GREEN BAY – The scenery may have changed over the years, but Mark Murphy never did.
Whether it was during his time as the athletic director at Colgate and Northwestern or serving for 17-plus years as the Packers’ president and CEO, Murphy made it a habit to be visible around the stadiums he supervised.
Murphy answered the phone and responded to letters. He spearheaded the Packers Everywhere program – with an assist to his daughter Emily – to bring fans together worldwide.
Murphy was a mainstay on the annual Tailgate Tour, a featured speaker at pre-game pep rallies and never once turned down the opportunity to take a photo with a fan or sign an autograph.
Yes, those were his bosses, but that also was Mark Murphy, the man.
“I got to ride with him to a game early in his career and I thought he was going over four hours before the game to talk with coaches or players about strategy,” said Brian Murphy, one of Murphy’s four children.
“He was walking around the tailgate, taking selfies with the fans. It seems like he was enjoying the selfies more than the fans themselves.”
Murphy was, and will forever be, a man of the people. So, it’s only fitting that the Packers’ 10th CEO took his place in the Packers Hall of Fame on Thursday evening to a thunderous ovation inside the Lambeau Field Atrium.
Hired to succeed the incomparable Bob Harlan in December 2007, Murphy put his own stamp on the Packers organization during his 17-plus years at the helm.
He directed the development and construction of Titletown, the renovation of Lambeau Field several times over and helped bring the 2025 NFL Draft to Green Bay this past spring.
The Packers won a lot of football games, too. The team qualified for the playoffs 13 times under Murphy’s leadership, including a team-record eight straight appearances (2009-16).
Green Bay made five trips to the NFC title game, bringing home the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy with a victory in Super Bowl XLV.
Administratively, Murphy successfully managed the transition from Ted Thompson to Brian Gutekunst as general manager in 2018. He assisted in the process to hire Matt LaFleur as Mike McCarthy’s successor in 2019 and witnessed the evolution at quarterback from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love.