Chris Morton will resume his work with the Missouri State defensive lineman in his fourth season with the Bears.
In his first three years at MSU, Morton has tutored one of the Bears' deepest position groups, providing a key element in a defensive renaissance for the Maroon and White. In 2016, the D-line unit combined to record 156 tackles, 32.0 stops for losses and 15.0 of the Bears' 17.0 sacks on the year.
Two MSU defensive linemen have garnered All-MVFC honors under Morton's direction, including two-time honoree Colby Isbell. In 2016, Isbell earned the first of his two-straight second-team all-Valley honors after finishing with 33 stops,12.0 TFLs and 6.5 sacks, ranking sixth in the MVFC in each of the last two categories. James Barnes claimed honorable mention all-conference recognition in 2015, recording 33 tackles and ranking ninth among all Valley defenders in sacks during league play.
Morton came to MSU after spending two seasons on the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s staff, following a two-year graduate assistant stint at Missouri.
Before joining the UW-Stout program, Morton spent a total of four years in Columbia, where he worked as a compliance coordinator for two years before his initial coaching experience as a defensive graduate assistant under MSU head coach Dave Steckel. In that role, the Norfolk, Neb., native worked with the MU defensive line, linebackers and safeties, helping the Tigers go 8-5 in a 2011 season that culminated in an Independence Bowl victory over North Carolina.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Morton starred at center for South Dakota, earning first-team AFCA All-America honors in 2007 after claiming the 2006 Rimington Award for Division II. He was honored with USD’s Dr. John Van Why Athletic Department outstanding male athlete award and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2007.
Morton then worked as an auditor for the Missouri Attorney General’s office before heading to Mizzou, where he earned his master’s degree in health education and promotion.
Morton’s wife, Carla, is employed as an academic counselor at MSU’s Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Academic Achievement Center. The couple have a son, Caiden, and a daughter, Cora.
