Tampa Bay Buccaneer cornerback and Macomb Township native Sean Murphy-Bunting is one win away from a Super Bowl championship because he always bet on himself.
Murphy-Bunting is considered to be an intimidating cornerback, but it didn’t start out that way.
Recommended Videos
“He’s probably not gonna like I’m saying this but he was really small. He was like 5-feet-7-inches tall, maybe 125 pounds,” said Scott Merchant, Chippewa Valley football head coach.
Merchant said Murphy-Bunting grew by junior year and became one of the best players in the state senior year. However, the D1 offers weren’t there on signing day. So he and his mother Kim took matters into their own hands.
READ: Detroiter William Gholston honoring those who helped him get to the top
“His mom made him get in the car in March and drive up to Central Michigan on a Saturday during spring ball. They went into the football building and they went to find (CMU coach) John Bonemego,” Merchant said.
“God was talking to me like ‘Just go up there.’ So I woke Sean up and I said let’s go, and he’s like where are we going? I said we’re going to Central Michigan,” said Kim Murphy-Bunting.
Sean Murphy-Bunting met with new head coach John Bonemego, who offered him a gray shirt on the spot. He used the extra semester to learn the system and developed into a star for Central Michigna.
After three years, he bet on himself again and went to the NFL draft where he was selected 39th overall in 2019 by the Buccaneers.
“He’s a hard worker. When he has his mind set on something, he works hard at it,” said Kim Murphy-Bunting.
The hard work is paying off big time for Sean, who’s got three interceptions in three playoff games. Merchant, who already has his gear, will be watching from home. Kim Murphy-Bunting will be in the stand as always, as his biggest fan.
“He earned every bit of being in the Super Bowl,” she said.
READ MORE: