Cal Murphy

Cal Murphy (March 12, 1932 – February 18, 2012) was a Canadian football coach, general manager and scout, most notably for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. In his career as a coach and/or general manager, he led various teams to nine Grey Cup championships, earning a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. In his retirement years he spent some time as a scout for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.

Early life

Murphy, one of seven children, was born in Winnipeg in 1932. His father, William Murphy, a senior executive with Coca-Cola, moved the family to Vancouver. He attended Vancouver College, a K-12 independent Catholic school for boys served by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in British Columbia, where he was a football standout. He then starred with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds as a left-handed quarterback and defensive back, and played a brief stint with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 1956. Murphy then turned to education, returning to Vancouver College and taking over the reins as Head Coach in 1960–61. He led the Fighting Irish to their only undefeated season. He pursued his master's degree while an assistant coach at Eastern Washington University under Head Coach Dave Holmes. Murphy followed Holmes to the University of Hawaii Rainbows, and became part of the most successful coaching tenure in Hawaii history. (From 1968–1974, UH won 67 percent of its games and never suffered a losing season.) In 1973, Murphy left Hawaii for the San Jose State Spartans under Head Coach Darryl Rogers.