Report: Packers set to grab NU's Murphy
Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy is reportedly the choice to become president of the Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette, citing three NFL sources, reported late Tuesday that the Packers search committee has tabbed Murphy to replace chairman Bob Harlan. The newspaper added that contract negotiations have already started with Murphy, who has been Northwestern's AD since June 2003.
"I am a candidate and I have tremendous respect for the Packers," Murphy told the Daily Herald on Wednesday. "But there's a process that they have to follow, so that's all I can say."
Murphy declined to comment on the report that he had already started contract negotiations. The Packers' 45-person board of directors would have to approve Murphy before his hiring becomes official. According to the Press-Gazette, the board is set to convene next week.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is another rumored candidate for the position, along with Packers vice-presidents Jason Wied and Andrew Brandt.
"He's a great guy," Packers running back and former NU star Noah Herron told the Associated Press. "He did a lot of good things - not just for our football program, but for the university as a whole."
Murphy has been a Division I athletic director since 1992, spending 11 years at Colgate, his alma mater, before coming to NU. Though he has no NFL front office experience, he played eight seasons for the Washington Redskins and then served as assistant executive director of the NFL players association.
Murphy, 52, holds graduate degrees in both business and law. He represented NFL Players Association in the 1982 players strike.
During his tenure, Northwestern has claimed nine conference titles and three NCAA team championships - all in women's lacrosse. The school had only one NCAA team title before his arrival (men's fencing in 1941).
Murphy also oversaw locker-room upgrades at Welsh-Ryan Arena this summer. NU's most recent Graduation Success Rate of 98 percent tied for the best in the nation.
The Super Bowl could soon be in Murphy's viewfinder, yet he isn't optimistic about the bowl chances for his current employer. Northwestern is one of 10 bowl-eligible Big Ten teams, but at 6-6, its options are slim.
Even if the Big Ten sends two teams to BCS bowls, 7-win teams would fill out the remaining tie-in spots. NU's could earn an at-large berth to a non-affiliated bowl, but only if no 7-win teams are available from any leagues.
Both the Pac-10 and the Big 12 are not expected to fill out their bowl spots, but enough 7-win teams remain from other leagues (i.e. Mountain West) to force out the Wildcats. Murphy said NCAA rules prohibit the Big Ten from placing a 7-win team into a non-affiliated bowl, which would open up a tie-in spot for a 6-win team.
"It's very, very slim," Murphy said of NU's chances. "A lot of conferences that looked like they might not fill all their bowl slots have had teams get their sixth win.
"It's kind of a freak year. Every other year, 6-6 in the Big Ten gets you into a bowl."