Gatorade® National Football Player Of The Year: Kyler Murray

ALLEN, Texas, Dec. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 30^th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Kyler Murray of Allen High School (Allen, Texas) as its 2014-15 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. Murray was surprised with the news at school by Dallas Cowboys starting cornerback Brandon Carr.

"Kyler really deserves to be this year's Gatorade National Football Player of the Year because he embodies everything the award stands for," Carr said. "Not only has Kyler excelled on the field, but he's also a stellar student and is a positive influence in the community. I'm excited to follow his career and watch all the things he will accomplish in the future."

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Murray as the nation's best high school football player.  A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Murray from more than 1 million high school football players nationwide. Murray is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 5-foot-11, 176-pound senior quarterback has led the Eagles to a 14-0 record and a berth in the Class 6A, Division I state semifinals, scheduled for Dec. 13. The state's returning Gatorade Football Player of the Year threw for 3,991 yards and 44 touchdowns on 232-of-365 passing (64 percent) through 14 games. A returning First Team All-USA selection as named by USA TODAY, Murray also rushed for 1,317 yards and 25 touchdowns on 125 carries entering the state postseason final four. A 2015 Under Amour All-America Game selection and 2014 Elite 11 quarterback camp finalist, Murray led Allen to back-to-back Class 5A, Division I state titles as a sophomore and junior, capturing state championship game MVP honors each season. He owns a 41-0 record as Allen's starting quarterback.

Murray has maintained a B-plus average in the classroom. In addition to donating his time as a youth football instructor, he has volunteered locally as part of the Reading with the Eagles youth literacy-outreach and anti-bullying programs. He also serves as a mentor to several student team managers with special needs.

"For me, the best high school quarterback in the country this year is Kyler Murray," said Brandon Huffman, National Recruiting Director for Scout.com. "For what he's done — playing at the classification he's playing at and playing in Texas — that's pretty unbelievable. He does everything you want a high school quarterback to do, but he also has the skills to translate at the next level."

Murray has verbally committed to play football on scholarship at Texas A&M beginning in the fall of 2015.

"Kyler is an exceptional student-athlete who has earned recognition as the nation's best high school football player while also excelling in the classroom and making a difference in his community," said Gatorade Vice President, Brand Marketing Morgan Flatley. "Kyler's statistics on the field speak for themselves, but even more impressive is the impact he has had on his teammates and the example he sets for younger student-athletes. Kyler represents everything we look to celebrate in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:

• Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
• WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
• NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith
• Three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
• Four-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://www.gatorade.com/poy, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

ALL-TIME GATORADE NATIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

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SOURCE The Gatorade Company

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