Murray Wins Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award
TYLER, Texas – The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce and SPORTyler announced Kyler Murray, QB, University of Oklahoma, as the recipient of the 2018 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award presented by Earl Campbell.
Murray received the award at The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Banquet January 9, 2019.
“I’m honored to present the award to Kyler Murray,” Earl Campbell said. “All of these players had an amazing season. They all deserved their place as a finalist.”
Murray is OU’s seventh Heisman Trophy winner. He is the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the Year Award recipient. He was also named AP Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Manning Award, and The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
In addition, Murray was first-team All-American (AP and FWAA), Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, named to All-Big 12 First Team and voted Most Outstanding Player of Big 12 Championship. He tied a league record by being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week five times.
The junior quarterback was also an Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honoree. Murray played in all 14 games with starts in 13 contests (suspended for first offensive series vs. Baylor). He was the first FBS player to average at least 300.0 passing yards (311.5) and at least 60.0 rushing yards (71.5) per game for a full season and joined Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (2015) as the only FBS players to ever record at least 4,000 passing yards and at least 1,000 rushing yards in a season. Murray led the nation in total yards (school-record 5,362), points responsible for (324; tied), yards per completion (16.8), and yards per pass attempt (single-season FBS record of 11.6; former record was 11.1).
He is ranked second in passing efficiency rating (199.2; FBS record entering season was 198.9), third in passing TDs (42), and fifth in completion percentage (.690). 11.1 percent of his passes went for touchdowns (FBS record is 11.6), and he threw for at least two touchdown passes in all but one game and threw at least three TD passes in 10 of 14 contests. He set school and Big 12 records by assembling a streak of eight games with at least three TD passes. He passed for at least 300 yards and rushed for at least 65 in a game seven times (most nationally since at least 1996; had only been done four times by a Sooner in the first 22 years of the Big 12).
Murray led the Big 12 in league play in total offense at 409.3 yards per game (next most was 335.1), passing efficiency rating with a 208.2 mark (next best was 176.7) and in total TDs with 37 (next most was 31). He completed 260 of 377 passes for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns against seven interceptions (6.0-to-1 ratio) and rushed for 1,001 yards and another 11 scores. He is the only player in school history to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 in a game, and he did it three times (360 and 100 at Texas Tech on November 3; 364 and 114 at No. 12 West Virginia on November 23; 308 and 109 vs. No. 1 Alabama in CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Dec. 29).
Murray became the first quarterback to ever rush for 100 yards against a Nick Saban-coached Alabama defense. He passed for 379 yards and three touchdowns (no interceptions) and ran for 39 yards in Big 12 Championship win vs. Texas (December 1). Murray finished 17 for 21 for 432 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions while adding 45 rushing yards and a score in OU’s 66-33 win over Baylor (September 29). His 348.0 passing efficiency rating in the Baylor game set school and Big 12 records (as did his 20.6 yards per pass attempt and 25.4 yards per completion) and was the highest in the FBS since at least 1996.
The other five finalists for the award were:
Eno Benjamin, Arizona State, RB, Sophomore – Wylie, Texas (Wylie East HS) – Pac-12
D’Eriq King, Houston, QB, Junior – Manvel, Texas (Manvel HS) – American Athletic Conf.
Greg Little, Ole Miss, OL, Junior – Allen, Texas (Allen HS) – SEC
Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State, WR, Sophomore – Ft. Worth, Texas (South Hills HS) – Big 12
Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M, RB, Junior – Houston, Texas (C.E. King HS) – SEC
Also present at the banquet were the award sponsors, which include: City of Tyler, Azalea Orthopedics, BMW of Tyler, Brookshire Grocery Company, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Clements Fluids Management, LLC, Patterson Commercial Property Group, R.W. Fair Foundation, Southside Bank, TDI Air Conditioning/James and Sharon Wynne, Chesley and Ted W. Walters, American State Bank, Austin Bank, Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine and Joint Hospital, Prothro, Wilhelmi & Co., Tyler Junior College, and University of Texas at Tyler.
THE EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.
In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four year Division I Texas college.
The voting committee co-chaired by Kirk Bohls, Austin Statesman, and Phil Hicks, Tyler Morning Telegraph, included 43 broadcasters, commentators, and journalists from across the country as well as fans and the previous winners, Bryce Petty (2013), Trevone Boykin (2014), Greg Ward, Jr. (2015), D’Onta Foreman (2016), and Baker Mayfield (2017).
