Pat Murray was born in New York, and played four seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa bay Buccaneers but every now and again there is a wee touch of Monaghan in his accent, the legacy of a Clones Dad and summers spent back where he still refers to as ‘back home’.
He was speaking to us from New York, one week out from the extravaganza that will be the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in the Aviva Stadium.
We asked why Irish sports fans should take the time to join the party next Saturday. “First and foremost you have to get there early to see all the activity that goes on around the sport.”
“There will be something for everyone from the age of seven to seventy and the buzz you will get from that will carry through to the game.”
“These are supreme athletes, they are huge but they move like gazelles and the catching and the speed will have everyone catching their breath.”
Murray then spoke of the way in which he had transitioned from the pro game. “The average length of a career in the NFL is 3.2 seasons and while for someone like Pat Mahomes or Tom Brady, they will make a fortune, for most it is a job.”
“The NFL is good though in terms of helping players transition, and I had the opportunity to get an MBA which has helped me to forge a career in business after the sporting one.”
He was a kicker in the sport, one of the least physically punishing but still took some hits along the way. As a kid he played soccer and there was the possibility of travelling to Scotland to play in the Celtic academy but that was too much upheaval for a 12-year-old and that morphed into a career as a kicker in High School and then in Fordham university where his stats earned him a shot at the big time and four seasons at the top of the sport.
He is now working and living in Florida but when back in New York he trains with Rockwell GAA and at the age of 31 he says “I have a few seasons left in me, and what a dream it would be to play for New York in the All Ireland Championship.”
He has lived the sporting dream so far and you’d never know…
Tickets for the match are on sale now and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.ie/touchdowndublin. For more information around the game go to www.collegefootballireland.com or follow the conversation on social media using the hashtag, #TouchdownDublin.
