns was the nation’s top junior college rusher in 1997 when he ran for 1,611 yards for Merced College in southern California.
Droughns is currently on the injured reserve list in his first season with the NFL’s Detroit Lions.