mark murphy - NFL.com

FRONT OFFICEVETERANS ADMINISTRATION COMMUNITYLAMBEAU RECORDS &DRAFT &MISC. FIELD HISTORY 2009 REVIEW FREE AGENTSColgate’s other teams experienced success as well,with men’s basketball, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball,women’s softball and men’s ice hockey teams makingNCAA Tournament appearances. The school also achievedgraduation rates among the highest for student-athletes inDivision I during Murphy’s tenure.A former All-Pro safety for the Washington Redskins,Murphy enjoyed an eight-year (1977-84) career after originallysigning with the team as a non-drafted free agent in1977. He was a co-captain from 1980-84, a period thatincluded two Super Bowl teams (1982-83). He enjoyed hisfinest season in 1983, leading the NFL with nine interceptionsand earning consensus All-Pro honors as well as atrip to the Pro Bowl. Murphy was named as one of theRedskins’ “70 Greatest Players” and also is a member ofthe club’s “50th Anniversary Team.”Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame former coach of the Redskinswho led the team during Murphy’s 1981-84 seasons,was appreciative of the player’s contributions and laudedthe Packers’ hiring of Murphy.“Mark meant a lot to the Redskins organization theyears he was here and played,” Gibbs said. “He was a greatperson along with being one of the brightest and mostcompetitive people we’ve had here at the Redskins.”Gibbs had an influence on Murphy as well, as the PackersCEO attributes much of his leadership style to what helearned from the successful Redskins coach.“He had many leadership traits that I admired and triedto incorporate into my own leadership style,” said Murphy.“He had a very natural way about him with the wayhe related to people, and he tried to be accessible. He wasa very effective communicator, too, as most great leadersare. And when he worked with you, he was very fair andsincere. All those skills and traits fueled his awesome abilityto motivate his teams.”A natural leader among his teammates, Murphy servedas the Redskins’ player representative to the NFL PlayersAssociation from 1980-84, including the position of vicepresident of the players union (1983-84). While a representative,he served on the players’ bargaining committeeduring the 1982 players’ strike. Those experiences haveserved him well in his role on the NFL’s ManagementCouncil Executive Committee.During his days with the Redskins, Murphy earned anM.B.A. in finance from American University in Washington,D.C., attending classes full-time in the offseason andevening classes in-season. Upon completion of his playingcareer in 1985, he joined the NFL Players Associationas assistant executive director. While with the NFLPA,Murphy served on the bargaining team, including duringthe 1987 players’ strike, developed the agent-certificationsystem and strengthened the PA’s degree-completion andcareer-counseling programs.While with the NFLPA, he started work on a law degreefrom Georgetown University and ultimately finished hisstudies full-time after leaving the Players Association. Uponreceiving his law degree in 1988, he worked at a WashingtonD.C. law firm (Bredhoff and Kaiser) before becoming atrial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in 1989.During a four-year career with the Department of Justice,he primarily represented government agencies in trials.Then, in 1992, his alma mater called and he returnedto the sports realm.At ease in public settings and with the media, Murphyenjoyed hosting a weekly radio show during his playingdays and later became a sports commentator for NationalPublic Radio (1983-92) and the Anheuser-Busch RadioNetwork (1986-88), offering his insights into football andsports-related legal issues in general.Born July 13, 1955, in Fulton, N.Y., Murphy spent someof his formative years in the Houston area before movingback to the Buffalo-area community of Clarence. Hewas a three-sport star (football, baseball and basketball)at Clarence Central High School and was named the bestall-around athlete in Western New York during his senioryear. His baseball talents drew attention from MajorLeague scouts. In 2002, he was inducted into the GreaterBuffalo Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of his achievementsboth on and off the field.Murphy and his wife, Laurie, who also is a Colgategraduate, have been involved in the communities in whichthey’ve lived. Over the years the couple has donated theirtime to numerous organizations, including local schools,the United Methodist Church in Hamilton, N.Y., and theFirst Congregational Church of Evanston, Ill. Also while inChicago, Murphy served on the bid committee for the 2016Olympics which eventually was awarded to Rio de Janeiro,Brazil. While at Colgate University, Murphy formed theHamilton Youth Basketball League and served as its commissioner.Heavily involved in the community while withthe Redskins, Murphy was named the team’s “Miller Manof the Year” in 1984 in honor of his work off the field.Since moving to Green Bay, Murphy has engaged ina busy schedule of meeting with fans and shareholders,as well as speaking to a variety of business and communitygroups, all in the process of learning about the area inwhich he now lives. He also has given his time to severalcommunity organizations in the area to help their causes,including Big Brothers Big Sisters. Additionally, he serveson the board of directors of the Positive Coaching Alliance,an organization created to transform the culture of youthsports to give all young athletes the opportunity for a positive,character-building experience. Markand Laurie are also active supporters offoster-care services in Brown County.Mark and Laurie have four children:Katie, 27, a graduate of Harvard whoplayed basketball for the Crimson andnow works at Credit Suisse in New YorkCity; Emily, 25, a 2008 graduate of Middlebury(Vt.) College who now works inNew York City at Blue State Digital, anInternet strategy and technology firm,after working on then-Senator BarackObama’s presidential campaign; Brian,21, a senior at Amherst (Mass.) Collegeand wide receiver for the school’s footballteam (2009 conference champions;undefeated season); and Anna, 19, asophomore at Northwestern University.Away from work, he enjoys playinggolf, fishing and participating in variousforms of exercise, including bicycling,cross-country skiing and jogging.16