Leon Calvin Murray (born October 18, 1958) is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL draft and played from 1981 to 1982 for the Eagles. He also played in 1983 for the Arizona Wranglers and in 1984 for the Denver Gold of the United States Football League (USFL).
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 18, 1958 Middle Township, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Millville (Millville, New Jersey) | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1981 / round: 4 / pick: 110 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Born in Middle Township, New Jersey and raised in Woodbine, Murray attended Millville Senior High School.[1] He played college football at Ohio State University.
College career
editIn a game against Washington State on September 22, 1979, Murray set an Ohio State Buckeyes record for longest pass reception when he caught an 86-yard pass from Art Schlichter. Murray led the Buckeyes in rushing in 1979 and 1980. He led the Big Ten in rushing in 1980.[2] He was voted as Ohio State's most valuable player by his teammates in 1980.
Professional career
editPhiladelphia Eagles
editMurray was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL draft. He was released prior to the start of the 1981 season, but was re-signed on October 28 when Louie Giammona was knocked out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.[2] During the 1981 season he appeared in 7 games, in which he rushed 23 times for 134 yards, caught one pass for 7 yards, and returned one kickoff for 14 yards.[3]
In 1982 he appeared in one game, returning three kickoffs for 42 yards.[3]
Arizona Wranglers
editIn 1983, Murray signed with the Arizona Wranglers of the United States Football League and was the 12th highest rusher in the league that year with 699 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Murray also had 40 receptions and three receiving touchdowns.
Denver Gold
editIn 1984, Murray signed with the Denver Gold.
Personal
editSince retiring from football, Murray has resided in Columbus, Ohio. He spent several years as a purchasing manager for Franklin University in downtown Columbus.
Murray's son, Cal, is a former running back for the Miami RedHawks.[4] He was drafted by Rhein Fire in the 22nd round of the 2007 NFL Europa Free Agent Draft.
Murray converted to Orthodox Judaism and adopted the Hebrew name Yosef.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ Weinberg, David. "South Jersey's football stars reflect on how the NFL draft has changed", The Press of Atlantic City, April 28, 2016. Accessed November 13, 2018. "Calvin Murray (Woodbine, Millville), fourth round, Philadelphia Eagles"
- ^ a b "Eagles lose Giammona for remainder of season". The Ledger. Philadelphia. Associated Press. October 28, 1981. p. 9D. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
Player personnel director Carl Peterson said free agent halfback Calvin Murray, the team's fourth-round draft choice from Ohio State, had been added to the Eagles roster to replace Giammona. Murray led the Big 10 in rushing as a senior, and gained 21 yards on eight carries for the Eagles during the exhibition season. He also returned four kickoffs for 94 yards.
- ^ a b "Calvin Murray". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- ^ "#43 Cal Murray". Miami Athletics Football. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
- ^ "From Rose Bowl to Rashi: My Unique Journey to Judaism".
- ^ Danae King, Columbus Dispatch Jul 5, 2018