Hall of Fame
JAMES MURPHY
Hometown: DeLand, Fla.
Sports: Football
Years: 1978-80
One of the most prolific wide receivers in school history, James Murphy earned honorable mention All-American honors from The Sporting News as a senior in 1980, along with garnering first-team all-Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) honors in each of his last two years as an Aggie. During his three-year Aggie career, Murphy helped Utah State to a 20-12-1 (.621) record, including a 12-2-1 (.833) league mark, as the Aggies won their only back-to-back conference championships in school history with a 4-1-0 record in 1978 and a 4-0-1 mark in 1979 (4-0-1), to go along with a second-place finish in 1980 (4-1-0). As a senior, Murphy caught 66 passes which ranks ninth all-time at Utah State, while his 1,067 receiving yards during his junior year ranks 10th all-time in school history. As a junior, Murphy had two of the top receiving games in Aggie history as he had 215 yards against Long Beach State on Oct. 6 which ranks ninth all-time, while his 196 receiving yards against Pacific on Oct. 20 rank 16th all-time. For his career, Murphy still ranks tied for seventh all-time at Utah State with 17 touchdown receptions, eighth all-time in receiving yards with 2,132, and ninth all-time with 133 receptions. Following his collegiate career, Murphy was selected in the 10th round (266) of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and played with the Kansas City Chiefs for one year. Murphy later played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Winnipeg Bombers from 1982-90 and was named the CFL Most Outstanding Player in 1986. Murphy also played on three Grey Cup Championship teams, being named the Most Valuable Player in 1988, and was a two-time CFL All-Star. He finished his professional career with 9,036 receiving yards and was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 2000. He was also inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame in 1995, the High Schools of Deland, Fla., Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Province of Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, and was named one of the 20 all-time greats in Winnipeg history.
