BYU Football History Book: Shay Muirbrook

From 1993-96, linebacker Shay Muirbrook wreaked havoc on the field for BYU football.

Shay Muirbrook was a bad man for BYU football. And I mean that in a good way.

Tough as nails, gritty, explosive and a playmaker, Muirbrook did not make life fun for opposing offenses.

BYU football went 37-14 during Muirbrook’s time on the roster, capturing three Western Athletic Conference championships (two times the Cougars were co-champ), two bowl wins and two seasons ended with top 10 rankings.

Let’s take a look at his numbers.

Freshman (1993): 

9 games, 61 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss.

Sophomore (1994):

13 games, 103 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, 1 interception, 4 forced fumbles.

Junior (1995): 

11 games, 85 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble.

Senior (1996):

15 games, 97 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks, 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble.

Muirbrook was named to the All-WAC Second Team as a sophomore, then the All-WAC First Team as a junior. As a senior, he capped his career off by becoming the WAC Defensive Player of the Year.

He was a captain in 1995 and 1996, and played his best when the lights were brightest.

Muirbrook posted seven tackles and one TFL against Oklahoma in the 1994 Copper Bowl – a game which BYU football won 31-6.

In the 1997 Cotton Bowl, Muirbrook gave a Herculean effort. In his final collegiate game, he posted 11 solo tackles, five TFL’s and six sacks. The Cougars won the game on New Year’s Day, 19-15 over Kansas State. His six sacks is still the Cotton Bowl record.

Muirbrook played in the East-West Shrine Game after the season, and had a cup of coffee with the Oakland Raiders before spending the 1999 season with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL.