Orenthal James Murdock (February 15, 1987 – July 30, 2012) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

wide receiver.

Early life

Murdock, an alumnus of Middleton High School in Tampa, Florida, was known for his ability at track and field and

. He was ranked a 4 star recruit and the 11th best wide receiver in the country by

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, whilst simultaneously winning a title in a state track and field final. He was expected to commit to Florida to play both sports, but chose South Carolina instead.

College career

Murdock " redshirted" his first season at South Carolina. He then played just 4 games with 1 reception in the 2006 season before being arrested for shoplifting in Tampa, and being suspended indefinitely from the team. Murdock then transferred to Pearl River Community College, but he broke his collarbone. He was then offered a scholarship from Marshall but he did not meet the academic requirements. He then transferred to Fort Hays State in 2009. In his 2009 season, Murdock started and played 10 games and had 697 receiving yards, leading the team in multiple categories and earning a Second-team all MIAA honor.

Professional career

On July 26, 2011, Murdock was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans. On July 31, 2011, Murdock tore his Achilles tendon, ending his season.

Death

On July 30, 2012, Murdock was found in his car parked outside his former high school, Middleton high school, with self-inflicted gunshot wounds at 8:30 am. He was rushed to

Tampa General hospital Tampa General Hospital (TGH) is a 1,041-bed non-profit, tertiary, research and academic medical center located on Davis Island in Tampa, Florida, servicing western Florida and the greater Tampa Bay region. TGH is one of the region's only univers ...

where he died later that morning. Murdock had texted multiple former coaches before his suicide. Murdock had not appeared for training camp with his team, the Tennessee Titans, since June due to a personal issue, according to the Titans. Although Murdock was meant to appear on July 27, he reassured his head coach Mike Munchak that he would on July 29, though he never did. His former college teammate

Kenny Mckinley Kendrick L. McKinley (January 31, 1987 – September 20, 2010) was an American football wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He playe ...

also died from suicide less than 2 years earlier.

References

External links

Fort Hays State Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdock, O.J. 1987 births 2012 suicides 2012 deaths American football wide receivers South Carolina Gamecocks football players Pearl River Wildcats football players Fort Hays State Tigers football players Tennessee Titans players Suicides by firearm in Florida Players of American football from Tampa, Florida Sportspeople who died by suicide