Murrell Named Southern Conference’s Bob Waters Award Winner

Story by David Coulson

Marques Murrell has a trophy case overflowing with awards from his spectacular four-year football career at Appalachian State—numerous All-American, player of the year and all-conference honors, along with two national championship rings.

But Murrell received one final acclamation on May 30 when he was named the Southern Conference’s Bob Waters Award winner during an awards ceremony in Hilton Head, S.C.

The honor goes annually to the league’s top male athlete, and Murrell is the third consecutive Appalachian State student to win the award. Wide receiver DaVon Fowlkes received the award in 2004, and quarterback Richie Williams took home the honor last year.

Murrell is the sixth Mountaineer—all football players—to earn the award. Wide receiver Rick Beasley won it in 1980, running back John Settle took the award in 1987 and linebacker Dexter Coakley, the only two-time winner from ASU, captured the honor in 1996 and 1997.

With Murrell in training camp with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, his parents, Angelo and Patricia Murrell, were on hand to accept the award.

Playing for a school that is legendary for its production of All-American defensive linemen, Murrell set a number of records while at ASU.

The Fayetteville, N.C. native is the Mountaineers’ all-time leader in forced fumbles (18) and is second on the ASU charts for career sacks (36) and tackles for loss (59). Murrell was the only player in school history to lead the Mountaineers in sacks for three consecutive years.

After piling up 17 tackles for loss and 13 sacks as a senior, Murrell finished third in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award—Football Championship Subdivision defensive player of the year. It was the highest finish for an Appalachian State player since Coakley became the only two-time winner in 1996.

Murrell was voted as the Southern Conference defensive player of the year by the league’s coaches after his senior season and was a first-team All-American for the second year in a row.

Murrell will probably be best remembered for forcing the fumble by Northern Iowa quarterback Eric Sanders that Jason Hunter recovered and returned for the game-winning touchdown in ASU’s 21-16 victory over the Panthers in the 2005 I-AA national championship game.

The Bob Waters Award is named for the late Western Carolina football coach from 1969-88, who led the Catamounts to the I-AA national championship game in 1983 and continued to coach through most of the 1980s, despite suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS).

Other awards were given to two Appalachian State athletes and a longtime Mountaineer supporter.

ASU football player Pierre Banks and track and field standout Vonteena Knotts received Coleman Lew Leadership Awards, and ASU alum and longtime supporter Reba Smith Moretz was recognized as Appalachian State's Distinguished Service Award winner.