NU's Murphy joins Packers

Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy was named president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers on Monday after being approved by the team's board of directors.

Murphy, 52, joins the Packers after spending 4½ years at Northwestern. The former Washington Redskins safety was introduced at a news conference Monday afternoon in Green Bay.

"I love being the underdog," Murphy said. "You have Green Bay, a small-market team, yet overcoming all the odds and succeeding."

Murphy will remain at NU until Jan. 1. He will replace longtime Packers chairman Bob Harlan, who will lead the organization through the rest of the football season.

Northwestern president Henry Bienen will begin the search of Murphy's replacement immediately. School officials didn't think Murphy would be involved in the search.

"We appreciate Mark's tremendous leadership during his tenure here at Northwestern," Bienen said in a statement. "We're sorry to see Mark go, but at the same time, we understand what a wonderful opportunity this is for him, so we wish him well."

Possible candidates to replace Murphy include three Division I athletic directors --Colorado State's Paul Kowalczyk, Fresno State's Thomas Boeh and Wake Forest's Ron Wellman -- who previously worked at Northwestern. Kowalczyk, who had success as Southern Illinois' athletic director before heading to Colorado State, served as an assistant athletic director at NU in the 1990s.

The school also could look at Nevada athletic director Cary Groth, the former AD at Northern Illinois who was a finalist for Northwestern's vacancy when Murphy got the job.

Another possibility is Saint Louis AD Cheryl Levick. Several internal candidates, including associate athletic directors Shon Morris and Noreen Morris, also could be considered.

During Murphy's tenure, NU won three national championships in women's lacrosse and had improvement in several other non-revenue sports (softball, soccer, wrestling). The football team won six games or more four times during Murphy's term, but both the men's and women's basketball programs continued to struggle.

Murphy moves into his first NFL front-office position. He served as assistant executive director of the NFL players association from 1985-88.

"Mark has a deep respect for the league," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "He understands the impact of a franchise on its community."

Murphy's most significant coaching hire at NU came in July 2006, when he named 31-year-old Pat Fitzgerald as head football coach just eight days after the sudden death of Randy Walker.

"I'm indebted to Mark and his administration for giving me the chance to lead our football program," Fitzgerald said. "He will be missed."