Jamal Morrow’s story is largely one of carries and Carey.
Long before becoming the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ featured tailback, Morrow was a contestant on “The Price is Right.”
In keeping with his ebullient personality, he was so excited to hear his name called to “come on down!” that he ran on to the stage and did a chest-bump with the host, Drew Carey.
“It was actually 10 years ago,” recalls Morrow, who attended Heritage High School in Brentwood, Calif. “It was my senior year in high school and the show had a college theme. I was already committed to Washington State, so my mom said, ‘Do you want to do this?’ I said, ‘Why not?’
“So it was the day after one of my senior proms. I get there and we go through all the rehearsals and the interview process you have to go through.
“Then I got called up, as one of the first four. I didn’t win my first showcase, but then I spun the wheel and had a great spin-off with this one girl and got to the Showcase Showdown.
“Then I overbid by $500 and, well, that’s it.”
Although Morrow didn’t win a prize on the show, per se, he did not leave the CBS Television City studio empty-handed.
“There was the college theme, so they were able to give me $1,000 in gift cards,” he said. “It was great. I got to spend it on all my dorm utilities and stuff like that.
“That’s it, because I didn’t win a car. I had a chance to win two cars and I didn’t win it.”
Is that a haunting recollection?
“Naah, I’ve moved on,” Morrow said with a chuckle. “I’ve got some clothes that I won, but I’ve never worn them. I couldn’t fit the jeans. I couldn’t fit the shirts.”
That explains why the show isn’t called “The Size is Right.”
After the taping, Morrow didn’t devote much thought to the game-show appearance for several weeks.
“I was a freshman at Washington State and I didn’t even get to see the show when it was on TV because we were in camp,” said Morrow, who was a member of the Mike Leach-coached Cougars.
“When they showed it, I had no idea. My coaches were like, ‘We’ve got a special presentation that we want to show you.’
“Then Coach Leach pulls out these clips. I’m a freshman and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, no, they’re showing this.’ All the seniors and the older guys, they see me go to the next step and win the spin-off and they’re all cheering.
“Then they saw that I overbid and it was like, ‘Ohhhh …’ But it was fun. I still have no idea who told them, because I didn’t tell anybody, but they found out.”
A redshirt in 2013, Morrow played for the Cougars from 2014 to 2017. With 4,219 all-purpose yards, he placed third in school history. His 23 touchdowns ranked him seventh on Washington State’s all-time list.
But there was another claim to fame. He was without peer as a coin toss caller.
“This goes back to Coach Leach,” Morrow said. “He gave me the opportunity. We were playing Oregon and I go out there and win the coin toss. Then we go into overtime and I go out there and win the coin-toss again. After that, he was like, ‘Go out there.’
“I thought it was going to be a one-time thing, but I continued to do it over and over. I guess it became a thing. I had a lucky streak so we just kind of kept it going from there.”
Morrow ended up winning 24 of 35 coin flips — a 68.6-per-cent success rate — over three seasons.
With that in mind, has he whispered in the ear of Roughriders Head Coach Craig Dickenson.
“We tried it during the Green and White Game,” Morrow responded, “and I won.
“It was my audition, so I’m 1-and-0 right now.”
A winning personality is also part of Morrow’s story.
“I think it’s just who I am as a person,” he said before rushing for a career-high 133 yards in Saturday’s 29-26 overtime victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
“If there’s a bad day, there’s not too many of them. I always look at the positives in things and I’m always very optimistic.
“At the end of the day, I’m playing professional football here in Regina under the sunshine and blue skies. Every day, it’s something that I look at in terms of, ‘You’re up and breathing.’ I don’t want to take that for granted.
“I just want to wake up and enjoy every second of life.”
