Bomber great Murphy to be inducted into Ring of Honour

Cal Murphy was immortalized with a statue outside of the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers back in 2017 and, next month, his name will be displayed inside the stadium next to fellow franchise greats.

The Bombers announced Thursday that the late Murphy is this year’s inductee into the team’s Ring of Honour. The longtime head coach and general manager, who died in 2012 at the age of 79, will be officially inducted on July 30 when the Bombers host the B.C. Lions.

“Cal was such an important part of the Blue Bombers for his many years with the club as a coach, a GM and a steadfast voice for Canadian football,” said Winnipeg Football Club president and CEO Wade Miller in a statement. “Strong-willed and passionate in his beliefs, he had his hand on the rudder during one of the most successful eras of Blue Bombers football.

“On behalf of the Winnipeg Football Club, I’m thrilled to see his name join the other icons in franchise history in the Ring of Honour.”

Murphy, a Winnipegger, coached the Bombers to Grey Cup glory in 1984, and was the GM when the club hoisted the silver mug in 1988 and 1990. The two-time CFL Coach of the Year (1983 and 1984) also captured five Grey Cups with Edmonton (1978-82) and one with Montreal (1977) in assistant coaching roles.

Murphy left the Bombers after the 1996 campaign with a win-loss record of 86-51-1 which now ranks third in team history behind Mike O’Shea (118-78) and Bud Grant (102-56-2).

“He had the ability to recognize talent and be able to put them in the right place to be successful,” Bombers legend Chris Walby told the Free Press. “That’s one thing you can never take away from him: he’s a winner. I tell stories about the fun part of Cal, and I tell stories about the serious part of Cal, but one thing Cal never fooled around with was when it came to the games — he knew how to win.

“He’s just a winner, and it’s well-deserved. I’m happy he’s going in and I hope the family comes out. I’ll make sure I’m at that July 30 game to be a part of it.”

Murphy was inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club’s Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2004. Since 2001 the club has also presented the annual Cal Murphy Heart of a Legend Award to the Bombers player who “best demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship and dedication to the CFL and community.”

“Those accolades talk a whole lot about the impact that he’s made not only on me, but pretty much every player he’s coached,” Bombers legend James Murphy told the Free Press.

“He taught me how to be a professional football player, how to practice, and and how to go about the business of being not only good, but great in this league. It’s because of him, with that leadership and that disciplinarian style that he had that helped me become the type of man and person that I am today.”

After his time in the CFL, Murphy became a scout for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts and played a role in the club winning the Super Bowl in 2006.

“We are excited to know how complimentary people are about him and honoured they still remember him as their own Canadian and Winnipeg-born head coach and GM,” said the Murphy family in a statement.

“He was both supportive and stern as well as a leader. A good husband and father and strong in his Catholic faith.”

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