Kyler Murray facts for kids

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Kyler Murray

Murray with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020

No. 1 – Arizona Cardinals

Position:

Quarterback

Personal information

Born:

August 7, 1997 (age 27)
Bedford, Texas, U.S.

Height:

5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)

Weight:

207 lb (94 kg)

Career information

High school:

Allen (Allen, Texas)

College:

Texas A&M (2015)
Oklahoma (2016–2018)

NFL Draft:

2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1

Career history

Arizona Cardinals (2019–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2019)
2× Pro Bowl (2020, 2021)
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2019)
Heisman Trophy (2018)
Davey O'Brien Award (2018)
Manning Award (2018)
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award (2018)
AP College Football Player of the Year (2018)
First-team All-American (2018)
Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (2018)
First-team All-Big 12 (2018)

Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024

Passing attempts:	2,780
Passing completions:	1,864
Completion percentage:	67.1%
TD–INT:	115–57
Passing yards:	19,498
Passer rating:	92.4
Rushing yards:	3,020
Rushing touchdowns:	31

Player stats at PFR

Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American professional football player. He is a quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the NFL, Kyler played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and then the Oklahoma Sooners. As a junior at Oklahoma, he won the prestigious Heisman Trophy, an award given to the best college football player.

In 2019, the Cardinals chose Kyler as the very first player in the 2019 NFL draft. What makes him unique is that he was also picked ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 baseball draft. This made him the first person ever to be drafted in the first round of both professional football and baseball. In his first NFL season, Kyler was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He also set several new records for rookie quarterbacks on the Cardinals team. He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl twice, which is an honor for top players. In 2021, he helped lead the Cardinals to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Early Life and High School Success

Kyler Murray was born in Bedford, Texas. He went to Allen High School in Allen. During his senior year in 2014, he was named the Gatorade Football Player of the Year. He also became the first player to win the Mr. Texas Football award twice.

His high school team was incredibly successful. They won three state championships in a row and had a winning streak of 43 games. Kyler was a starting quarterback for 42 of those games and never lost a single one. Experts like ESPN thought he was a top player. They called him the best dual-threat quarterback in his class. This means he was great at both passing the ball and running with it. In 2014, he decided to play both football and baseball at Texas A&M University.

High School Baseball Talents

Besides football, Kyler was also a very talented baseball player. Many thought he would be a top pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. In high school, he played as a shortstop and second baseman. He was the first athlete ever to be selected for both the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game and the Under Armour All-America Football Game. This shows how skilled he was in both sports.

College Career Highlights

Playing Football at Texas A&M

Murray after his first win at Texas A&M, 2015

In 2015, Kyler started his college football journey at Texas A&M. He competed for the starting quarterback spot. Even though he didn't start right away, he played in some games. He often came in for special plays where he could run the ball.

Later in the season, Kyler became the starting quarterback. In his very first start, he showed off his skills. He threw for 223 yards and ran for 156 yards. He also scored a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. This made him one of only two quarterbacks in the Southeastern Conference in 20 years to achieve such a feat in their first start.

Transferring to Oklahoma

On December 24, 2015, Kyler decided to transfer to the University of Oklahoma. Because of NCAA rules, he had to sit out the entire 2016 football season.

Backup Quarterback in 2017

In 2017, Kyler was the backup quarterback to Baker Mayfield, who was also a star player. Kyler still got chances to play in several games. He showed his talent by completing many passes and scoring touchdowns. In one game, he even started because Mayfield had to sit out for a short time.

Heisman Trophy Winner in 2018

Murray with Oklahoma in 2018

In 2018, Kyler became the starting quarterback for Oklahoma. He had an amazing season! He threw for over 4,000 yards and 42 touchdowns. He also ran for over 1,000 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.

In December 2018, Kyler won the Heisman Trophy. This award goes to the best college football player in the country. It was special because Oklahoma had two Heisman winners in a row. Kyler led Oklahoma to win the Big 12 Championship. They also made it to the College Football Playoff.

Playing Baseball in College

Kyler also played college baseball for the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team. In 2017, he played as a left fielder. In 2018, he played as a centerfielder and had a great season. He hit 10 home runs and stole 10 stolen bases.

Even though Kyler planned to continue his football career, the Oakland Athletics baseball team still picked him very high in the 2018 MLB draft. They chose him as the ninth overall player. He signed a contract with them that included a large bonus. However, after his incredible Heisman-winning football season, Kyler decided to focus on football and enter the NFL draft instead of playing professional baseball.

Professional Football Career

Joining the NFL

In January 2019, Kyler announced he would enter the 2019 NFL draft. On February 11, he confirmed his decision to focus only on football. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Kyler's height was measured at 5 feet 10 and 1/8 inches. This was similar to other successful NFL quarterbacks like Russell Wilson.

Despite some questions about his size, Kyler was seen as the top quarterback prospect. The Arizona Cardinals chose him as the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. This made him the shortest quarterback ever picked first in the NFL draft. It also made him the first player ever drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB. On May 9, 2019, Kyler signed his first NFL contract with the Cardinals. It was worth $35.2 million over four years.

Rookie Season (2019)

Kyler played his first NFL game on September 8, 2019. He threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns. He helped the Cardinals come back from a big deficit to tie the game. He set several new records for a rookie quarterback on the Cardinals team. These included most games started, most passes completed, most passing yards, and most passing touchdowns.

During Week 6, Kyler had a fantastic game against the Atlanta Falcons. He threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns. He was named the National Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Kyler finished his rookie season with 3,722 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 544 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He was named the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award for his amazing first season.

Continued Success (2020-2021)

Murray with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020

Kyler continued to play well in the 2020 season. In Week 10, he made a famous play called the "Hail Murray". With only 11 seconds left, he threw a long pass to DeAndre Hopkins for a touchdown. This helped the Cardinals win the game in a dramatic comeback. Kyler finished the 2020 season with nearly 4,000 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 819 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl for the first time.

In 2021, Kyler led the Cardinals to a great start, winning their first seven games. He continued to show his dual-threat abilities, throwing for touchdowns and making big runs. He made the Pro Bowl for a second straight season. In January 2022, Kyler made his first NFL playoff appearance.

Injury and Comeback (2022-2023)

In July 2022, Kyler signed a big new contract with the Cardinals. It was worth $230.5 million over five years. However, in Week 14 of the 2022 season, Kyler suffered a serious knee injury. He tore his ACL, which ended his season early.

Kyler worked hard to recover from his injury. He missed the first nine games of the 2023 season. He made his return on November 12, 2023. In his first game back in 11 months, he led the Cardinals to a game-winning field goal. He showed his leadership and skill, helping the team improve their offense.

Recent Season (2024)

In Week 2 of the 2024 season, Kyler had an incredible game against the Rams. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He earned a perfect passer rating in that game, which is very rare for a quarterback. He also ran for over 50 yards, making him only the second player in NFL history to achieve a perfect rating with so many passing and rushing yards. Kyler led the Cardinals to an 8–9 record, showing strong performances throughout the season.

NFL Career Statistics

Key
	Led the league
Bold	Best in his career

Regular Season Games

Year	Team	Games			Passing									Running					Sacked		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
2019	ARI	16	16	5–10–1	349	542	64.4	3,722	6.9	88	20	12	87.4	93	544	5.8	35	4	48	309	5	2
2020	ARI	16	16	8–8	375	558	67.2	3,971	7.1	80	26	12	94.3	133	819	6.2	48	11	27	176	9	4
2021	ARI	14	14	9–5	333	481	69.2	3,787	7.9	77	24	10	100.6	88	423	4.8	57	5	31	286	13	0
2022	ARI	11	11	3–8	259	390	66.4	2,368	6.1	38	14	7	87.2	67	418	6.2	42	3	25	192	8	2
2023	ARI	8	8	3–5	176	268	65.7	1,799	6.7	48	10	5	89.4	44	244	5.5	33	3	18	119	7	0
2024	ARI	17	17	8–9	372	541	68.8	3,851	7.1	60	21	11	93.5	78	572	7.3	50	5	30	220	8	4
Career		82	82	36–45–1	1,864	2,780	67.1	19,498	7.0	88	115	57	92.4	503	3,020	6.0	57	31	179	1,302	50	12

Playoff Games

Year	Team	Games			Passing									Running					Sacked		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
2021	ARI	1	1	0–1	19	34	55.9	137	4.0	23	0	2	40.9	2	6	3.0	7	0	2	15	0	0
Career		1	1	0–1	19	34	55.9	137	4.0	23	0	2	40.9	2	6	3.0	7	0	2	15	0	0

Cardinals Team Records

Kyler Murray holds many records for the Arizona Cardinals, especially for a quarterback:

Most games started by a rookie quarterback – 16
Most pass completions by a rookie – 349
Most pass attempts by a rookie – 542
Highest completion percentage by a rookie – 64.4%
Most passing yards by a rookie – 3,722
Most passing touchdowns by a rookie – 20
Highest passer rating by a starting rookie – 87.4
Most wins by a rookie quarterback – 5
Most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback – 544
Most rushing touchdowns by a rookie quarterback – 4
Lowest interception percentage in a career – 2.1%
Highest completion percentage in a career – 67.1%
Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a career – 3,020
Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a career – 31

Personal Life and Hobbies

Kyler Murray is a Christian. His family has a strong sports background. His father, Kevin Murray, was also a quarterback at Texas A&M. His uncle, Calvin Murray, played professional baseball. His cousin, Devin Duvernay, is also an NFL player.

Kyler enjoys playing chess. He has said that chess helps him think better on the football field. He even won school tournaments when he was younger. Kyler has also competed in online chess tournaments.

He is also a big fan of video games. In 2021, he joined FaZe Clan, a well-known esports organization. In 2024, Kyler partnered with Call of Duty to help promote their new game.

Images for kids

Murray at the 2019 NFL draft
Murray's helmet and jersey in his locker at State Farm Stadium in 2024