As a quarterback at the University of California, Morton completed 355 of 641 passes for 4,501 yards and 36 touchdowns. He was a first-round draft choice of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys in 1965 and he became the team's starter in 1969.The 1970 Cowboys went to the Super Bowl but lost 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts. Morton became a backup to Roger Staubach in 1971 and was traded to the New York Giants in 1974.He went to the Denver Broncos in 1977 and was named the American Football Conference player of the year after completing 131 of 254 passes for 1,929 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Broncos lost 27-10 to the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XII.Morton retired after the 1982 season. During his 18 years in the NFL, he had 2,053 completions in 3,786 attempts for 27,908 yards and 183 touchdowns.