FOOTBALL

Guy Morriss is in his second season as the head football coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce. In his first season, he led the Lions to a Lone Star Conference North Division title en route to Coach of the Year recognition. It marked the first outright division title for A&M-Commerce since 1990.

The five wins by a first-year Lions' head coach by Morriss are the most since J.V. Sikes won six in his initial campaign in 1954. A&M-Commerce closed out the 2009 season on a five-game winning streak, the longest such streak since a similar occurence in 1992 under then head coach Eddie Vowell. 

The Lions had 11 players earn all-Lone Star Conference North Division honors, including R.J. Brisbon, who was selected as the co-Offensive Lineman of the Year, William Green as the Defensive Lineman of the Year and Cory Whitfield as the Linebacker of the Year. Two members of the team were selected to the Lone Star Conference All-Academic Team for their efforts on the field and in the classroom. Three members of the team - Brisbon, Green and Chad Washington were selected to participate in the 2010 Cactus Bowl and Green received multiple all-american honors. 

Morriss was named the head football coach at Texas A&M University-Commerce on January 7, 2008.

Upon his hiring, A&M-Commerce athletic director, Carlton Cooper said, “We are very excited to have Guy Morriss join our Lion athletic family. He brings a wealth of football knowledge and relationships to our program. When we started this search, we were looking for a football coach to take our program in a new direction and build a program nationally recognized. We have selected the right person by choosing Guy Morriss to lead our football program.”

The former head coach at Baylor University from 2003-2007 and the University of Kentucky from 2001-2002 brings an impressive background that includes a 15-year playing career in the NFL. Morriss attended Sam Houston High School in Arlington and later Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He then went on to the NFL where he played for the Philadelphia Eagles (1973-1983) and the New England Patriots (1984-87). As a player, he participated in Super Bowl XV with the Eagles and Super Bowl XX with the Patriots.

Following his playing days, Morriss began his coaching career as an offensive line coach with the New England Patriots from 1988 to 1989 under head coach and NFL Hall of Fame member Raymond Berry. After spending a season as the offensive coordinator at Mansfield High School in 1991, Morriss was selected as head coach of the Washington Marauders of the Professional Spring Football League in 1997, but the league ceased operations prior to the start of the season.

From 1992 to 1993, he coached the offensive line at Valdosta State University before returning to the NFL in 1994 as a member of Buddy Ryan's Arizona Cardinals staff. Morriss then spent the 1995 cam paign with the Canadian Football League's San Antonio Texans, where they were second in the CFL in points scored and advanced to the semifinals of the Grey Cup playoffs. He spent the 1996 season as the offensive line coach at Mississippi State before moving on to the University of Kentucky. At Kentucky, he spent four seasons as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach before being promoted to head coach. In Morriss' two seasons as Kentucky's head coach, 10 Wildcats earned All-SEC recognition, three were named All-American and 43 garnered academic All-SEC honors. 

Morriss was then named the head football coach at Baylor University on December 11, 2002. As the Bears’ head coach, Morriss was instrumental in raising over $10 million towards football projects including a new on-campus practice facility: The Highers Athletic Complex & Simpson Athletics and Academic Center also including the Lee and Elaine Harrington Recruiting Center. His student-athletes were successful on and off the field as 58 student-athletes earned academic all-Big 12 Conference honors and 37 earned all-Big 12 Conference athletic recognition. He also revised and improved the Baylor strength and conditioning, academic support services and disciplinary programs that have been carried on through the remainder of the athletic department. 

During the 2008 season, Morriss served as the executive associate head coach for football development and offensive line coach at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky. At KSU, he had an offensive lineman earn second team all-conference honors as well as another named to the all-academic team. The Thorobreds offensive line averaged 168.8 yards on the ground and another 183.4 yards through the air.

Jack Peavey, who serves as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach, is in his second season at Texas A&M University-Commerce. 

In his first year at A&M-Commerce, offensive lineman R.J. Brisbon and David Sudderth earned first team all-Lone Star Conference North Division honors. Brisbon earned his second-straight LSC Lineman of the Year recognition as well as Daktronics second team all-region honors. He also participated in the 2010 Cactus Bowl and the 2009 East Coast All-Star Bowl. 

Prior to coming to A&M-Commerce, he has experience as a former head coach (Southwest Baptist University, William Paterson University), an offensive coordinator (Mississippi College, Millsaps College) and a position coach (Alabama State University, University of Arkansas, Brown University, Jacksonville State University, Millersville University and University of Rhode Island). As a high school coach at Bishop Feehan in Attleboro, Massachusetts, he advanced to four-consecutive state championship games, winning three in a row and posting a 44-4-2 record in a four-year span. 

Peavey was also a successful student athlete, where he earned multiple honors and went on to play in the National Football League with the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos.

He has been involved with 13 different football programs as a player and as a coach, nine of those have played for state titles, ranked nationally, played in the post season, won conference titles, received bowl invitations, played for or won national titles as well as played in the Super Bowl. 

Peavey has been involved in all phases of the game including offense, defense and special teams, as well as the academic and strength and conditioning of student-athletes.

Dan Lounsbury is in his second season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at A&M-Commerce. 

In 2009, A&M-Commerce quarterback Adam Farkes under his tutelage earned honorable mention all-conference honors. The Lions offense threw for 2,220 yards for the most since A&M-Commerce threw for a school record 2,892 yards in 2004. 

Lounsbury is in his second stint at Texas A&M-Commerce after serving as a graduate assistant in 1979. After leaving Commerce, he went to coach on the professional level, he has worked with the New York/New Jersey Knights of the World League of American Football, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and the Shreveport Knights of the Regional Football League. In addition, on the collegiate level, he has worked at Texas, TCU, Tulsa, Purdue, Cortland State as well as LSC North Division member Southeastern Oklahoma State 

As a position coach, he has worked with multiple parts of the offense, including quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. 

Lounsbury is reunited with Coach Morriss, where he coached the tight ends and slots at the University of Kentucky from 1999 to 2000. 

A native of Watertown, New York, Lounsbury and his wife have three children: Dan, Tim and Leslie. He earned his bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Arkansas.

Brian Williams is in his second season as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M-Commerce. 

Last fall, the Williams-guided defense picked up 76 tackles for loss, including 21 sacks; in addition to forcing 27 turnovers - 11 fumble recoveries and 16 interceptions. The Lions defense held opponents to under 100 yards rushing on seven occasions and allowed just 2.5 yards per rush.

A&M-Commerce finished the season, fourth in sacks (3.6 per game), eighth in the nation in rushing defense (83.8 yards per game) and ninth in tackles for loss (8.7 per game). Three Lions (William Green, Anthony DeGrate and Cory Whitfield) ranked in the top 50 in the nation in tackles for loss per game, Whitfield was 10th nationally in tackles per game (11.1), Green and DeGrate were among the top 20.

Four members of the Lions' defense - defensive tackle William Green, inside linebacker Cory Whitfield, defensive back Israel Hughes and safety Alex Contreras - earned first team all-Lone Star Conference North Division honors. Green was named the LSC North Division Defensive Lineman of the Year and Whitfield was named the LSC North Division Linebacker of the Year. 

Williams came to A&M-Commerce after serving as both a linebackers and special teams coach at BCS-level programs including Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and other Division I programs including Akron and Fresno State. 

He has also coached at Alabama State, Kentucky State and Morehead State on the FCS level. He has served as an associate head coach at the University of Akron and the assistant head coach, most recently, at Alabama State. 

In addition, Williams has recruited and developed student-athletes from throughout the nation, including the state of Texas. 

As a senior at the University of Kentucky in 1985, he earned second team all-Southeastern Conference recognition and the team’s Most Valuable Senior Award. He also was a two-time program Outstanding Defensive Lineman of the Year selection.

Luke Higgins is in his second season as the Lions’ linebackers coach. 

After completing his undergraduate degree in the spring of 2009, Higgins has made the transition from a player to a coach. In his first year as a member of the Lions’ coaching staff, the A&M-Commerce defense posted 76 tackles for loss, including 21 sacks; in addition to forcing 27 turnovers - 11 fumble recoveries and 16 interceptions. The Lions defense held opponents to under 100 yards rushing on seven occasions and allowed just 2.5 yards per rush.

A&M-Commerce finished the season, fourth in sacks (3.6 per game), eighth in the nation in rushing defense (83.8 yards per game) and ninth in tackles for loss (8.7 per game). Four members of the Lions’ defense earned first team all-Lone Star Conference North Division honors. 

After starting his collegiate career at the University of New Mexico, Higgins was a two-year letterwinner at Texas A&M University-Commerce along the defensive line. He saw significant action as a defensive end and on special teams units. As a senior, in 2008, he was second on the team with eight sacks, six quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries. In 2007, he played in all 11 games with 11 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss.

Higgins is currently working on his master’s degree in secondary education at A&M-Commerce.

Nick Myatt is in his second season as the Lions' running backs coach. 

The Lions' ground game averaged 73.1 yards per game and were led by Marcus Graham, who earned first team all-Lone Star Conference North Division honors. Graham led A&M-Commerce with 677 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. His running backs were also instrumental in the passing game with Graham finishing third on the team in receptions with 27 and fullback Maurice DuPont, who was fifth with 22.

Myatt was also involved in the Lions' special teams units that went 30-for-30 on point-after attempts and seven-for-nine on field-goal attempts.

He spent two years as an assistant football coach at Waco ISD; prior to that, he was a two-year letterwinner on the football team at Baylor University. For the Bears, he saw action on special teams units as a long snapper. He earned Academic All-Big 12 honors and was intrumental in the Bears’ 34-31 win over Colorado as a senior.

Prior to attending Baylor, Myatt spent two years at Howard College. where he spent two years as a member of the baseball team and he was a pitcher. At Waco High School, he earned all-state honors in baseball and was a team captain in football.

Mario Price enters his first season as the Lions’ wide receivers coach.

Prior to coming to A&M-Commerce, he served on the coaching staff at Waco High School and G.W. Carver Magnet School in Waco. At Waco High School, he worked with the offense and was involved in scouting opponents for the top ranked team in the state. At. G.W. Carver, he served as the offensive coordinator and head coach where the eighth grade won the championship and seventh grade finished third. In addition for the last three years, Price has also worked the Odell James Football Camp in Waco.  

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, he was a three-year member of the football team at Baylor and spent his freshman year at Army. While with the Bears from 2003-06, he saw extensive action on special teams units and as a running back. Price was named second team academic all-Big 12 as a senior and a two-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the university’s Dean’s List. As a freshman at Army, in 2002, he played in all 12 games as a defensive back and on special teams units.

Justin Valentine begins his first season as the tight ends coach for the Lions.

The Columbus, Ohio native enters the coaching ranks after being a four-year starter at the Univeristy of Minnesota from 2003-07. Valentine and  the Gophers payed in four bowl games and was a key blocker for four 1,000-yard rushers including the Dallas Cowboys’ Marion Barber. He also saw extensive action on special teams units and was called upon often in short yardage, scoring 15 career touchdowns. Following college, he spent the 2008 training camp with the New York Jets.

Valentine earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota in communications and is currently working on his master’s degree at A&M-Commerce.

Byron Williams enters his second season as a member of the Lions’ coaching staff. In 2009, he served as the A&M-Commerce linebackers coach and will coach the defensive backs in 2010.

One of the key players in 2009 for the Lions was linebacker Cory Whitfeld, who earned Lone Star Conference North Division Linebacker of the Year and first team all-LSC North DIvision honors. Teammate and fellow linebacker Stephen DeGrate earned honorable mention all-conference honors. As a whole, the Lions defense racked up 76 tackles for loss, including 21 sacks; in addition to forcing 27 turnovers - 11 fumble recoveries and 16 interceptions.

Williams spent 2008 as the cornerbacks coach at East Texas Baptist. He spent the previous two years as a high school coach in the Denton area.

The Dallas, Texas native played collegiately at the University of Minnesota for the 2003 and 2004 seasons under then coach Glen Mason. Before joining the Golden Gophers, he attended Ranger Junior College (2002) and Scottsdale Community College (2001).

After graduation from Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas, he served in the United States Navy from 1997 to 2001 before resuming his football career.