Gorman grad DeMarco Murray taken in third round by Dallas Cowboys

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Friday, April 29, 2011 | 9:23 p.m.

The Dallas Cowboys selected former Bishop Gorman High standout DeMarco Murray on Friday in the third round of the NFL Draft.

Murray, who rushed for 3,685 yards and 50 touchdowns in his during his college career at Oklahoma, was the 71st overall pick.

Watching the draft with friends and family at Red Rock Resort, the 6-foot, 210-pound Murray saw four running backs picked ahead of him Friday before his cell phone rang.

On the other line was Dallas owner Jerry Jones. The room full of supporters instantly erupted in joy. Murray grew up rooting for the Cowboys.

“He’s excited and ready to go,” said former Gorman coach David White, who was at the gathering. “He’ll get a chance to run the ball, catch the ball and return some kicks.”

In the second round, Dallas selected Bruce Carter from North Carolina with the 40th overall selection. "Both of them are for their position extremely fast, they can run," Jones told the Associated Press.

Murray averaged 27 yards per kickoff return at Oklahoma, finishing his career with 65 total touchdowns and 6,718 all-purpose yards.

"He's a guy that's big and sturdy," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said told the AP. "You see how long he his, how big his hands are, he's a physical looking halfback."

White, who also coached Murray at Oklahoma, told him not to worry about where he was selected.

“He took it in stride,” White said. “I told him he can’t look at it as a numbers game. This was a bad year for running backs. Most years, there are three or four taken in the first round. He’s got a shot. Now he has to go make something happen.”