Mark Coxon Morrison


Mark Coxon Morrison was a Scottish international rugby union footballer who captained both Scotland national [rugby union team|Scotland] and the British and Irish Lions.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Morrison played for Royal HSFP.
He played two games for Leicester, one in 1898 and one in 1902.

Provincial career

Morrison played for Edinburgh District and played in the Inter-City matches against Glasgow District.

International career

He played for Scotland twenty three times between 1896 and 1904, and captained the team fifteen times, a record which stood until the era of Arthur Smith, sixty years later.
He first played for Scotland against Wales in 1896, while a teenager playing for Royal HSFP. He continued to play for Scotland until 1904, and captained them a total of 15 times. With Scotland he won three Home Nations Championship with them in 1901, 1903 and 1904. Two of those Championship victories were Triple Crown wins.
He was chosen to captain the British and Irish Lions on the 1903 [British Lions tour to South Africa]. The Lions lost the Test series 1-0 with two drawn. In 2002 he was inducted into the Scottish [Sports Hall of Fame].
Jimmy Sinclair, the Springbok forward described Morrison as "a real roughouse of a man, and a great leader."

Administrative career

He was the 55th President of the Scottish Rugby Union, in post from 1934 to 1935.

Personal life

Mark Coxon Morrison was born on 3 April 1877 at Dalmeny, Linlithgowshire to John Morrison and Jane Begg.
His father's brother was Alexander Morrison, who was the first Government Botanist in Western Australia.
Mark spent his childhood and teenage years residing with his parents and siblings at the family farm at Wester Dalmeny.
Mark married Mona Middlemas Oliver on 4 June 1914 at the Parish Church of Maryhill, Lanarkshire. The ceremony was performed by the Minister of Glasgow Cathedral, Pearson McAdam Muir.
The couple had two daughters, Isabella Mona Morrison and Sybil Jane Morrison.
Mark's first wife Mona died in 1918, aged 25 years.
Following Mona's death Mark married Elspeth Barnes Smith on 22 October 1919 at The Crown Hotel, Thornton in the Parish of Markinch, Fife.
Mark and Elspeth had just one son, Norman Begg Morrison, who died during World War II. He was a Sergeant Pilot in the RAF. He flew out of Scampton, Lincolnshire on a night mission and his plane was shot down by flak crashing at Sandkiva, Norway on 7 September 1941 aged just 20 years.
He was a farmer by trade.
Mark died on 10 May 1945 at his farm at Longniddry, East Lothian aged 68 years.
Some 57 years after his death Mark was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame for Rugby Union.