Najee Murray
{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1994)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
| name = Najee Murray
| team = Montreal Alouettes
| image = 2024, 12, Najee Murray.jpg
| image_upright = 1
| caption = Murray with the Montreal Alouettes in 2024
| status = Active
| import = yes
| position1 = Defensive back
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|4|21}}
| birth_place = Steubenville, Ohio, U.S.
| number = 12
| college = Kent State
Ohio State
| high_school = Steubenville High
| Height_ft = 5
| Height_in = 8
| Weight_lbs = 194
| playing_years1 = {{NFL Year|2017}}
| playing_team1 = Cleveland Browns*
| playing_years2 = {{CFL Year|2018}}–present
| playing_team2 = Montreal Alouettes
| career_footnotes =
| career_highlights =
| Honours =
| CFLEastAllStar =
| CFL = najee-murray/163058/
}}
Najee Murray (born April 21, 1994) is an American professional football defensive back for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
College career
Murray first played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2012, where he played in the first six games of the season before becoming injured.{{cite web|url=https://utepminers.com/sports/football/roster/nick-usher/3827 |title=Najee Murray |publisher=UTEP Miners |access-date=June 25, 2022}} He then transferred to Kent State University to play for the Golden Flashes, but sat out the 2013 season due to NCAA transfer rules.{{cite web|url=https://www.elevenwarriors.com/2013/08/24487/ohio-state-football-najee-murray-dismissed-from-team |title=Najee Murray Dismissed from Ohio State Football Program |publisher=elevenwarriors.com |date=August 10, 2013}} He then played from 2014 to 2016 for Kent State.
Professional career
= Cleveland Browns =
After not being selected in the 2017 NFL draft, Murray signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent on May 15, 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-sign-dbs-najee-murray-donte-carey-18859834 |title=Browns sign DBs Najee Murray, Donte Carey |publisher=Cleveland Browns |date=May 15, 2017}} Following training camp, he signed on to the team's practice squad, but was released on September 19, 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/20757931/cleveland-browns-place-wr-corey-coleman-injured-reserve |title=Browns place WR Corey Coleman on injured reserve |publisher=ESPN |date=September 19, 2017}}
= Montreal Alouettes =
On April 25, 2018, it was announced that Murray had signed with the Montreal Alouettes.{{cite web|url=https://en.montrealalouettes.com/2018/04/25/alouettes-transactions-april-25/ |title=Alouettes transactions on April 25 |publisher=Montreal Alouettes |date=April 25, 2018}} He made the team's active roster following training camp and played in his first professional game on June 16, 2018, against the BC Lions where he had one special teams tackle.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/players/najee-murray/163058/ |title=Najee Murray |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=June 25, 2022}} He played in the first seven games in 2018 where he had six defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, and one interception, before spending the rest of the season on the injured list.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2018/ |title=Transactions – Football player trades and signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=June 25, 2022}} Murray was released during the following off season on May 4, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2019/ |title=Transactions – Football player trades and signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=June 25, 2022}}
On October 2, 2019, Murray re-signed with the Alouettes and played in the last four games of the regular season where he had 16 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and one interception.{{cite web|url=https://en.montrealalouettes.com/2019/10/02/alouettes-transactions-17/ |title=Alouettes' transactions |publisher=Montreal Alouettes |date=October 2, 2019}} He scored his first career touchdown on November 1, 2019, after intercepting Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Will Arndt and returning the ball 15 yards for the score.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/games/2638/montreal-alouettes-vs-ottawa-redblacks/#playbyplay |title=Montreal Alouettes vs Ottawa Redblacks |publisher=Canadian Football League |date=November 1, 2019}} He played in his first post-season game on November 10, 2019, in the East Semi-Final loss to the Edmonton Eskimos where he had four defensive tackles.
In 2021, Murray played in 10 out of 14 regular season games where he had 24 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, three interceptions, and one touchdown. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Alouettes on December 17, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://en.montrealalouettes.com/2021/12/17/david-brown-najee-murray-remain-alouettes/ |title=David Brown and Najee Murray remain with the Alouettes |publisher=Montreal Alouettes |date=December 17, 2021}}
In the 2022 season, Murray played in 13 regular season games, starting in nine, where he had a career-high 40 defensive tackles, five pass knockdowns, one interception, one sacks, and one forced fumble.{{cite web |url=https://static.cfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2050/11/2024-CFL-Guide-Digital.pdf |title=2024 CFL Guide |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=June 29, 2024}}
Murray started the first six games of the 2023 season where he had 33 defensive tackles, one interceptions, and one forced fumble. However, he sat out the rest of the season due to injury and was on the injured list when the Alouettes won the 110th Grey Cup.
Personal life
Murray was born in Steubenville, Ohio, to parents Danita Murray-Hampton and Horace Hampton.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- [https://en.montrealalouettes.com/players/najee-murray/163058/ Montreal Alouettes bio]
- {{Twitter|NajeeMurray11|Najee Murray}}
{{Montreal Alouettes roster navbox}}
{{110th Grey Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Najee}}
Category:American football defensive backs
Category:Canadian football defensive backs
Category:Cleveland Browns players
Category:Montreal Alouettes players
Category:Sportspeople from Steubenville, Ohio
Category:Players of Canadian football from Ohio