Senior Running Back Epitomizes Fighting Tiger Spirit
An adage exists that states one does not experience the real world until after college.
Many times the saying is accurate. However, in the case of LSU senior running back Richard Murphy, the phrase cannot be further from the truth.
A highly-touted prospect out of Rayville (La.) High School, Murphy was initially expected to compete for playing time as a freshman in 2006. After being forced to miss all of preseason camp while waiting to be ruled eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse, Murphy was redshirted by the LSU coaching staff.
Murphy’s story does not start there, however.
When Murphy was just 10 years old, his father, Robinson, died of lung cancer.
“I knew he was sick, but I didn’t want him to pass,” Murphy said. “When he died, I thought to myself, ‘I don’t know what I am going to do.’ I grew up doing everything with my father. My dad taught me the tough things and how to be tough as a man.”
After the death of his father, his mother was forced to raise him and his eight siblings by herself.
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“After my father died, I grew much closer to my mom,” he said. “She raised me to be a good young man.”
In high school, Murphy quickly became one of the best running backs in the state. As a sophomore, he received the first of three first-team all-state selections. He followed that up by rushing for 24 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards as a junior in 2004.
A mere three plays into Rayville’s first-round playoff game, however, Murphy tore his ACL.
“I got hit on my left leg and went down,” he said. “I knew something was wrong, but I just thought I had hyperextended my knee. However, when I stood up and tried to walk, I knew it was bad. A couple of days later I was told that I had torn my ACL.”
Amazingly, Murphy fully recovered from his career-threatening injury and rushed for 1,559 yards and 22 touchdowns his senior season. With a scholarship offer to LSU already in hand, things appeared to be looking bright for the versatile running back.
Murphy’s world was once again shaken, however, when his mother, Anna, died of cancer during his senior year of high school. Unbeknownst to the LSU recruit, the elder Murphy was originally diagnosed with the disease two years earlier but withheld the news from her youngest son.
“I did not find out she was sick until she had two weeks to live,” he said. “Everything came crashing down. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was thinking about giving up, but my older brothers encouraged me to keep fighting.”
Concluding his high school career with more than 7,000 rushing yards, Murphy arrived at LSU in August 2006 not only with high expectations from media and fans, but also from himself.
“When I first got here, I wanted to play as a true freshman,” he said. “But, since I didn’t get to go to fall camp, I really did not know the plays well enough until mid-season. So, I used my redshirt year to run against the first-team defense and get better through scout team and help the team the best I could.”
During his redshirt freshman season in 2007, Murphy helped lead LSU to a National Championship by rushing for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps more importantly, he played an integral role on the special teams unit, finishing the season with 10 tackles.
“I wanted to get on the field anyway I could to help the team,” he said. “As the year went on, I got to play more and more on offense. I just kept doing what the coaches asked me to do to help the team.”
The former Rayville High star added 186 yards rushing his sophomore year, backing up Charles Scott and Keiland Williams. Murphy also provided versatility by catching 10 passes for 92 yards out of the backfield. He even lined up at quarterback in the Wildcat formation for two plays against Alabama.
Last year, however, Murphy was hit with yet another major setback early in the season when he tore his ACL against Vanderbilt.
“When I got the ball I tried to do something spectacular, and I jumped and got hit as I came down,” he said. “Like in high school, I thought I had hyperextended my knee, but the doctor told me I had probably torn my ACL again.”
Following another grueling rehabilitation process, Murphy remarkably was nearly back to full strength in time for the Capital One Bowl. While he did not play in the game against Penn State, the explosive back sent a statement to the team that he was not going to let his latest injury end his career. Murphy returned to action several months later, participating in spring practice.
“I had surgery about a week after the injury and started rehab shortly afterward,” he said. “I came back and started practice before the bowl game and had a great spring and fall camp.”
Prior to the beginning of the 2010 season, Murphy was recognized for his inspirational attitude and tremendous leadership with perhaps the greatest honor a Tiger can receive – the No. 18 jersey. Given to the player that best represents what it means to be a Tiger both on and off the field, the jersey number passing has become the latest in a long line of LSU traditions.
“It means a lot to me,” he said. “When (former LSU tight end) Richard Dickson offered it to me, I was very honored to take it. The number has lots of meaning because it stands for character on and off the football field. I am still excited to wear it every practice and game.”
Entering his senior season, Murphy was in competition to be the Tigers’ starting running back. While junior Stevan Ridley has taken over the starting role, Murphy has once again proven his invaluable versatility by being a productive receiver out of the backfield and perhaps LSU’s best blocking running back.
You don’t know what you have until it is gone. This is an adage that may apply perfectly to Richard Murphy and the LSU football program. After five eventful years in Baton Rouge, Murphy is set to leave LSU and enter the “real world.”
“I want people to know that I gave everything I had on and off the field to represent LSU,” he said.