Murtezi humbled to be wearing No. 68
Senior captain accorded honor in salute of former Mid Forney, who died in ’20
Ashley Ingram had a flashback while watching the Navy offense run plays early in spring camp.
Standing behind the line of scrimmage, Navy’s offensive line coach watched No. 68 explode out of his stance and launch his wide body into a defensive lineman.
It was center Lirion Murtezi powerfully engaging a block and Ingram was struck by the resemblance to the former Navy player he is honoring by wearing that jersey number: Dave Forney
“When I stood behind Lirion, the first time he wore 68 he kind of looked like Dave. Another big, strong 300-pound guy with broad shoulders and thick legs,” Ingram said.
Murtezi is the latest Navy offensive lineman selected to wear No. 68 in honor of Forney, who died a few months after completing a stellar senior season for the Navy football team. Forney was preparing to audition for NFL scouts at various combines when he was found unresponsive in his Bancroft Hall dorm room on Feb. 20, 2020. The 22-year-old Walkersville resident died of sudden cardiac arrest, the state medical examiner ruled after an autopsy.
Forney was the lynchpin of an offensive line that paved the way for Navy to set a single-season school record with 4,687 rushing yards during the 2019 season. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder was named first team All-American Athletic Conference.
“We can all learn so much from watching that offensive line. It was one of the greatest in Navy football history and the numbers back that up,” Murtezi said. “Dave had an incredible year and we’ve watched a lot of film of him, especially as far as how we run our traps and other plays. Dave definitely had that physical mindset and really got after people.”
Navy did not issue the No. 68 during the 2020 season out of respect for Forney and his family. Billy Honaker, who was the other starting guard in 2019, wore the number in the Army-Navy game to pay homage to his friend.
Navy equipment manager Greg
Turn to Murtezi,
Morgenthaler put the No. 68 back in circulation in 2021 and suggested to Ingram that he select a senior lineman to wear it. Guard Pierce Banbury wore No. 68 that season, followed by right tackle Kip Frankland last season.
“Losing Dave was tragic and heartbreaking. It’s one of those things you never get over,” Ingram said. “Over the years, I think the entire offensive line has really embraced having someone wear No. 68 in honor of Dave.”
This season, the choice was between Murtezi and senior guard Josh Pena with Ingram saying either would have “done a great job of honoring Dave’s legacy.” Pena is the team’s most experienced lineman with 20 career starts, but he told Ingram that Murtezi, as a team captain, deserved the honor.
“Lirion is a real team guy who is the leader of the offensive line, so Josh felt he should be the one to wear 68,” Ingram said. “I think Lirion has a chance to have a great senior season, so I think he was a great choice.”
Murtezi was born and raised in Kosovo, which his parents fled during the war that lasted from February 1998 to June 1999. The conflict ended when NATO intervened by mounting airstrikes that led to Yugoslavian forces withdrawing from the country.
Kosovo is now one of the many Naval battles immortalized on the wall surrounding the field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Following the war, Murtezi and his family emigrated to the United States and settled in Pittsburgh. The massive two-way lineman blossomed into a Pennsylvania Sportswriters Class 5A first team All-State selection at powerful North Hills High.
Murtezi was attending the Naval Academy Prep School when Forney was a senior and remembers watching that 2019 offensive line create gaping holes for Malcolm Perry, Jamale Carothers and the rest of the ball carriers. He never imagined that four years later he would be the one selected to represent Forney.
“All the stories we’ve heard about David Forney are about how he represented everything a Navy football player should be by doing things right in the hall, in the locker room and on the field. I feel very privileged to be able to wear 68 in his honor,” Murtezi said.
Murtezi called Forney’s father to personally express that sentiment. Rick Forney is an Annapolis High and Anne Arundel Community College graduate who spent five seasons as a starting pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles system.
“I wanted to reach out and talk to David’s father and let him know how much it meant to me to be selected to continue this tradition of keeping Dave’s memory alive. I know it means a lot to their entire family,” Murtezi said.
Rick Forney wasn’t sure if the tradition would continue after Navy underwent a coaching change. However, first-year head coach Brian Newberry was the first to broach the topic with Ingram, making sure No. 68 would continue to be bestowed on the most deserving offensive lineman.
“I think it’s really cool that it has become a permanent tradition,” Rick said.
Murtezi is the first Navy lineman to wear the number who did not know David Forney. That made it even more meaningful to Rick Forney that Murtezi took the time to call him.
“I know it means a lot to Ashley that David be remembered. I’m glad the offensive linemen are still hearing David’s story from him,” Forney said. “I’m sure guys like Lirion get schooled on who David was and what he was all about before being given that number. I just tell them thank you for carrying on the legacy.”
Forney continues to faithfully follow Navy football and has become accustomed to focusing on the offensive line. In hindsight, he is not surprised that Murtezi ultimately came to wear No. 68.
“I noticed Lirion two years ago when he was a sophomore. He was a big boy who was coming hard off the ball,” Forney said. “I remember telling Ashley that this Murtezi kid could wind up being a guy.”
David Forney would be 26 years old now and most likely serving as a cryptologic warfare officer. He was color blind and therefore had limited service options, choosing the crypto community over being a supply officer.
NFL scouts were very interested in Forney, whose combination of size, strength and mobility were intriguing. Rick Forney believes his son would have wound up in an NFL training camp.
“I think David would definitely have gotten a chance to play pro ball. The senior season he had wasn’t by accident. He worked really hard and turned himself into a pretty good player,” Forney said.
Ingram believes Murtezi possesses many of the same traits and has a similar playing style as Dave Forney. He appreciates that the 6-foot-3, 315-pound senior has taken the time to find out more about the man he’s honoring.
“We have a highlight film of Dave that was made for the pro scouts and our linemen watch that all the time,” Ingram said. “Because of this tradition, all our guys make sure to learn about Dave and find out about the type of player and person he was.”