For anyone who was in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater showing “The Dark Night Rises” on that terrible July night back in 2012, recovering from the trauma is something that may take a lifetime to do. For former Colorado Buffaloes fullback Jordan Murphy, he’s used that night and the those terrible events as motivation as he now attempts to be drafted in the NFL Draft at the end of April.
Murphy was with three friends that night, and recalls the night vividly.
“[Holmes] comes in to the right, my front right — we were in the fourth row. I can see his weapons. I can see him pretty clearly,” he said. “He’s dressed up like Bane, you know, the character in the movie, so you’re thinking, ‘Oh, it’s opening night, this is some cool stunt to get people going.’ But then he launches the tear gas and right then I knew it was real. “We ducked down, we waited a few seconds. I heard his gun click that he was out of ammunition, so we crawled as fast as we could and then stood up at the end of the row to run. I think I attracted his attention because he turned his head to me, took a shot. Don’t know if it was a shotgun or his AR-15, but the bullet hit right over my head, drywall exploded, sprayed on my face, the dust went in my eyes. At that point I’m thinking I’m not getting out, but I’m running along the way, we were getting ready to turn the corner and the bullet just smashed the drywall. They always said the reason I couldn’t play Division I as a linebacker was because I wasn’t 6-2. I’m 6 feet. If I was 6-2, I’d probably be dead because that bullet is in my head.”
At both Colorado State and Colorado, Murphy never even ran the ball as a running back. Only a few caught passes during warm-ups. That wasn’t his job. He decided instead to do anything he could on special teams; kickoff and punt return coverage, gunning, anything. Fullbacks aren’t exactly valuable in today’s NFL, so it’s what Murphy has had to do to survive and adapt if he wanted to fulfill his dream. He has a degree in Business Administration in case it doesn’t work out in the NFL. But he’s already proven he’s good at surviving when all looks lost.
“I think a lot about the families who lost someone that night, the people who didn’t get to go home and tell people not to worry that they were all right,” Murphy said. “I still notice sometimes, I’ll be in just a normal public place and I find myself looking at exits, looking at people, like you’re Jason Bourne. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop looking at doors like that. “So, you know, I’m chasing a dream and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll have a backup. It will be tough not to play football, but if you give it everything you have, give it everything I can, I think I would be able to leave it behind. But I refuse to say I didn’t at least try.”
[ESPN]
