Students returned to class Monday at the New Jersey high school where a star quarterback died after suffering an injury on the field. Officials have not yet said what caused the death of Evan Murray.
Advertisement
According to the University of North Carolina’s National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, which Dr. Frederick Mueller, a Woodbridge High School graduate, directed from 1982 through 2013, 77 high school football players have died nationwide as the result of injuries directly related to the game in the past two decades. A short time later, he collapsed on the sidelines.
A gofundme.com page has already been said up and says Murray took a hit during the game that sent him to the hospital immediately. The funeral will be held Thursday morning at the church.
Bowen, interim superintendent of the Warren Hills Regional School District, said Saturday that grief counselors were available to Murray’s teammates and fellow students for as long as necessary. Bowen declined to take questions from reporters Saturday, saying a cause of death has not yet been determined.
“He tried giving a thumbs-up to the rest of the team, and all of us cheered”, said Kaitlin Bell, 16, a junior varsity cheerleader.
“Obviously this is a bad thing and we feel for the entire team and, more importantly, his family”, Rahway head coach Brian Russo, whose Indians, like Warren Hills, are a member of the Mid-State 38 Conference, told MyCentralJersey.com. “We didn’t expect anything would happen”.
“There are no words to express how touched we are by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from not only our local community but from people across the country”, the Murray family said in a statement to ABC News. You are my best friend and I knew I was going to marry you one day.
“He was an awesome student and an fantastic athlete”. “He stood out in his athletics, his academics – everything”, she added.
Both the New York Jets football team and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie joined the massive outpouring of condolences for Evan Murray posted on social media.
Advertisement
Murray’s wake will be held Wednesday at Safe Discovery Church in Washington Township.
