Murray Still Chasing His Dream

By Kevin Eickman

Brion Murray

While many people can easily take no for an answer, 2017 Milford graduate Brion Murray is not one of those people. After playing football for just two years for Milford, there was no interest from college football programs in bringing Murray into their programs despite the obvious athletic talent of the Blue/Gold participant.

With a re-kindled love of football Murray determined that his journey wasn’t over, it was just beginning. Instead of packing it in, he packed his luggage and headed 1,200 miles away to Coffeyville Community College. After red shirting his first season, he became a starting cornerback in his second. This time, college teams took notice. At the top of the list was D-1 Virginia Tech offering Murray a full-ride to attend and play football for them.

“Looking back, my time at Coffeyville was very challenging but I learned a lot. It was difficult being isolated like that, but nothing comes without a price,” Murray said.

Murray would spend three years at Virginia Tech, polishing his game and completing his degree in communications. The fact that he was much closer to home was also a big bonus.

“I really love my family, especially my mother who has sacrificed so much for us. For my friends and family to come and see me play was a big plus for me,” Murray said.

Spending the bulk of his time on special teams, Murray was also in the defensive back rotation. It would be during this period that his self-confidence began to grow even more.

“I could see that I was physically equal to a lot of players who were getting attention at the next level, I just hadn’t been playing football my whole life like they had. “

With little interest and not even a tryout invitation from an NFL squad, Murray once again found himself at a crossroads. This time his attention turned to the indoor football league, which he has existed for the last two seasons. Currently getting ready for the upcoming season which starts in March, hopefully in Arizona. Murray continues to toil away in chase of his ultimate dream, the NFL

“I’m not giving up, I’m just looking for a chance,” Murray said. “I have a lot left in the tank at this point and giving up is not in my nature, it’s just not in my DNA.”

Meanwhile, during the last few games of the just completed season, Murray could be found on the sidelines, coaching players that need the polishing he did when he was with Milford. Reaching out to current Milford coach Jed Bell, he noticed a big difference in the play of the secondary and receivers as his team closed out the season

“It has been wonderful to have him around. Not only does he have a wealth of knowledge, but he really brings a fantastic energy to the room which the players he is coaching have embraced,” Bell said. “He has a natural gift as a both a coach and motivator, it’s a very dynamic combination and speaks about him as a person taking time out of his own training to help us.”