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University of Minnesota Athletics
Under The Helmet: Eric Murray
10/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Senior cornerback Eric Murray is known for intercepting, breaking up and defending passes, or simply scaring opposing offenses from throwing to his side of the field in the first place. But if someone does catch a ball in his vicinity, Murray wants to make sure that player doesn't tack on many extra yards to the play.
"He's a fierce tackler," said Gophers wide receiver KJ Maye, who has gone against Murray in practice for years. "Very physical. He makes sure that he wraps you up and takes you down. He's a sure tackler."
Murray appears meant to play defense, yet it was his affinity for playing another position that led him to push himself and try another contact sport as a junior in high school.
"I was obsessed with being a wide receiver, and at the time, Roddy White was real hot," he said. "They did a story on him saying the reason he's so physical is because he wrestled."
Inspired by this story about the Atlanta Falcons star receiver, Murray joined Riverside University High School's wrestling team. It was his first experience with the sport, so he had a lot to learn.
"It was difficult at first," Murray said. "The ground game was probably the most challenging part for me. I was well conditioned and I was pretty fast. Everybody else was bigger than me, so I was quicker than everybody else. Really all I did was take people down, get my two points, let them get back up, and we went from there."
Murray wrestled junior varsity for just one season. The Milwaukee-area JV 171-pound class was not prepared for this hard-charging rookie grappler.
"I lost one match," he said. "The dude that beat me my first match, I beat him my very last wrestling match."
Not bad for a beginner. Of course, the crossover between football and wrestling technique helped.
"When you double leg somebody, it's a lot of wrapping," he said. "So you've just got to wrap every time. That's the biggest part of tackling."
The year after delving into wrestling, Murray earned all-state recognition as a defensive back. While football and wrestling are both high-contact sports with similar elements, Murray found that they require different types of endurance.
"In football if you get tired, you only have your own body weight to worry about," he said. "In wrestling, if you get tired, you have somebody else's body weight to worry about. You don't want to get tired, because if you get tired and that guy's not tired, he's going to make you look bad. You've got to keep moving and you've got to be in the best condition of your life."
Murray's brief experience with wrestling left a deep impression, and an appreciation for the hard work that goes into the sport. He recalls running in circles for half an hour in an 80-degree gym, and says he would rather go through Minnesota's two-a-day football practices than a rigorous routine of wrestling workouts.
"Wrestling was really, really, really tough," Murray said. "Preparing to wrestle somebody and preparing to go play football is completely different. That was probably my biggest takeaway-how hard you need to work just to wrestle somebody for six minutes. It really pushes you to your limits. To this day I still believe wrestling is harder than football."
Murray has at least a few teammates who understand where he's coming from. Running back Rodrick Williams was an all-state wrestler in Texas, and offensive lineman Josh Campion was a standout in northern Minnesota. Murray said he used to wrestle against former Gophers safety Cedric Thompson, another high school wrestler who was closer to his weight class.
Maye did not previously know about Murray's venture into another sport, but believes if Murray were to spar against teammates "we would have a good time, not even knowing his wrestling background, but just knowing what kind of person he is and how physical he is."
Murray joined his high school wrestling team hoping to become a better wide receiver, but he has instead gained a reputation as a lockdown corner with an NFL future. He broke up seven passes and was Minnesota's fourth-leading tackler last season, and is near the top of the list again this year. Before the season he garnered mention on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award watch lists.
Murray and many of his teammates enjoy watching WWE, and Ric Flair's signature "Wooo!" cheer can often be heard at Gopher games and practices. Yet Murray plays with the workmanlike intensity of the JV high school mat, rather than the boisterous showmanship of the WWE ring. He may not say much, but he will keep the takedowns coming.
