Irvington native and Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Raheem Morris received the Essex County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award at a ceremony last week where it was also announced a field would be named after him.
“Today is a celebration of me, but it’s really about the people who helped me get to where I am,” Morris said at the event. “Essex County really is a special place and it was emotional for me to come back home where I was raised.”
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. made the announcement Thursday at the county’s Annual African American History Month Celebration.
During the ceremony, DiVincenzo presented the award to Morris and announced the naming of the “Essex County Raheem Morris Field” in Essex County Vailsburg Park in Newark and presented Morris with a Key to Essex County.
The ceremony drew a crowd with many people participating: Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, Senate Majority Leader and Deputy Chief of Staff Teresa Ruiz and Commissioner President Carlos Pomares presented proclamations, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss presented keys to their respective cities, Irvington Schools Superintendent Dr. April Vauss and the Irvington High School Football Team presented a framed retired team jersey, members of the Payne Tech and Newark Tech Girls Flag Football Team presented a team jersey. Also speaking were Morris’ high school coach Chet Parlavecchio and youth football coach Mark Vitelli.
The Essex County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award given to Morris states: “In the highly competitive National Football League, Raheem Morris has found success on the sidelines as a coach, appearing in three Super Bowls and winning two championships. He also has broken barriers by becoming one of the youngest head coaches in NFL history when he took over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the first African American head coach to lead the Atlanta Falcons. But for Raheem, coaching is more than just drawing Xs and Os on a board; it’s about creating a culture of camaraderie, communication and encouragement that positively impacts his players both on and off the field. We know his story of perseverance and hard work will inspire younger generations pursuing their dreams.”
The County Executive also announced that the football field in Essex County Vailsburg Park in Newark has been named as the “Essex County Raheem Morris Football Field.” A plaque that will be installed at the site begins with a quote by golf legend Tiger Woods: “If you are given a chance to be a role model, I think you should always take it because you can influence a person’s life in a positive light.” It continues: “As a youth growing up in Irvington, Raheem Morris excelled in football, baseball and basketball and was part of a Small Fry basketball team that traveled to Puerto Rico and won a national championship. After playing football at Hofstra University,
Raheem pursued a career in coaching starting with his alma mater at Hofstra and progressing to the National Football League where he has been a head coach of two teams and part of two Super Bowl championships with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 and Los Angeles Rams in 2022. As a coach, he has taught, mentored and molded his players so they are great on and off the field. Personally, he has supported charitable organizations that fight against cancer and childhood diseases, advocates about the importance of learning CPR and helped save a 3-year-old from drowning in a pool. At a time when there are few Black head coaches in the NFL, Raheem is a role model, demonstrating to younger generations that through hard work they can achieve their goals. Naming the ‘Raheem Morris Football Field’
in his honor will hopefully inspire our younger generations to do the same.”
Morris was named as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons football team on Jan. 25, becoming the first full-time Black coach in the team’s history. Earlier in his career, he served as interim head coach of the Falcons for 12 weeks in 2020.
He has been to the Super Bowl three times, winning the championship in 2003 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he was a defensive assistant coach and in 2022 with the Los Angeles Rams when he was the Defensive Coordinator. He also was part of the Atlanta Falcons as an assistant head coach that lost the Super Bowl in 2017.
During the previous three years, Morris was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. Before Los Angeles, he spent six seasons with the Falcons in various roles, including assistant head coach, before assuming the interim position. He gained his first head coaching opportunity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in 2009-2011 and, at the time, was the youngest head coach in the league at the age of 32.
After graduation from Hofstra University, he held various coaching positions with Hofstra, the New York Jets, Washington Redskins (now the Commanders), Kansas State University and Cornell University. He was a safety on the Hofstra football team from 1994-1997 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. Raised in Irvington, he is married to his wife Nicole and has three children, Amaya, Maliya and Jalen.
The African American History Month Celebration is the part of a year-long cultural series created by County Executive DiVincenzo to highlight Essex County’s diversity.
Other cultural celebrations highlight Irish, Italian, Jewish, Latino and Portuguese heritage, and Women’s history.
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