Mark Murphy (American football executive)

Mark Hodge Murphy (born July 13, 1955) is an American football executive and former player who is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).

Mark Murphy was born on July 13, 1955, in Fulton, New York and graduated from Clarence High School.

At Clarence, Murphy was an all-star in three sports: baseball, basketball and football.

Murphy, a safety, went undrafted in the 1977 NFL Draft after playing college football at Colgate University.

He was signed by the Washington Redskins, where he played for eight seasons from 1977 to 1984.

After deciding to focus on football, Murphy ended up going undrafted in the 1977 NFL Draft.

He signed shortly thereafter with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent, primarily to serve on Special teams.

From 1979 to 1983, Murphy recorded 27 interceptions, six fumble recoveries and one forced fumble during the regular season.

He added an additional interception and a fumble recovery in the playoffs.

Over his career, Murphy played in 109 regular season games and 8 playoff games, all for the Redskins and the last four seasons under hall of fame head coach Joe Gibbs.

With the Redskins, Murphy won Super Bowl XVII, played in another Super Bowl and led the NFL in interceptions in 1983, the year he was named to his only Pro Bowl and received his only First Team All-Pro honor.

In 1983, while playing full-time in the NFL, he completed his Master of Business Administration from American University.

During his last few years in the NFL he received a Master of Business Administration from American University and then, after his career ended in 1984, a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in 1988.

After his playing career, he worked for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and then as a trial lawyer for the United States Department of Justice.

Then, in 1988, he received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University.

In 1992, he was hired as the athletic director of his alma mater Colgate University.

In his first two seasons, Murphy played in 30 games, but did not start and did not record any defensive statistics (tackles were not officially recorded until 2001).

He excelled on special teams as a rookie, including blocking a punt in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

He did return three kick-offs for a total of 44 yards in his first season and caught one pass for 13 yards in his second.

Murphy became a starter in his third season, beginning a run of four straight seasons where he started every game as the Redskins' starting safety.

In 2003, he moved to Northwestern University to serve as their athletic director, a position he held until 2007.

In December 2007, Murphy was announced as the next president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, succeeding John Jones as president and Bob Harlan as CEO.

He officially took over both positions in January 2008.

During his tenure, the Packers have been highly successful on the field.

Murphy's hiring coincided with quarterback Brett Favre leaving the team and Aaron Rodgers taking over.

His senior year, he was ranked 10th academically out of a class of 357 people.

He also became the first person in school history to receive a "white letter, as the outstanding performer in his sport, for all three [sports]".

During his last year of high school, he "was named the best all-around athlete in western New York".

After high school, Murphy attended Colgate University where he received his bachelors degree in economics.

While at Colgate, he played college football and baseball.

Halfway through his freshman year, he became a starting defensive back.

During his junior year, he led his team in interceptions and tackles, while helping Colgate to a record of 8–2.

That year, he was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I football all-star squad.

During his college football career, he intercepted over 10 passes and was respected enough that opposing teams often did not throw the ball in his direction.

Murphy completed post-graduate work from two universities.

The Packers won Super Bowl XLV in 2011, made the playoffs eight straight seasons from 2009 to 2016, and Rodgers won four MVP awards.

Murphy has only hired one new head coach and one new general manager in his tenure: Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst, respectively.

Off the field, Murphy oversaw two separate stock sales in 2011 and 2021 (the Packers are a publicly-owned, non-profit corporation) that funded two renovations of Lambeau Field.

He also led the effort to purchase land adjacent to Lambeau Field and redevelop it into the Titletown District, a mixed-use development that supports tourism and provides year-around activities to local residents.

In 2022, Murphy announced his intention to retire in 2025 when he turns 70 years old.