Rob Murphy (football player)
Encyclopedia
Robert Donald Murphy is a professional gridiron football
offensive lineman currently playing for the Toronto Argonauts
of the Canadian Football League
. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs
as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football
at Ohio State
.
Murphy has also played for the Frankfurt Galaxy
, Chicago Enforcers
, Indianapolis Colts
, San Francisco 49ers
and BC Lions
.
. He participated in the 1997 Rose Bowl
and the 1998 Sugar Bowl
and was a 2-time All-America
n in 1997 and 1998 as well as earning All-Big Ten Conference
honours.
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 rankfurt 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 Chicago Enforcers
in the 2001 XFL Draft
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 of 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.
and made an immediate impact winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award
, was selected to the CFL All-Star team, and helped the Lions win the 94th Grey Cup
; 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
. 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
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
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 freaquently 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.
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
offensive lineman currently playing for the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
.
Murphy has also played for the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
, Chicago Enforcers
Chicago Enforcers
The Chicago Enforcers were a short-lived American football team based in Chicago, Illinois at Soldier Field. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States...
, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
.
Early years
Murphy was a starter throughout his three seasons for the Ohio State BuckeyesOhio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
. He participated in the 1997 Rose Bowl
1997 Rose Bowl
The 1997 Rose Bowl Game was a postseason college football bowl game between the Arizona State Sun Devils of the Pacific-10 Conference and the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference, held on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The game resulted in a dramatic 20–17...
and the 1998 Sugar Bowl
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...
and was a 2-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in 1997 and 1998 as well as earning All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
honours.
Professional career
Murphy signed with the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
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 rankfurt 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 Chicago Enforcers
Chicago Enforcers
The Chicago Enforcers were a short-lived American football team based in Chicago, Illinois at Soldier Field. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States...
in the 2001 XFL Draft
2001 XFL Draft
The 2001 XFL Draft was the first and last draft for the single-season XFL football league. The draft took place over a 3 day time period from October 28, 2000 to October 30, 2000 during which time a total of 475 players were selected by the league's 8 teams from a pool of approximately 1,600 or so...
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 of 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 season2006 CFL season
-2006 Rogers CFL Awards:* CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – Geroy Simon , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions* CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award – Brent Johnson , BC Lions...
and made an immediate impact winning the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award
CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award
The Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually rewarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. This is the fourth-last award to be given during the CFL Awards banquet, which takes place the week before Grey Cup weekend in the same city where it is hosted...
, was selected to the CFL All-Star team, and helped the Lions win the 94th Grey Cup
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...
; 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
2007 CFL season
The 2007 CFL season was the 54th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 50th season of the league, and many special events were held to commemorate the event. Regular-season play began on June 28, 2007 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario and concluded on...
. 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
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
and, at the conclusion of the season, named a 2007 Walby
Chris Walby
Chris Walby is a retired Canadian Football League player who played the offensive tackle position almost exclusively with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers...
Warrior.
In 2008 he was again named a CFL All Star
He became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
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 freaquently 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.