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12/14/2016 11:00 PMFootball has been a huge part of Paul Murray’s life throughout the past decade. Paul started playing football when he was in 1st grade and, on Thanksgiving, he played his last game in a North Haven uniform when the Indians topped Amity. Even with the victory, it was a sad moment for Paul to walk off Vanacore Field for the final time as a North Haven football player.
“It was very tough to say good-bye as we were standing on the field on Thanksgiving, giving hugs to our coaches and teammates,” says Paul, a two-way lineman. “Playing football since I was six or seven and to have it come to an end was crazy.”
There were many highlights during Paul’s North Haven football career, although there was none greater than when the Indians had an undefeated regular season and reached their first state final last fall. As a result of North Haven’s success throughout the past decade, the team was moved up to Tier 1 of the SCC this season. The Indians only came away with four victories, yet they still hung tough with many of the state’s top squads and nearly knocked off a few.
“Finishing 4-6 is a lot different than the season before, going undefeated, but because we moved up, we played the best teams from the Catholic schools and it was very different,” says Paul. “We competed with all the teams and we were just five points away from being 7-3 and possibly in the playoffs.”
While Paul and his teammates were hoping for a better record, one of the things that made him happiest about this season was that he had one more chance to compete alongside friends like Vinny Anastasio, Carson Tebbetts, and Matt Rademacher.
“They’ve made me better and I’m very grateful to have that group of guys to push me every day at practice,” says Paul, who also thanks his many coaches. “As a football team, our relationship is like a big giant family. We see each other more than 300 days out of the year and are always together and hanging out on and off the field. It’s crazy to say good-bye to it.”
Someone else who’s been there throughout Paul’s football career is his dad, who coached him from flag football through 8th grade. Additionally, Paul’s mother was always in the stands for each one of his games.
“My dad is the one who got me into this sport and was always taking me into the backyard and throwing the ball around,” says Paul. “[Paul’s mom] goes to all my games and is always there, but it’s not her favorite sport, especially when I fractured my foot playing in 7th grade, have a knee problem now, and constant bruises from practices. I have to thank my parents from driving me to anywhere I need to be to washing my stinky, dirty practice clothes.”
Even though Paul has hung up his helmet and pads for North Haven, he still gets to wear an Indians’ jersey this winter as a member of the boys’ basketball team. Paul is holding the role as one of North Haven’s captains.
“I love playing basketball, but I’m not made to be a basketball player. I’m a big guy, a lineman out on a basketball court,” says Paul, who’s listed at 5-foot-10 and 260 pounds. “It’s good to know that even though I’m not the most skilled player, all the hard work has paid off and my teammates realized it and voted me captain.”
As much as Paul enjoys playing basketball, football remains his favorite sport. He’s been a varsity lineman since his sophomore year, started a few games and then played in the state final as a junior, and established himself as a regular on both lines this season. Offensive guards may not get to rack up the stats, but Paul loved playing the position all the same.
“I kind of fell into it with my size, but I like knowing it’s me back there, that I’m a bodyguard for the guys behind me,” says Paul. “Our coaches always say to give the linemen credit because they’re laying their bodies on the line and, without them, you’re going nowhere. It’s not a glorified position. It’s dirty, rough, and head to head to protect the guys behind you.”