Robert Donald Murphy (born January 18, 1977) is a former professional

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. He most recently played for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, and was recognized as an All-American. He was originally signed by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2000, and has played professionally for the Frankfurt Galaxy,

Chicago Enforcers The Chicago Enforcers were a short-lived American football team based at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of WWE and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. NBC drop ...

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

and

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

Early years

Murphy was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. He attended

Moeller High School Moeller High School ( ), known as Moeller, is a private, all-male, college-preparatory high school in the suburbs of Cincinnati, in Hamilton County, Ohio. It is currently one of four all-male Catholic high schools in the Cincinnati area. Hist ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and played football, ice hockey, and wrestled for the Moeller Crusaders.

College career

Murphy attended Ohio State University, and was a three-year starter for the

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played their home games at Ohio Stadium in ...

team. He participated in the 1997 Rose Bowl and the

1998 Sugar Bowl The 1998 Sugar Bowl was played on January 1, 1998. This 64th edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Florida State Seminoles. Ohio State entered the game ranked number 10 in the nation at 10–2, whereas Florida State ...

. He was a first-team All-American selection in 1997 and a consensus first-team All-American in 1998, and twice received first-team All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

honours.

Professional career

Murphy signed with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

in 1999, was on the practice squad and was picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs in the last week of the 1999 season and signed to the active roster. He was allocated by the Chiefs to NFL Europe and played and started 10 games with the Frankfurt Galaxy in 2000. He was put on the injured reserve by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2000 and was released at the end of the season. Murphy was drafted 184th overall by the

in the

2001 XFL Draft The 2001 XFL Draft was the only draft for the first-iteration XFL football league. The draft took place over a three-day time period from October 28 to October 30, 2000, during which time a total of 475 players were selected by the league's 8 teams ...

and started 11 games including their playoff game. At the end of the XFL season Murphy signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Signed to active roster in week 3. But did not see any action. In 2002, he played in 10 games and 1 playoff game against the NY Jets and was also used as a short yardage tight end. He was released in August 2003 and immediately signed with the San Francisco 49ers. He played in 2 games in 2003. In 2004 Murphy played in 14 games at the guard position. In Spring of 2005 he was released and signed by the Detroit Lions. He was released at the end of training camp but was signed back at the halfway point in the season. He went unsigned in the NFL after the end of the 2005 season.

Canadian Football League

The BC Lions signed Murphy as a free agent prior to the

2006 CFL season The 2006 CFL season is considered to be the 53rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 49th Canadian Football League season. CFL News in 2006 It was announced on April 9, 2006 that the CFL had suspended the operat ...

and made an immediate impact winning the

CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award The Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually awarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Leo Dandurand Trophy winner from the East Division, and the DeMarco-Becket Memor ...

, was selected to the CFL All-Star team, and helped the Lions win the

94th Grey Cup The 94th Grey Cup game took place on November 19, 2006, at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba before 44,786 fans. Ticket prices ranged from $141 and $275. The game decided the championship of the 2006 Canadian Football League season. The B ...

; all in his first CFL season. With such success, Murphy was able to renegotiate a significant salary increase for the option year on his contract. Murphy continued his success in the

2007 CFL season The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 50th season of the Canadian Football League, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28, 2007 at the Rogers Centre ...

. He was again named the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman and selected for the CFL All-Star team. He was named Gladiator of the Game during Friday Night Football against

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

and, at the conclusion of the season, named a 2007 Walby Warrior. In 2008, he was again named a CFL All Star. He became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on February 16, 2009, and the Argonauts signed him the same day for a two-year deal worth $400,000 plus incentives. He started all 18 games at Left Tackle. In 2010 Murphy had a resurgence from the 2009 season. He was voted team captain and was again named a CFL and Divisional All Star for the 4th year of his five years in the CFL. He was nominated as the Argonauts Most Outstanding Lineman. Murphy was named "Nastiest Player" in the CFL according to a TSN players poll at the end of the season. He currently hosts a weekly radio show on TSN 1050 with Cybulski and Company called ''Murphy's Law''. He is heard frequently as well as a fill in co-host on TSN 1050. He is known for his quick wit and shoot straight from the hip attitude as his on-air persona. On May 23, 2012, Murphy announced his retirement from professional football.

Personal life

Murphy has joint-custody of their three children with ex-wife, Amy. The triplets were born July 1, 2008. His daughter is named Rowan, and the two boys are Grey and Maddox. Murphy is now a Firefighter in St. Augustine, FL.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Rob 1977 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive linemen American players of Canadian football BC Lions players Chicago Enforcers players Frankfurt Galaxy players Indianapolis Colts players Ohio State Buckeyes football players Players of American football from Buffalo, New York Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York San Francisco 49ers players Toronto Argonauts players