A two-time All-State halfback on the gridiron for Muskegon St. Mary’s High School, Jim Morse tallied 130 points as a junior to finish third in the state’s prep scoring race. In his senior year, he notched 133 points en route to a second place finish in the 1952 scoring race. On the basketball court, the senior guard led the Irish to a 20-3 record and runner-up honors in the 1953 Class “C” state finals at East Lansing.
Upon graduation, Morse accepted an athletic scholarship to play football at the University of Notre Dame. A starting halfback in his sophomore season, the Muskegon native turned in his finest collegiate performance for the Irish against Notre Dame’s archrival, the University of Southern California. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Morse rushed for 179 yards in 19 attempts and scored twice as Notre Dame came from behind to defeat the Trojans 23-17. The Irish finished the 1954 season ranked fourth in the nation by the Associated Press with a 9-1 record.
The following year, the junior back caught five passes for 209 yards from his quarterback, Paul Hornung, including a 78-yard touchdown reception in a 42-20 loss to USC. His 41.6-yard-average-per-reception in the 1955 contest ranks first in Division I football according to NCAA records. Notre Dame ended the season ranked eighth by the AP, with an 8-2 mark. Morse finished the year as the leading receiver on the team, with 17 pass receptions for 424 yards. At the end of the season, he was selected to captain the Irish in 1956.
Morse and Hornung were bright spots in a long 1956 campaign. Hit hard by graduation, the squad was young and inexperienced. The Irish would finish the season at 2-8, the worst record in the school’s long history. Morse again led the team in receiving, with 20 receptions for 442 yards. Following the season, he was selected to play in the East-West Shrine game.
Both Hornung and Morse were picked in the National Football League’s annual draft by the Green Bay Packers. However, Morse chose to play professional ball with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. A two-way player, he lasted two seasons before an ankle injury ended his career.