Runnin' With The Racers Podcast - Squeeky Yarbrough - Murray State University Athletics

Former Murray State football and track & field student-athlete Squeeky Yarbrough is our guest on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, episode 121.

The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, iTunes and Soundcloud.

This article on GoRacers.com is brought to you by McConnell Insurance.

From 1982-85, Squeeky Yarbrough was an outstanding All-OVC defensive player during the Frank Beamer era and later spent some time in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. Out of Fulton High School in Knoxville, Yarbrough was being courted by a lot of schools. One of the coaches that had an eye on Squeeky, was Racer head coach Frank Beamer. And as we've seen time after time after time, once we get someone to visit MSU, they fall in love with the place.

Yarbrough was starting at safety as a freshman and never let up. He was All-OVC in 1985 and played on some of the best defensive teams in Racer history when Beamer's Wide Tackle Six scheme was ground breaking and he had the athletes to make it work.

"The Wide Tackle 6 was basically a 6-2 front," Yarbrough said. "The linebackers have a big responsibility in that scheme and at one point, I realized one day how complex it was to our opponents as they tried to figure out how to block us in the run game. You really started to hear about the way Frank played defense when he went to Virginia Tech and did so well. It was an awesome defense and with Coach Mike Mahoney teaching it to us, we were a group that pursued the ball. 11 men all running to the ball."

Yarbrough was a hero, in the company of many heroes that we still remember today in Racer football lore. Jose Casanova, Danny Coleman, Tim Boles, Ralph Robinson, Jim Piercefield, Willie Bester, Glen Jones, Ron Hopkins and Tony Woodie. Squeeky Yarbrough also was a team with the great Kicker Paul Hickert (Episode 116).

Great offensive talents like running backs Rodney Payne and Bill Bird, they used to call them the Missouri Mule Train. Willie Cannon was a great tail back, quarterback Kevin Sisk, receiver Stanley Howard. Offensive linemen, Jimmy Hopkins, Marshall Sills and Colby Schreckengost.

Yarbrough didn't win an OVC title, the Racers were close with a second place finish in 1985 and the Racers won it the next year in 1986.

In 1983, Yarbrough had a game to remember and was mentioned in Sports Illustrated after he blocked punt in the first quarter and ran 21 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter he returned a punt he blocked 27 yards to set up another TD. He also made two interceptions, one of which he returned 41 yards for the Racers' final score as they beat Eastern Kentucky at home 23-10. EKU was not only defending OVC champs that year, they were the defending national champions.

In track & field, Yarbrough was an outstanding sprinter and hurdler. He was the OVC champion in the 1986 and set the MSU indoor 60 meter high hurdles record at 7.3 seconds. At the time, he held the MSU outdoor record in the 100 meter dash at 14.05.

However, with all of that as a collegiate and NFL athlete, there is a lot more to Squeeky Yarbrough. He's a man of great faith. He also spent 20 years as an officer with the Dallas County Sheriff's department and was part of the SWAT and hostage units.

"I really enjoyed what I did, but I was a project kid and I didn't have a liking for (police) officers when I was growing up," he said. "But it was the opportunity to take what I had learned as a kid and at the same time having a chance to minister. I think God was working through me as a police officer. It was an honor to serve and have that chance to bridge the gap. It was truly a blessing, but I never knew the enormity of being a first responder. I take all of those things I learned and now use them in my everyday life."

For the last 15 years, Yarbrough runs his own nonprofit group, J&B Outreach that seeks to help at risk children in the Dallas area.

"At first, we did a track & field club for kids," Yarbrough said. "It was a great chance to impact young people and help them and make a difference in their lives. It's a leadership program for fatherless children. Our FOCUS is on faith, obedience, commitment, understanding and self control."

Yarbrough's days at Murray State are always on his mind.

"I wouldn't be the man I am today if wasn't for Coach Beamer taking a chance on me and putting some bricks on my foundation," Yarbrough said. "And really more than bricks, it was a second layer of a foundation. The life skills I was able to acquire at Murray State on top of the values that my family taught me, Murray State means everything to me."

About Runnin' With The Racers Podcast
Murray State Basketball great Jonathan Stark was the first guest when the pilot episode posted Aug. 29, 2018, The podcast is produced weekly and usually is available by Wednesday. The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast is mainly guest driven with news and notes of the week from the Racers. Dave Winder, MSU Athletics Associate AD for Media Relations is the host. The podcast is available on GoRacers.com, ITunes and Soundcloud.

Murray State University Athletics

Runnin' With The Racers Podcast - Squeeky Yarbrough

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