Heidelberg Athletics Hall of Fame
Forty-one years ago John A. "Jack" Murphy wore the colors of Heidelberg College and 24 years ago, he served as the coach for his alma mater.
Throughout the years the word success has followed Murphy during his career as a player, a coach and a businessman. Today, he and his wife Carol, reside in Oregon and have four children. He is currently manager of Public and Governmental Affairs of Envirosafe Services of Ohio, Inc., in Oregon.
An All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection in 1953, Murphy returned as the head coach of the Student Princes in 1970, but was here for just one year before accepting the head coaching position at the University of Toledo, replacing Frank Lauterbur.
When he took over at Toledo, he inherited a 23-game winning streak by the Rockets and many questioned what the new coach would bring. What he brought was 12 straight wins in his rookie season, which is still a record among NCAA Division I rookie coaches. Included in that span were three straight Mid American Conference and Tangerine Bowl titles.
He was named the Ohio College Coach of the Year and Mid American Conference Coach of the Year. But it was Heidelberg where Murphy took his talent to the field as an athlete and later as a coach, serving as an assistant under the great Paul Hoernemann before going to Toledo as an assistant. During his playing days at Heidelberg the team was 7-1-1 in 1951,8-1-0 in 1952 and 7-1-1 in 1953 which included an Ohio Athletic Conference crown in 1952.
He led the Student Princes in receiving and held the record in receptions until Bill Ernst beat it. His longest touchdown came against Case when he caught a 35-yard toss for the touchdown.
In 1951 he caught 10 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He also had a touchdown pass in 1952, but his individual yards were not recorded. He came back in 1953 to catch 15 passes for 368 yards and six touchdowns, leading the team in passing yards and receptions. All of this with a team that didn't pass much as another member of the Hall of Fame, Walter Livingston, was dominating the ground attack. He served as an assistant coach with the late legendary Hoernemann and later returned as the head coach in 1970. At Toledo as an assistant, the team was MAC champions in 1967 and 1969. In 1972 Murphy was head coach of the Ohio Shrine Bowl All- Star Game and assistant for the same game in 1974.
Murphy was the district chairman for the NCAA Rules Committee and is a past president of the Toledo Chapter of the Collegiate National Football Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Heidelberg College Fellows and has worked as a volunteer for various Heidelberg College fundraising drives. He also works as a volunteer in the Toledo area for The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.
(This profile appeared in the 1994 Hall of Fame Banquet program. Mr. Murphy passed away in 2021.)
