Morrison was born in Gravette, Arkansas to his father Tim who was of Scottish ancestry and his mother Diana. Morrison was raised in Delaware County, Oklahoma, spending most of his teenage years in Jay. Morrison's nickname, "The Duke", is based on the claim that he was an alleged grand-nephew, or otherwise distant relative of the Hollywood star John Wayne (né Marion Morrison). and his father urged Tommy to take up the sport at the age of ten. At the age of 13, Morrison's mother used a fake ID and entered her son into fifteen "toughman" contests (the minimum age for contestants was 21). He later told "The New York Times" that he lost only one of these matches.