University of Tennessee at Chattanooga safety C.J. Murrell (32) looks on during practice at Scrappy Moore Field on Tuesday. The Mocs are preparing for their season opener against University of Tennessee at Martin on Aug. 29.C.J. Murrell’s first contribution to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team was as a “G” in a big group of chest-painted students in the stands for the 2009 season opener at Finley Stadium. Murrell got the guys together, bought the paint and was the first “G” in the message “Go Chattanooga Mocs!!!!!!!”
Murrell was a freshman from Hendersonville, and he attended every home game during coach Russ Huesman’s first season, wishing the entire time that he was on the field.
“When I got here I knew that I wanted to walk on to the team, there wasn’t a question about it, it was just when,” the senior safety said. “I was talking at that point to [former UTC assistant coach Carter Cardwell] and then he ended up leaving. When he left no one knew who I was, and so when I came out in the spring, it was starting from zero.”
It took a long time for Murrell, an all-region player at Hendersonville High School, to even get pads during that first spring practice. He eventually did, was invited back for the 2010 season and appeared in four games, including against Auburn.
“That was really intense,” he said, laughing. “I went in for one play and it was a kickoff return play – it wasn’t the one [Brian Sutherland] scored on – and it didn’t set in until I got back to the sidelines, when I started freaking out. I was like, oh man, I just played in front of 90,000 people.”