Morris was born in Norris City, Illinois and attended Frankfort Community High School in West Frankfort, Illinois where the high school gymnasium is named after Morris. He later attended the University of Illinois and Northwestern University. Morris was the last Northwestern athlete to be selected as an first-team All-American in two sports. He was a consensus All-American football player at the end position in 1945. That year, Morris set a Big Ten Conference single-game record with 158 receiving yards in a game against Minnesota.