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W E E K E N D E D I T I O N | S E P T E M B E R 2 7- 3 0 , 2 0 18 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M
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“I think Kenneth is a monster. He’s out there doing whatever he can to help his team win”
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Sophomore linebacker Kenneth Murray celebrates in the game against UCLA Sept. 8. The Sooners beat the Bruins 49-21.
DOWN TO BUSINESS Kenneth Murray’s lifelong attitude of respect, hard work evident in everything he does
K
e n n e t h Mu r ray ’s l i f e changed at 10 years old. Hi s p a re nt s a d o p ted three siblings, each of them with special needs that require help throughout a normal day. Murray was unfazed — he knew the obligations he and his family would be taking on. “If something were to happen to you,” Lind Murray recalls his nephew saying to his parents, “I’ll take care of them.” Mu r ray , n ow O k l a h o ma’s starting middle linebacker, has always shouldered responsibility. Murray has been an athletic freak since he was born, earning the nickname “Meat” when he was young. But while his physical appearance may be the first thing people notice, it’s the person he is beyond his 6-foot-2inch, 238-pound frame that is most impressive. Growing up as the son of a preacher, he’s learned the importance of patience and discipline. He’s determined to be the best football player he can be, after Lind’s advice and an eighth grade teacher’s fandom. And today, his leadership is a light at the end of the tunnel for an Oklahoma defense searching for direction. “When Kenneth sets out to do something, he gets it done,” said Murray’s father, Kenneth Murray Sr. “He’s always been conscientious. He’s always been serious. He’s always been determined.” RAISED WITH DISCIPLINE Murray stood in line with his
GEORGE STOIA • @GEORGESTOIA kindergarten classmates, waiting to get a drink at the water fountain. But neither he nor his peers, could reach the fountain. So Murray did what any kindergartner would do: He wrote a letter to the principal. Every water fountain at Red Elementary was lowered in the following days. “The one thing I know about Kenneth is that he’s always been a highly disciplined kid,” said Gordon Yancy, Murray’s fifth grade teacher at Red Elementary in Houston, Texas. “Kenneth was always trying to help someone. He was always a compassionate person, thinking about his classmates, teammates, whoever it may be that needed his help.” Mur ray grew up in a “yes sir, no sir” household. He was taught the importance of manners and politeness at a young age. The s on of a preacher, Murray spent most of his free time at the church and the local community center volunteering. But it wasn’t until his parents decided to adopt Nyia, Leonard and James — now ages 17, 12 and 9, respectively — that those core values came to fruition. “Kenny decided early on that this was something we had to do to help take care of them,” said Murray’s mom, Dianne. Murray also has a biological sister, Kimberly, who is 17 years old. “They’re his younger brothers and sister. He’s very proud of them and loves helping out when he comes home … He’s the best big brother they could
ask for.” When Murray was in elementar y school, he would come home and tell his parents which ki d s c ou l d n ’ t a f f o rd l u n ch. Murray Sr. would always take care of it, finding some way to help Murray’s classmates. That embodies who the Murrays are. They care for those around them and are protective of the ones they love — much like Murray is with his Oklahoma teammates. He treats people with respect and affection, taking pride in the way he was raised.
“No nonsense. Nothing would distract him. He was about his grades, he was business-like ... He knew exactly what he wanted. He was on a mission.” DENNIS BRANTLEY, MURRAY’S HIGH SCHOOL COACH
“He’s always looked out for others because that’s something we always taught him to do,” Dianne said. “As a human being, as a Christian, that’s the right thing to do. He always looked out for his sisters and he’s definitely looked out for his little
brothers. That’s just a part of who he is.” STAYING FOCUSED Basketball was Murray’s first love. He was talented and often the most athletic player on the court but he also had one major flaw: Each time he was fouled, Murray would hit the kid that fouled him. “He was no basketball player,” said his uncle Lind, who played defensive back at West Virginia in 1980 and 1981. “He was always wanting to fight … I told him he was too mean for basketball that he has that football mentality.” When Tim Boutte — a former running back at Texas Southern between 2000 and 2004 — showed up to help coach a Pop Warner team one day, he noticed just one kid. The way he looked in his uniform, the way he ran in warmups, the way he tied his shoes — all of it stood out to Boutte. The kid was special, and Boutte knew it from day one. T hat k i d w a s 1 0 - y e a r- o l d Murray. “Sometimes when you see greatness, you can just tell,” Boutte said. “I saw greatness that day.” Thanks to his uncle’s advice, Murray joined the Post Oak Eagles — a local Pop Warner team in Houston — a couple weeks after the season had started. He got his first taste of football almost immediately in a
tackling drill, when one kid — who outweighed everyone by about 50 pounds, according to Boutte — kept knocking Murray down. Boutte pulled Murray — who was crying at this point — to the side and gave him two options. “I said, ‘Either you’re going to hit him, or I’m going to hit you,’” said Boutte, who still trains Murray today. “He quit crying, wiped his nose and smacked the crap out of that dude.” Murray never looked back, falling in love with the game and focusing all of his attention toward it. When he got to Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas, his freshman year, he rode his bike every day to practice, making sure he never missed a workout or meeting. Coaches would find him running sprints on the field early in the morning and when asked what he was doing, he’d simply reply with one word: “Preparing.” “When Kenneth walked in as a freshman, he was focused on being a college football player. I’m talking day one,” said Dennis Brantley, Murray’s high school coach. “No nonsense. Nothing would distract him. He was about his grades, he was business-like ... He knew exactly what he wanted. He was on a mission.” Murray’s work ethic paid off, becoming a three-star prospect and ranked the 35th best player in Texas in the 2017 class, per See MURRAY page 2
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