Murray State University Athletics
MSU Athletics Remembers Hall of Famer Squeeky Yarbrough
7/17/2023 11:56:00 AM | Football
Playing for Coach Frank Beamer from 1982-85, Yarbrough Is part of the 2023 class to the Murray State Hall of Fame
Murray State Football great, James "Squeeky" Yarbrough passed away on July 17, 2023 at the age of 59 at his home in Cedar Hill, Texas after a courageous battle with cancer.
Funeral plans can be found here.
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Yarbrough is part of the class of seven inductees to the Murray State Hall of Fame in 2023.
"We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Squeeky Yarbrough," Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. "He was an incredible student-athlete who epitomized what it meant to be a Murray State Racer, and he will forever be recognized for those achievements as a member of our Hall of Fame. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."
Out of Fulton High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, Squeeky Yarbrough was an outstanding All-OVC defensive player during the Frank Beamer era (1982-85) and later spent some time in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants.
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Yarbrough started at safety as a freshman and earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in 1985. He played on some of the best defensive teams in Racer history in Beamer's Wide Tackle Six scheme, which was a ground-breaking concept.
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In 1983, Yarbrough had a game to remember in the Racers' home victory over Eastern Kentucky 23-10. He blocked punt in the first quarter and ran 21 yards for a touchdown and in the third quarter, he returned a punt he blocked 27 yards to set up another TD. Yarbrough made two interceptions, one of which he returned 41 yards for the Racers' final score of the day. His amazing game brought attention from Sports Illustrated, where Squeeky was mentioned in an SI issue on Nov. 7.
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In Murray State Track & Field, Yarbrough was an outstanding sprinter and hurdler. He was the OVC champion in 1986 and set the MSU indoor 60M high hurdles record at 7.3 seconds. He also set the MSU outdoor record in the 100M dash at 14.05.Â
Setting Yarbrough's career accomplishments as a student-athlete at Murray State and beyond aside, his life was spent serving others in many capacities.
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A great man of great faith, Yarbrough spent 20 years as an officer with the Dallas County Sheriff's department and was part of the SWAT and hostage units. He created J&B Outreach that assisted at-risk children in the Dallas area for several years. Squeeky was an amazing encourager of his teammates, as he regularly stayed in touch with many of them.
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Funeral plans can be found here.
Â
Yarbrough is part of the class of seven inductees to the Murray State Hall of Fame in 2023.
"We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Squeeky Yarbrough," Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. "He was an incredible student-athlete who epitomized what it meant to be a Murray State Racer, and he will forever be recognized for those achievements as a member of our Hall of Fame. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."
Out of Fulton High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, Squeeky Yarbrough was an outstanding All-OVC defensive player during the Frank Beamer era (1982-85) and later spent some time in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants.
Â
Yarbrough started at safety as a freshman and earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in 1985. He played on some of the best defensive teams in Racer history in Beamer's Wide Tackle Six scheme, which was a ground-breaking concept.
Â
In 1983, Yarbrough had a game to remember in the Racers' home victory over Eastern Kentucky 23-10. He blocked punt in the first quarter and ran 21 yards for a touchdown and in the third quarter, he returned a punt he blocked 27 yards to set up another TD. Yarbrough made two interceptions, one of which he returned 41 yards for the Racers' final score of the day. His amazing game brought attention from Sports Illustrated, where Squeeky was mentioned in an SI issue on Nov. 7.
Â
In Murray State Track & Field, Yarbrough was an outstanding sprinter and hurdler. He was the OVC champion in 1986 and set the MSU indoor 60M high hurdles record at 7.3 seconds. He also set the MSU outdoor record in the 100M dash at 14.05.Â
Setting Yarbrough's career accomplishments as a student-athlete at Murray State and beyond aside, his life was spent serving others in many capacities.
Â
A great man of great faith, Yarbrough spent 20 years as an officer with the Dallas County Sheriff's department and was part of the SWAT and hostage units. He created J&B Outreach that assisted at-risk children in the Dallas area for several years. Squeeky was an amazing encourager of his teammates, as he regularly stayed in touch with many of them.
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