Kevin Murray (football)

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Name=Kevin Murray


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DateOfBirth=Birth date and age|1964|6|18
Birthplace=flagicon|Texas Dallas, Texas
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Position=QB
number=14
College=Texas A&M
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Kevin Murray (born June 18, 1964) in Dallas, Texas. Murray was a quarterback at Texas A&M University and is currently a high school football coach. Murray and his wife Missy live in Lewisville, Texas and have three children. Murray's younger brother is former Major League Baseball outfielder Calvin Murray.

High School

He was an All-State quarterback at North Dallas High School and was named Dallas-Ft.Worth metroplex Offensive Player of the Year his senior season. He was also a star center fielder for the North Dallas baseball team. Murray was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th Round (287th overall) of 1982 MLB Draft and played one season ('82) for their Pikeville rookie league team in the Appalachian League before enrolling at Texas A&M.

College

Murray arrived at Texas A&M in the Fall of 1983 and began the year 4th on the depth chart at quarterback. He quickly rose to the top of the depth chart and in only his fifth start, Murray rallied the Aggies against Arkansas with a third quarter explosion at Kyle Field. He threw three touchdown passes in six-minute span and finished the game off with a late fourth quarter touchdown toss to set a freshman school record with four touchdowns in a game. By the end of the season, he had been named the Southwest Conference Newcomer of the Year as well as second-team all-conference. He finished the year as the SWC's total offense leader, averaging 165 yds per game and was the conference leader with 14 touchdown passes. On the season, he passed for 1,544 yds and 14 touchdowns with a 53% completion rate. In 1984, in the third game of his sophomore year, Murray shattered his ankle diving for a first down in a game against Arkansas State. The injury would require surgery and a year of rehabilitation.

In 1985, Texas A&M appealed to the NCAA and received a medical hardship exemption, making 1984 a redshirt year for Murray and granting him an additional year of eligibility. Murray had an outstanding 1985 season, passing for 2,463 yards then an A&M record. A&M beat SMU, Arkansas, and Texas in three late-season home games that were all televised by ESPN. The Aggies' 42-10 whipping of Texas to return to the Cotton Bowl for the first time since 1968 made Murray a household name.

For his efforts, he earned second team All-American honors from the Football News and Offensive MVP honors in the Aggies' 1986 Cotton Bowl victory over Auburn and Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson. In the game, Murray passed for 292 yards, breaking Joe Montana's Cotton Bowl record and leading the Aggies to a 36-16 win. After the season, Murray was named Offensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press, The Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle.

Murray had a spectacular 1986 season, one in which he broke most of Texas A&M's passing records and became the Southwest Conference's all-time touchdown leader. He was once again named a 2nd team All-American and led the Aggies to their second consecutive top-10 finish. One of Murray's career highlights came during the 1986 Baylor game at Kyle Field, in which he rallied the Aggies from a 17-0 deficit to a 31-30 victory, completing 25-of-40 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another. The game was voted the decade's best by Texas Football magazine

The Aggies returned to the Cotton Bowl the that year to face the Ohio State, but unfortunately Murray's return appearance was not as successful. In what would be his final game at A&M, Murray threw five interceptions while completing only 12 of 31 passes as the Aggies ended a great season with a frustrating defeat. He finished his Aggie career 25-6-1 as a starter, making him the winningest quarterback in Aggie history (his career wins record was later broken by Corey Pullig).

Professional

Murray made himself eligible for the NFL draft after his junior year, but went undrafted. Although one of the nation's top orthopedic specialists cleared Murray to play in the NFL, concerns about his health and lingering issues with his ankle kept teams away. Murray had two brief professional stints, signing as a free-agent with the San Francisco 49ers and the Calgary Stampeders, but eventually retired due to the chronic ankle injury that had plagued him since his early days at Texas A&M.

Coaching

Murray is currently serving as the high school quarterback coach at Parish Episcopal School and runs the Air 14 Quarterback Academy.

External links

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE0DC123EF937A15750C0A961948260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/T/Texas%20A&M%20University NY Times Article]
* [http://www.air14football.com Air 14 Website]
* [http://www.12thmanfoundation.com/mag/Vol4/vol4no06/murraythemagician.asp 12th Man Magazine article]