mark murphy - NFL.com

FRONT OFFICEnew to the organization. The new structure reflects thegrowth the organization has experienced in recent yearsand gives broader coverage across all operations withmore people involved on a senior-management level.Murphy also is directing the organization’s master planinvolving Lambeau Field, the Lambeau Field Atrium, thepractice facilities and property the team owns adjacent tothe stadium. The most recent project was the developmentof the new Ray Nitschke Field, the practice field on the eastside of the Don Hutson Center. The new facility, completedfor 2009 training camp, features many improvements overprevious fields, including a permanent seating structurefor approximately 1,500 fans, a natural grass field, a heatedportion of the playing field and permanent lighting fornight practices. The new facility greatly enhanced the fans’experience at training camp and opened to rave reviewsfrom both fans and players.Among the other initiatives Murphy has directed is theenhancement of the organization’s retail operations, includingthe purchase of a new warehouse for the PackersPro Shop and the establishment of a customer relationshipmanagement (CRM) program, with both efforts upgradingcustomer service to Packers fans. Also in the fan experiencerealm, the team is increasing its social media offerings,with team news and event information now availableon Facebook and Twitter.Murphy also has worked to increase the number ofoutside events utilizing Lambeau Field, including LZ Lambeauin May 2010, a welcome back for Wisconsin VietnamVeterans produced in conjunction with Wisconsin PublicTelevision, expansion of the Green Bay Marathon to twodays running around the field, and “Kids Day,” an eventheld in June with Green Bay’s mayor to celebrate GreenBay’s kids.Inside the organization, Murphy continues to grow anddevelop the team’s human resources, with new programsfor employees such as leadership development.The 55-year-old Murphy joined the Packers after 4½years (2003-07) as director of athletics at NorthwesternUniversity. At the Big Ten Conference school, Murphyoversaw a 19-sport program with a $40 million budgetThe Green Bay Packers organizationNO. 1 ACROSS ALL OFSPORTS: Each year since2003, ESPN The Magazine hasranked all 122 franchises inthe four major sports basedon eight major categories:bang for the buck, ownership,stadium experience, on-fieldleadership, fan relations,affordability, players’ effortand likability, and championshipswon/expected to win.The Packers finished firstin the inaugural rankings in2003 and also placed in thetop 10 in 2004 (third), ’05(eighth) and ’08 (fourth).Lambeau Field has rankedas the top NFL venue ineach of the seven rankings and landed inthe top overall spot across all sports four times, including eachof the last two years (2008-09).PLAYERS NAME PACKERS CLASSIEST ORGANIZATION:In October 2004, Sports Illustrated published results of a pollin which the majority of NFL players chose the Packers as theclassiest organization in the league. Featured in the magazine’s SIPlayers section, the poll surveyed 354 players. Results:Green Bay Packers . . . . .18 percentSan Francisco 49ers ........15 percentDallas Cowboys ...........10 percentNew England Patriots .......10 percentand 160 full-time employees. During his tenure, the schoolwon eight individual national championships and threeNCAA team titles. Additionally, the university won nineconference team championships and 34 individual Big Tentitles. A total of 49 Wildcats earned first-team All-Americadistinction. On the football field, the Wildcats participatedin two bowl games during Murphy’s tenure after playingin just four previous such contests in the program’s history.In 2006-07, Northwestern finished 30th in the U.S.Sports Academy Directors’ Cup standings with a schoolbest626.5 points. The Wildcats ranked among the top 30in the standings for the last three years of Murphy’s tenureand in 2007 finished sixth among Big Ten schools for thethird straight year after previously not placing higher thanninth.The school’s athletic success under Murphy wasachieved while its student-athletes continued to excel offthe field. The NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) datareleased in October 2007 reported Northwestern’s rate at98 percent, tying it with Notre Dame and Navy for tops inthe nation.Prior to his tenure at Northwestern, Murphy servedas director of athletics at Colgate University in Hamilton,N.Y. (1992-2003), the school from which he graduatedin 1977. During his 11 years at the helm, the universityexperienced a renaissance of its football program, goingfrom 0-11 in 1995 to three consecutive appearances inthe NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. In 2003, the year afterMurphy’s departure to Northwestern, the team made it tothe championship game; the achievement of that squad– a non-scholarship program – remains one of Murphy’sproudest moments.“The accomplishment of that team, to go from winlessto eventually the championship game, was outstanding,”recalls Murphy. “We had to fight to just get teams fromthe Patriot League in the I-AA playoffs, as well as convincecertain people at the NCAA that we fielded legitimate footballteams – there was a belief that the non-scholarshipteams were on a different tier. When our club advanced tothat game, it was a great source of pride for our school, thecommunity, and all the schools in the Patriot League.”MOST POPULAR FRANCHISES: In March 2009, theNFL and ESPN Sports Poll released a study in which it aimedto determine the nation’s most popular individual pro sportsfranchises across all sports. The Dallas Cowboys and Green BayPackers, always among the top vote-getters in the annual HarrisInteractive poll determining America’s favorite football team,finished Nos. 1 and 2 across all franchises. NFL teams held sixof the top 10 spots in the poll.1. Dallas Cowboys 6. Los Angeles Lakers2. Green Bay Packers 7. Indianapolis Colts3. Pittsburgh Steelers 8. Boston Red Sox4. New England Patriots 9. New York Giants5. New York Yankees 10. Atlanta BravesLAMBEAU FIELD RANKED NO. 1 GAME DAY EXPERIENCE :In a November 2007 Sports Illustrated poll on SI.com rating thegame-day atmosphere for each NFL team, the experience of seeingthe Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field ranked first.Lambeau Field topped the rankings for a second consecutiveseason in 2008, according to the SI.com poll. It was the onlystadium to achieve a top-five ranking in each of the five categories:affordability & food, tailgating, team quality, atmosphereand accessibility.“For all the glitz and money the NFL exudes nowadays,” the pollsummarized, “football’s heart is still on that ‘frozen tundra,’ wheretough guys grapple with each other while fans warm themselveson cold bleachers with hot chocolate and full-throated cheering.And that is still the essence of Lambeau.”DRAFT &COMMUNITY ADMINISTRATION VETERANS FREE AGENTS2009 REVIEW HISTORYRECORDS &LAMBEAUFIELDMISC.15