Michael Murphy’s decision on Wednesday to sign a National Letter
of Intent to North Dakota State University didn’t come as a
surprise to most.
The senior linebacker for the San Benito Haybalers had been
wearing yellow and green Bison merchandise around campus the last
several weeks. He said he made his decision about four months ago,
but he had to wait until Feb. 3 to make it official.
HOLLISTER
Michael Murphy’s decision on Wednesday to sign a National Letter of Intent to North Dakota State University didn’t come as a surprise to most.
The senior linebacker for the San Benito Haybalers had been wearing green and gold Bison merchandise around campus the last several weeks. He said he made his decision about four months ago, but he had to wait until Feb. 3 to make it official.
“They gave me an opportunity to live my dream that I’ve been looking forward to since I was a kid playing Pop Warner as a 7-year-old,” said Murphy, the reigning Tri-County Athletic League’s Most Valuable Defensive Player.
Murphy signed his letter of intent in front of about 30 people on the SBHS campus Wednesday, and becomes the first football player to do so since the 1999-2000 school year, when Baler Roy Sims signed at Fresno State, head coach Chris Cameron said.
“It’s a tribute to Mike and the hard work he’s put in the last four years,” Cameron said. “It’s really nice to see Mike, for all his efforts, really start to fulfill his dreams …”
While ND State made the greatest push to sign the star linebacker — other schools interested included Sacramento State and Minnesota State at Moorhead — the fact that a good portion of Murphy’s family resides in Detroit Lakes, Minn., made his decision that much easier.
“North Dakota was the only thing on my mind,” Murphy said. “It was the No. 1 school that I really wanted to go to.”
Roughly 45 miles east of the ND State campus in Fargo, Detroit Lakes is home to Murphy’s grandmother, grandfather, two pairs of aunts and uncles and his great-grandfather.
“And they only get to see me play about once a year,” Murphy said. “That, and I really love the campus and all the facilities. It’s a domed stadium and they have extremely nice practice facilities.”
Under the guidance of head coach Craig Bohl, the Bison (often referred to as the “Thundering Herd”) compiled a 2-6 record in the Missouri Valley Conference of Division I-AA last year, 3-8 overall.
Murphy, who received a partial scholarship, was one of 22 high school athletes who signed on to ND State, according to the school’s Web site. The Bison also signed three junior college athletes.
While Murphy will have to earn a spot at the linebacking position, ND State coaches foresee the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Baler at the long snapper position next year.
“They need me for that position. But if they need me as a linebacker, they’ll work me toward that,” he said. “It’s one of those things that I’m gonna have to be patient for.”
Last season, Murphy recorded 142 tackles in 13 games at the linebacker position for San Benito — an average of 10.9 per game. He finished eighth overall in the Central Coast Section in tackles, while his 297 tackles over 33 games for his high school career is fourth overall during the Cameron era (1994-present).
“I’m just excited to get an opportunity,” Murphy said. “My dad told me this was one of my biggest years in football. That motivated me to put the work in.”
Murphy, who plans on competing in the shot put for the San Benito track team this spring, traveled to North Dakota just last weekend with his father, Larry, and he said it’ll take him a couple of months to transition from the sunny California weather to that of Fargo, where Wednesday’s high was 18 degrees.
“It was cold,” Murphy said simply.
The senior backer is expected to report to North Dakota by Aug. 1, while the Bison will open their 2010 campaign at Kansas on Sept. 4.
“I’ll probably be getting there earlier (than that),” Murphy said. “I’m just really excited.”
