Texas A&M Football
Kevin Murray: Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame induction speech
Former Texas A&M quarterback Kevin Murray gave a moving speech Thursday afternoon during enshrine ceremonies for the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame at Cowboys Stadium. Get the full speech here.
Kevin Murray's Speech
“Howdy!
I just want to start by thanking my good buddy Fin Ewing. For those of you that know Fin, he takes credit for a lot of things he shouldn’t, so I’ll just say that according to Fin, I became the player I am today and the player I was at one point because of you, buddy. Thank you, I appreciate it.
Seriously though, I want to thank my family, we’re out in full force today. This is a very meaningful day for me, a very emotional day for me. I’m a Dallas native, born and raised here, and last night while talking to some people [I realized], there aren’t very many of us in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame that were born and raised here in Dallas.
I’m proud to be a member of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame for many reasons. The historical meaning of this bowl extends beyond belief. This has been a tough week for me emotionally for several reasons. Just being here today and understanding the significance of this bowl and what it meant to so many people and what it still means to a lot of people even though it’s played in this giant stadium, which is by far the best stadium in the country. I like the old stadium, I’m sorry. I played in [the old Cotton Bowl], it’s grass, it’s the original, it was dirty, it was filthy… but it was nice. With that said, it’s an honor for me to be here, it’s a privilege for me to be here, and I cannot thank the Cotton Bowl committee enough for providing me the opportunity to be in front of you guys today.
There are a ton of people I have to thank personally, starting with Coach Sherrill. The guy still means a tremendous amount to me. I sat here and watched [him] two years ago be inducted in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, and I took great pride and great honor in watching [him] go in. I see [Coach Sherrill] watching me go in, so I appreciate [Coach Sherrill] being here, it means the world to me.
Coach Slocum, a lot of stories between you and I, buddy. Late night road trips back and forth from Dallas to College Station at two in the morning after basketball games. I appreciate the time you spent with me and the commitment you made to me, taking me from Dallas to College Station on my recruiting visits. It meant a lot to me, as do you.
Our new head coach is here, Kevin Sumlin. Kevin, it means a lot to me that you took time out of your day, I believe we are still in spring ball. You didn’t have to be here Kevin, but the fact that you’re here tells me a lot about you as a person. It tells me a lot about the fact that you get ‘it’. That goes a long way in building that bridge, recultivating that trust between the former players and the university. Thank you for being here, I sincerely appreciate it, and we wish you nothing but the best in College Station. Just know that we will be there and we will be supporting you in full force. You’re not alone my friend, we’ll be with you.
Lastly, and I prepared this speech, but I’ve never been one to go by speeches. I like to speak from the heart because it’s what is in [you] that separates you from others. Sure, these are the words that I wrote, but you notice that I’m not looking down because I don’t need to look down. I’m talking to you directly.
With that said, today has special meaning to me today for multiple reasons. This is truly a humbling experience for me, and when I got the news that I was being inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, it was quite an emotional day for me because less than a month earlier I had lost my dad, my pops. He meant everything to me, [he] never played football [and] didn’t know much about the game. But I was his guy. Not just his son, I was his guy. I was his Joe Montana, in fact, he called me Joe. Be that as it may, we lost him four in a half months ago this week. I know his is with me spiritually and it means a lot to me. I miss him profusely. Buddy, this one is for you, rest in peace! Gig 'em!”
Kevin Murray's Speech
“Howdy!I just want to start by thanking my good buddy Fin Ewing. For those of you that know Fin, he takes credit for a lot of things he shouldn’t, so I’ll just say that according to Fin, I became the player I am today and the player I was at one point because of you, buddy. Thank you, I appreciate it.
Seriously though, I want to thank my family, we’re out in full force today. This is a very meaningful day for me, a very emotional day for me. I’m a Dallas native, born and raised here, and last night while talking to some people [I realized], there aren’t very many of us in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame that were born and raised here in Dallas.
I’m proud to be a member of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame for many reasons. The historical meaning of this bowl extends beyond belief. This has been a tough week for me emotionally for several reasons. Just being here today and understanding the significance of this bowl and what it meant to so many people and what it still means to a lot of people even though it’s played in this giant stadium, which is by far the best stadium in the country. I like the old stadium, I’m sorry. I played in [the old Cotton Bowl], it’s grass, it’s the original, it was dirty, it was filthy… but it was nice. With that said, it’s an honor for me to be here, it’s a privilege for me to be here, and I cannot thank the Cotton Bowl committee enough for providing me the opportunity to be in front of you guys today.
There are a ton of people I have to thank personally, starting with Coach Sherrill. The guy still means a tremendous amount to me. I sat here and watched [him] two years ago be inducted in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, and I took great pride and great honor in watching [him] go in. I see [Coach Sherrill] watching me go in, so I appreciate [Coach Sherrill] being here, it means the world to me.
Coach Slocum, a lot of stories between you and I, buddy. Late night road trips back and forth from Dallas to College Station at two in the morning after basketball games. I appreciate the time you spent with me and the commitment you made to me, taking me from Dallas to College Station on my recruiting visits. It meant a lot to me, as do you.
Our new head coach is here, Kevin Sumlin. Kevin, it means a lot to me that you took time out of your day, I believe we are still in spring ball. You didn’t have to be here Kevin, but the fact that you’re here tells me a lot about you as a person. It tells me a lot about the fact that you get ‘it’. That goes a long way in building that bridge, recultivating that trust between the former players and the university. Thank you for being here, I sincerely appreciate it, and we wish you nothing but the best in College Station. Just know that we will be there and we will be supporting you in full force. You’re not alone my friend, we’ll be with you.
Lastly, and I prepared this speech, but I’ve never been one to go by speeches. I like to speak from the heart because it’s what is in [you] that separates you from others. Sure, these are the words that I wrote, but you notice that I’m not looking down because I don’t need to look down. I’m talking to you directly.
With that said, today has special meaning to me today for multiple reasons. This is truly a humbling experience for me, and when I got the news that I was being inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame, it was quite an emotional day for me because less than a month earlier I had lost my dad, my pops. He meant everything to me, [he] never played football [and] didn’t know much about the game. But I was his guy. Not just his son, I was his guy. I was his Joe Montana, in fact, he called me Joe. Be that as it may, we lost him four in a half months ago this week. I know his is with me spiritually and it means a lot to me. I miss him profusely. Buddy, this one is for you, rest in peace! Gig 'em!”
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