By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, March 11 (Yonhap) -- Growing up as a third-generation Korean American, Kyler Murray, two-time Pro Bowl quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League (NFL), used to get teased by his friends for his appearance.
He would come home and tell his half-Korean mother, Missy, about what had happened. Whenever that happened Missy, married to an African American, reminded her son of how "unique" he was.
"Ever since then, I took it upon myself to embrace who I am. I'm proud to be Korean," Murray told Yonhap News Agency in an interview Tuesday, less than 24 hours after arriving in South Korea, the country of his maternal grandmother's birth, for the first time. "There's not many of us doing it in the NFL or at the highest level in sports in general in America. So super, super proud to represent Korea and play at the highest level."
Murray, born and raised in Texas, said he didn't get to share much with his grandmother, who lived in Seattle. But it was his mom who "always made sure that I was aware that I am Korean," through food and Korean TV shows.
Thanks to his heritage, Murray has been embraced by NFL fans in South Korea. He said it was "super surreal" to be greeted by so many of them at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, on Monday night.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray speaks with Yonhap News Agency in an interview at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray speaks with Yonhap News Agency in an interview at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
"The warm welcome is a blessing to receive," he said. "I am Korean, so it's part of my upbringing. To be accepted and received like that, coming over here was a big deal."
Murray has expressed his pride in his Korean heritage every chance he has had. The 27-year-old plays with the South Korean national flag, Taegeukgi, on the back of his helmet. He has been photographed wearing jerseys of the South Korean national baseball and football -- or what Americans call soccer -- team. For Tuesday's interview, Murray was decked out in a jacket adorned with the flags of the two countries on the front and his family name written in Korean, along with his NFL jersey number, 1, on the back.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray shows off his jacket, showing his family name written in Korean, after an interview with Yonhap News Agency at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray shows off his jacket, showing his family name written in Korean, after an interview with Yonhap News Agency at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
Now that he is finally in South Korea, Murray was ready to dive headfirst into the local culture.
"Honestly, just embracing the culture, meeting people, talking to people. Getting to be here for 10 days, I want to see a lot," Murray said when asked what he most looked forward to doing during his stay. "Obviously, American football is not as popular over here in Korea, so as much as people want to learn, I am here trying to bridge the gap between American football and Korea. But at the same time, it's my first time being over here and I'm also on a vacation and trying to experience everything that this place has."
Murray said South Koreans should fall in love with American football because he believes it's "the greatest team sport in the world."
"There are the sacrifices you make, the camaraderie behind it, all the work, discipline that it teaches you and it takes to win. There's nothing like it," he gushed. "I've played basketball and baseball. But I believe football is the best sport in the world due to those factors."
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray speaks with Yonhap News Agency in an interview at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray speaks with Yonhap News Agency in an interview at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
Murray didn't just dabble in baseball. He was selected ninth overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He even signed a contract with the A's that included a US$4.66 million signing bonus and had committed to report to spring training for 2019 after one more year of college football at the University of Oklahoma.
In that 2018 season, Murray won the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football. He decided to forgo baseball and enter the 2019 NFL draft. The Cardinals made him the first overall pick, and Murray became the first player to be drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB.
He said giving up baseball for football was "the toughest decision I've ever had to make," but by the time he had won the Heisman and led the Sooners to the Big 12 title, there was no turning back.
"I was able to put myself in a position to go first round, first overall at the NFL," he recalled. "It was a tough decision. But ever since I was a kid, I wanted to win Super Bowls."
Murray said he "would love to play baseball" but being the quarterback, which he called "probably the most scrutinized position in all of sports," may keep him from joining the likes of Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Brian Jordan as dual-sport threats.
For now, Murray's focus is on the Cardinals, who have been to the playoffs just once in his six-year career.
Last year, Murray started all 17 games for his team, after missing some time over the previous two seasons with a knee injury. But the Cardinals went 8-9 to miss the playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray speaks with Yonhap News Agency in an interview at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray speaks with Yonhap News Agency in an interview at Yonhap's headquarters in Seoul on March 11, 2025. (Yonhap)
"Not good enough," Murray said of the past season. "We could have easily won 10 games and gotten into the playoffs. But I'm encouraged by what we were able to accomplish this past season. With free agency just started and the draft in April, I'm looking forward to it."
Beneath the Taegeukgi and the Star-Spangled Banner on his jacket were the words "Green Light" embroidered in Korean and English.
Murray has written the same words on his Instagram profile. He said he drew the inspiration from the film "The Great Gatsby," based on the eponymous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
"The green light represents (Jay Gatsby's) wishes, his ambitions, everything that he's shooting for and striving for in life," Murray said. "For me, becoming a big fan of the movie and growing up having a lot of goals, dreams, aspirations to be the best to ever do it, that's what it means to me, just chasing something."
Just like any other NFL player, Murray's ultimate goal is to win a Super Bowl title.
"Obviously, in the grand scheme of life, I'm not going to be satisfied or fulfilled by just winning a Super Bowl or being the best player in the league," he said. "But the goal for me is to win Super Bowls. That's what we're chasing."
Murray is one of the highest-paid players in the NFL. In 2022, Murray signed a five-year extension worth $230.5 million, with $160 million guaranteed.
The mobile quarterback has 19,498 yards with 115 touchdowns for his career, along with 3,020 rushing yards and 31 rushing touchdowns in 82 career regular-season games.
In this Associated Press file photo from Jan. 5, 2025, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray warms up before a National Football League game against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Yonhap)
In this Associated Press file photo from Jan. 5, 2025, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray warms up before a National Football League game against the San Francisco 49ers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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