Boston College Athletics
Football's Murphy Named Connecticut Player of the Year
December 22, 2014 | Football
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - Boston College graduate Tyler Murphy was named the Connecticut Player of the Year by the Walter Camp Football Foundation on Monday. The Wethersfield, Conn., native broke the Atlantic Coast Conference record for single-season rushing yards by a quarterback in his first year in the league.
Awarded annually to the top college football player who is a resident and/or played scholastically in the state of Connecticut, the Connecticut Player of the Year is selected by the all-volunteer membership of the Walter Camp Foundation.
"We are pleased to recognize Tyler Murphy as our Connecticut Player of the Year," Foundation president James Monico said. "Tyler has been a dual offensive threat for the Pinstripe Bowl-bound Eagles and a worthy recipient of this honor."
The 6-foot, 2-inch, 213-pound Murphy transferred to Boston College in the spring of 2014 after earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, where he played three seasons for the Gators. Murphy recently earned his graduate degree in administrative studies at BC.
A dual-threat quarterback, Murphy made his presence known in his year at The Heights. Murphy broke the 13-year ACC record set by Clemson's Woodrow Danzler in 2001, amassing 1,079 rushing yards through 12 games. He also surpassed Eagle great Doug Flutie (939 yards) for BC's career record for quarterback rushing yards, completing the feat in nine games with 965 yards. Murphy also became the first BC QB to rush for 100 yards in a single game, which he has done four time in 2014.
His rushing total for the season is third in the ACC, topped only by two running backs. He ranks second among all quarterbacks nationally for rushing yards and yards per game and first among all quarterbacks in the country for yards per carry (6.3). Murphy completed 120-of-211 passes for 1,526 yards with 11 passing touchdowns.
Murphy's best game came on Sept. 13 when he recorded a career-high 191 yards on 13 carries, averaging 14.7 yards per rush and scored a touchdown in the Eagles' upset of ninth-ranked Southern California. He earned ACC Offensive Back of the Week honors for his performance against the Trojans, recording the second-highest rushing total by an ACC quarterback in conference history. He was recently named to the All-New England Team and earned the team's William J. Flynn Most Valuable Player award.
Murphy is the third player from Boston College - joining former Eagles Bill Romanowski (1987) and Kevin Pierre-Louis (2013) - to earn the Connecticut Player of the Year award.
Boston College (7-5, 4-4 ACC) will face Penn State (6-6. 2-6 Big Ten) in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, December 27 at 4:30 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Murphy, along with the members of the 2014 Walter Camp All-America team, including 2014 Player of the Year Marcus Mariota (Oregon), will be recognized at the organization's national awards banquet, presented by First Niagara Bank, on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven, Conn.
In addition, the Foundation will recognize three individuals - broadcasting legend Verne Lundquist (Distinguished American), former Notre Dame and Pittsburgh Steeler standout running back Jerome Bettis (Man of the Year) and former Air Force All-American and Dallas Cowboy Chad Hennings (Alumnus of the Year) - with major awards.
The Foundation is offering a "Holiday Ticket Promotion" for the National Awards Dinner. Buy two tickets for $450 before Dec. 31. Please call (203) 288-CAMP (288-2267) for more information.
