CAMPBELLSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- A Southern Indiana football star is heading to Indiana University.
Caleb Murphy, a senior defensive end on the West Washington High School team, in Campbellsburg, signed his letter of intent on Wednesday, surrounded by family, friends, coaches and teammates.
"To finally put pen to paper to make it official is something that was a really big deal, and to have my whole community behind me is something that was also really special," Murphy said.
But it was bittersweet. Murphy attributes much of his success to his late head coach Phillip Bowsman, who died last month after suffering a stroke during a football game.
"The amount of texts he sent, the phone calls he made, the coaches he talked to ... He did anything and everything he could to get me to play college football," Murphy said.
Bowsman's family also attended Murphy's signing. A cross stands on the 50-yard-line to honor the coach's memory.
Murphy's father, Todd Murphy, said, "Coach Bowsman said, 'I will get you recruited' and he was a man of his word. He isn't here with us (today), but thank the Lord he knew Caleb got his offer and he was going to IU."
After Murphy received the offer from IU coach Tom Allen over the summer, his first call was to Coach Bowsman.
"He told me how proud of me he was and how much he loved me," the younger Murphy recalled.
His father added, "Even though coach didn't get to see him play (at IU) or didn't get to finish the process, we kind of believe he will with our faith."
The football player also plans to pay it forward back at West Washington.
"To come from this area and show the younger boys in the elementary and the younger girls that they can play college sports is something that is really important to me, and I hope it's really important to them, too," he said.
Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
