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Louis Murphy

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Louis Murphy
refer to caption
Louis Murphy Jr. in October 2010
No. 18 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1987-05-11) May 11, 1987 (age 37)
St. Petersburg, Florida
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:Lakewood (FL)
College:Florida
NFL draft:2009 / round: 4 / pick: 124
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2015
Receptions:161
Receiving yards:2,293
Receiving TDs:10
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Louis Morris Murphy, Jr. (born May 11, 1987) is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. The Oakland Raiders drafted him in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and he has also played for the NFL's Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.

Early years

Murphy was born in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1987,[1] of mixed Samoan and African-American descent. As a teenager, he completed the requirements to be an Eagle Scout.[2] Murphy attended Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, where he played for the Lakewood Spartans high school football team.[2] In addition to playing quarterback and wide receiver for the Spartans football team, he was also a power forward for the basketball team, and anchored the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay events for the track team—winning the state championship as a sophomore, with times of 41.59 seconds and 3:24.07 minutes, respectively.[2] Following his senior football season in 2005, he was ranked as the thirty-seventh best wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com.[3][4]

College career

Murphy accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,[2] where he played wide receiver for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2005 to 2008.[5] As a freshman in 2005, he mostly played on special teams. During his sophomore season in 2006, he didn't play much, but he did score his first touchdown reception from freshman quarterback Tim Tebow against the LSU Tigers.[6]

Murphy earned a spot on the 2007 starting roster during spring practice,[7] and became one of the top receivers on the team. After the end of the regular season, he had 36 catches for 544 yards and five touchdowns.[8]

As a senior team captain in 2008, Murphy led the team in receiving yards (655) and ranked second in receptions (38) and average receiving yards per game (46.8), averaging 17.2 yards per catch; he was also the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award.[5] He surpassed the 1,000 career-receiving yards mark with 54 yards in the Gators' victory over South Carolina. Murphy extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to twenty-seven, and scored his final college touchdown on a 20-yard pass in the first quarter of the Gators' 24–14 BCS National Championship Game victory over the Oklahoma Sooners. Murphy had knee surgery following the season.[2]

Murphy also competed for the Florida Gators men's track and field team, posting a personal best of 6.36 seconds in the 55 meters.

He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in 2008.

Professional career

2009 NFL Combine

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Bench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m) 		203 lb
(92 kg) 		4.32 s 1.48 s 2.58 s 4.45 s 6.95 s 12 reps
All values from Central Florida Pro Day.

Oakland Raiders (2009-2011)

Murphy was chosen in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders,[9] and he has played for the Raiders in 2009 through 2011.[10] He made his NFL debut on Monday Night Football against the San Diego Chargers on September 14, 2009, and caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from JaMarcus Russell. In 2009, Murphy caught a touchdown pass that helped the Raiders overcome the Cincinnati Bengals. Later in 2009, Murphy again led his team to a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers by grabbing an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski with nine seconds left in the game that put the Raiders up 27–24.[11]

Murphy's role in the offense decreased over time seeing time as a rotational player in the Raiders offense.

Carolina Panthers (2012)

On July 23, 2012, Murphy was traded to the Carolina Panthers.[12] With the Panthers he recorded 25 receptions for 336 yards and one touchdown. It was his second season in which he played all 16 games.

New York Giants (2013)

On March 16, 2013, Murphy signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants.[13] Giants general manager Jerry Reese, said, "I think he's going to add another dimension to our offense. We have a scout named Jeremiah Davis and he talks about guys being a knife. This guy is a knife. This guy can take the top off your defense. He's an interesting guy. He gives us a different dimension in our offense. If we have the same guys, if we have Hakeem Nicks back healthy and we have Victor Cruz, back, this guy gives you a deep threat that we haven't had. We haven't had a guy who can run like this guy."[14]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014–present)

On March 26, 2014 Murphy signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[15] They released him the day before the season opener on September 6, 2014 to make room for rookie Brandon Dixon. He was re-signed September 23 and played against the Steelers on September 28 (including a crucial 41-yard reception on the Bucs' final drive leading to a touchdown and a win).[16] At the conclusion of the 2014 season Murphy proved to be valuable as a third receiver, primarily in the slot. Despite some injuries and issues with the team's low-scoring offense Murphy compiled 31 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns.

On December 26, 2014, Murphy signed a three-year contract extension with Tampa Bay through the 2017 season.[17] He was placed on the team's injured reserve on October 27, 2015 after suffering a torn ACL.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Louis Murphy. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e GatorZone.com, Football History, 2008 Roster, Louis Murphy. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  3. ^ Rivals.com, Prospect Rankings. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  4. ^ Stephanie Hayes, "She was what he needed: quiet inspiration," St. Petersburg Times (February 16, 2008). Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  5. ^ a b 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 74, 81, 85, 103, 125, 184 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  6. ^ Mark Long, "Tim Tebow Excels as Florida Tops LSU 23–10," FirstCoastNews.com (October 8, 2006). Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  7. ^ Cory Walton, "Louis Murphy: Leading By example," GatorZone.com (October 30, 2007). Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  8. ^ ESPN.com, College Football, Player Stats, Louis Murphy Stats. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  9. ^ Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 2009 National Football League Draft. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  10. ^ National Football League, Current Players, Louis Murphy. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  11. ^ Alan Robinson, "Raiders stun Steelers 27–24 with 3 late TDs," Yahoo Sports (December 6, 2010). Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  12. ^ Jesse Collin, "Carolina Panthers Acquire WR Louis Murphy from Oakland Raiders," Panthers101.com (July 23, 2012). Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  13. ^ Evan Hilbert, "Report: Louis Murphy agrees to deal with the Giants," CBS Sports (March 16, 2013). Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  14. ^ Michael Eisen, "NYG adds vertical threat, WR Louis Murphy," Giants.com (March 19, 2013). Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  15. ^ Scott Smith, "Murphy Joins Hometown Bucs," Buccaneers.com (March 26, 2014). Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  16. ^ "Buccaneers Transactions". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  17. ^ Patra, Kevin (December 26, 2014). "Louis Murphy, Buccaneers strike contract extension". NFL.com. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
  18. ^ Astleford, Andrew (October 27, 2015). "Buccaneers place Louis Murphy on injured reserve". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2015.

Bibliography

  • Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
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