Mark Hodge Murphy (born July 13, 1955) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
executive and former American football player currently serving as the president and chief executive officer of the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). Prior to that, he was the athletic director at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
and
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...
. He also played in the NFL as a
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are ...
for the NFL's
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
for eight seasons from 1977 to 1984.
Early years and education
Murphy was born in
Fulton, New York.
He attended
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...
, where he was also a member of the
Theta Chi fraternity and played college football. Before his NFL career ended and while playing for the Redskins he obtained an
MBA from
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
's Kogod School of Business in 1983. Murphy graduated with a
J.D. degree from the
Georgetown University Law Center in 1988.
Professional career
![1986 Jeno's Pizza - 09 - Mark Murphy (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/1986_Jeno%27s_Pizza_-_09_-_Mark_Murphy_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Murphy played in
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1982 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1982 Washington Redskins season, Washington Reds ...
and
Super Bowl XVIII with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. He played a key role in the Redskins 27–17 Super Bowl XVII win over the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, recording a second half interception of Miami
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
David Woodley
David Eugene Woodley (October 25, 1958 – May 4, 2003) was an American football player, a quarterback in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins (1980–1983), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (1984–1985). He played college football at ...
's pass with the Dolphins on Washington's 37-yard line.
Murphy's best season was in 1983, when he led the NFL with nine interceptions and returned them for 127 yards. He finished his eight-season career with 27 interceptions and 282 return yards, along with six fumble recoveries for 22 returns yards, in 109 games. He also made the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
after the 1983 season.
Murphy was the Redskins representative to the
NFL Players Association
The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeM ...
. He served on the bargaining committee in the players' strike that caused the cancellation of seven games during the
1982 season.
Many suspect that the Redskins' decision to release him after the 1983 season and the reluctance of any other team to sign him was retribution for his union activity.
Sports executive
Murphy moved back to
Hamilton, New York
Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...
, to become the
athletic director
An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...
at
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...
in the early 1990s until 2003. Later, Murphy moved to
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...
to serve as the athletic director at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
. On December 3, 2007, he was announced as the new
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
President and CEO. On February 6, 2011, Green Bay won
Super Bowl XLV, giving Murphy his second
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
victory, thanks in part to the performance of Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.
References
External links
Green Bay Packers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Mark
1955 births
American football safeties
Colgate Raiders athletic directors
Colgate Raiders baseball players
Colgate Raiders football players
Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Green Bay Packers presidents
Kogod School of Business alumni
Living people
National Conference Pro Bowl players
National Football League team presidents
Northwestern Wildcats athletic directors
People from Erie County, New York
People from Fulton, Oswego County, New York
Players of American football from New York (state)
Washington Redskins players