Tributes pour in for CFL legend who led Blue Bombers to greatness

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Cal Murphy

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers football family lost a legend this weekend.

Cal Murphy, the gruff but lovable coach who finally delivered a CFL championship to Grey Cup-starved Winnipeg football fans in 1984, died in a Regina hospital Saturday evening.

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Cal Murphy holds the Grey Cup after his Blue beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Edmonton, Nov. 18, 1984. (DAVE BUSTON / THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES )

The nine-time Cup champion and one of the most influential figures in the history of the Bombers was 79.

News of his death resonated throughout the league over the weekend, many remembering the former Bombers head coach and general manager as not only a respected football man, but a staunch advocate of the Canadian game.

"He was so much a part of this community and really an innovator in the Canadian Football League," former Bombers GM Paul Robson said over the weekend. Robson was the man who brought Murphy to Winnipeg prior to the 1983 season.

"Certainly his record as a coach is unparalleled. He was probably the most complete coach that ever coached in the Canadian Football League."

Murphy's arrival in Winnipeg instantly changed the fortunes of the Blue and Gold. He guided the team to a 9-7 record and the West final, winning the CFL coach-of-the-year honour in his first season. Just a year later, Murphy coached the Bombers to their first Grey Cup title in 22 seasons and picked up his second straight coach-of-the-year award.

"I really felt that our team was a little soft, and Cal came in and corrected that," Robson recalled. "He knew where he was going, he knew where we had to get to, and he knew the kind of people that he needed to get us there."

The '84 Cup was the beginning of a dominant run for Murphy and the Bombers. The franchise picked up three titles in a seven-season span, the first with Murphy as the coach and the last two with him serving as general manager with Mike Riley on the sidelines.

Prior to the 1992 season, "Kindly Cal" was about to return to the Bomber sidelines when he suffered a heart attack that required emergency bypass surgery.

Murphy, who had a history of heart problems, underwent a heart transplant and spent most of his time in a London, Ont., recovery hospital thinking about football during that year -- even discussing game strategy with interim head coach Urban Bowman and assistant GM Lyle Bauer over the phone.

Murphy's recovery was remarkable: His new heart (which came from a last-minute donor) added another 20 years to his life.

Many called him stubborn, but that just spoke to the type of man he was, players said.

"He was tough as hell," said Bauer, who also played under Murphy before retiring in 1991. "He may have been (stubborn), but the side you don't know about is what he did for players -- how he helped them... how he helped guide them and prepared them for life's challenges."

Murphy went on coach the Bombers from 1993-96, finishing with 86 wins (second only to Bud Grant in Bomber history) and a .627 winning percentage. He was with the club for five Grey Cup appearances, winning three in his 14 seasons in Winnipeg.

He was inducted into the Bombers Hall of Fame in 2002 and the CFL Hall of Fame in 2004.

Born in Winnipeg in 1932, Murphy's family moved to Vancouver, where he starred at Vancouver College and the University of British Columbia and later turned to coaching. His long association with the CFL started with the B.C. Lions (1974-76), eventually moving onto the Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes (1977) before serving as an assistant in Edmonton, where he won five more titles during the Eskimos' dynasty (1978-82).

Murphy also coached with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1997-99), and later put in time with the Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe) and Chicago Enforcers (XFL). He worked as a scout for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts right up until his death.

Murphy is survived by his wife, Joyce, and their seven children.

Service arrangements have been set for Thursday and Friday in Regina.

A vigil is set for Thursday evening at the Holy Cross Church (315 Douglas Ave. E.) at 7:30 p.m. The funeral is at 1 p.m. Friday afternoon at the same location.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca

The life of Cal Murphy

Born: March 12, 1932 in Winnipeg

Died: Feb. 18, 2012 in Regina, Sask.

Family: Joyce (spouse); Carol, Mike, Barb, Erin, Shannon, Brian, Kelly (children)

Inducted into the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 2002

Inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2004

Won nine Grey Cups (three in Winnipeg, five in Edmonton, one with Montreal)

Early football years

Starred as a defensive back and quarterback at Vancouver College and the University of British Columbia; played briefly with the B.C. Lions; got into coaching in 1960; coached at Eastern Washington, Hawaii, and San Jose State before moving to the pros in 1974.

CFL beginnings

Worked as an assistant coach with the Lions before being promoted to head coach six games into the 1975 campaign; guided the Leos to a 5-5 record that year; was fired after a disappointing 1976 record (5-9-2); coached under Marv Levy for one championship season in Montreal (1977) before moving on to an assistant coach position in Edmonton; won five Grey Cups with the Eskimos (1978-82).

Bombers legacy

1983-86: Hired by GM Paul Robson and led the club to a 9-7 record. Murphy was named coach of the year; in 1984, Winnipeg won the Grey Cup for the first time in 22 years. Named coach of the year again; the team went 23-11 the next two seasons.

1987-91: Moved into the front office and hired Mike Riley as head coach; won two more Grey Cups (1988, 1990) as the Winnipeg GM.

1992-96: Was to return to coaching in 1992 but suffered a heart attack, requiring emergency bypass surgery and a heart transplant; returned to the sidelines in '93. Winnipeg reached the title game that year, but lost to Edmonton; was let go following the 1996 season; compiled a 86-51-1 record (.627 winning percentage) as Bombers head coach.

Post-Winnipeg career

Served as offensive co-ordinator for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1997-98; took over as head coach in 1999; had stints as an assistant with the NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy (2000) and the XFL's Chicago Enforcers (2001); worked as a scout for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts the last number of years until his death.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 21, 2012 A4