Middleton product O.J. Murdock on the mend

Posted Oct 6, 2011 by Bill Ward

Updated Oct 6, 2011 at 02:05 PM

Former Middleton High football and track star O.J. Murdock says he is making good progress from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered on July 31 while in training camp with the Tennessee Titans.

Murdock, a state champion his senior year in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, is back in Tampa and starting a rehabilitation program for the Achilles. The Titans’ team orthopedic surgeon operated on the tendon in early August. Murdock then spent two weeks in a cast and last week had a boot removed from his foot that limited the mobility of the Achilles.

Standing in front of his mother’s home near Orange Grove Middle Magnet School in East Tampa, Murdock is walking with a limp but says he hopes to begin cardio training soon. His ultimate goal, he says, is to return to the Titans’ 2011 training camp. He said the rupture of his Achilles was a “freak injury” that came as he was lining up to run a pass pattern.

Murdock was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent last July. He began his collegiate career at the University of South Carolina, then transferred to Peal River Community College before playing his final two seasons at Fort Hays State. There, Murdock had career totals that included 95 receptions for 1,987 yards and 20 touchdowns in 21 games. He led his team in receiving yards both seasons.