Adrian Murrell

By Chad Hollingsworth
Love of NFL Correspondent

Taken in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL draft, Adrian Murrell had just left West Virginia University.

The temptation of pro football was too much to pass up after a junior season where Murrell rushed for 1,145 yards and six touchdowns. Sure, he probably thought he’d go a bit higher, but when his name was finally called, it was by the Jets, a team that could definitely use some help at running back. After all, they had Brad Baxter and Johnny Johnson, meaning Murrell was likely in store for some significant playing time.

However, Murrell primarily appeared as a return man for the Jets in 1993. Even worse, he managed only 160 yards in 1993 and 157 in 1994. Where was the 1,000-yard rusher the Jets drafted?

Luckily, Murrell got his chance to play in 1995, becoming a bright spot for the Jets’ 3-13 season. Murrell broke out for 795 yards and only one touchdown, but showed flashes of the potential the Jets saw in 1993.

The good news is Murrell saw an even higher measure of success in 1996. He rushed for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns, while assuming the role of the Jets’ feature back. The bad news is the team record fell to 1-15.

However, 1997 turned out to be a good year for both Murrell and the Jets. He had over 1,000 yards rushing again (1,086) along with seven touchdowns. The Jets also bounced back and turned in a 9-7 record, thanks to Murrell’s work in the running game.

By the time 1998 rolled around, he found himself in an Arizona Cardinals uniform. True, he’d helped the Jets turn their offense around, but coach Bill Parcells lured Curtis Martin away from the New England Patriots, and there was simply no option for Murrell to be the featured back any longer.

However, Murrell turned out to be a missing ingredient for the Cardinals and their playoff drought of 16 years. He teamed with offensive starters Jake Plummer, Larry Centers, Rob Moore and Frank Sanders to form a potent offense that led to a wild card birth. Murrell chipped in with another 1,000-yard season and eight touchdowns. The team even beat the favored Cowboys in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Vikings in the divisional playoffs.

Unfortunately, Murrell couldn’t keep his momentum or the Cardinals’ momentum going in 1999. The Cardinals fell to 6-10 and Murrell only started 12 games for them. His production fell to 553 yards and no touchdowns. He followed up his 1999 season with two unmemorable seasons in Dallas and Washington, in 2000 and 2003, respectively.

Murrell has to be remembered for raising the hopes of fans of two franchises, though. He came to the Jets during the bad years and brought optimism to even the most pessimistic of fans before Parcells and Martin forced him to go to Arizona.

The Cardinals welcomed Murrell in 1998, and he helped give the team a memorable playoff run. Three 1,000-yard seasons isn’t too bad for a guy who played eight seasons (OK, nine if you count his three games with Washington). That’s a good enough reason in my book to give Adrian Murrell a spoonful of OLD SCHOOL LOVE today.