Mark Hodge Murphy (born July 13, 1955) is an American professional football executive and former player who was the president and chief executive officer (CEO) for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Murphy, a safety, went undrafted in the 1977 NFL draft after playing college football at Colgate University. He was signed by the Washington Redskins, where he played for eight seasons from 1977 to 1984. With the Redskins, Murphy won Super Bowl XVII, played in Super Bowl XVIII and led the NFL in interceptions in 1983, earning his sole Pro Bowl and All-Pro honor that season.
Murphy received a Master of Business Administration from American University near the end of his career before retiring in 1984 and earning a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in 1988. After his playing career, he worked for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and then as a trial lawyer for the United States Department of Justice. In 1992, he was hired as the athletic director of his alma mater Colgate University. In 2003, he moved to Northwestern University to serve as their athletic director, a position he held until 2007.
In December 2007, Murphy was announced as the next president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, succeeding John Jones as president and Bob Harlan as CEO. He took over both positions the following month. During his tenure, the Packers were highly successful on the field. Murphy's hiring coincided with quarterback Brett Favre's departure from the team and Aaron Rodgers' move to starter. The Packers won Super Bowl XLV in 2011, made the playoffs eight straight seasons from 2009 to 2016, and Rodgers won four MVP awards.
Murphy only hired one new head coach and one new general manager in his tenure: Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst, respectively. Off the field, Murphy oversaw two separate stock sales in 2011 and 2021 (the Packers are a publicly owned, non-profit corporation) that funded two renovations of Lambeau Field. He also led the effort to purchase land adjacent to Lambeau Field and redevelop it into the Titletown District, a mixed-use development that supports tourism and provides year-around activities to local residents. Murphy retired as president and CEO of the Packers in July 2025 when he turned 70 years old, and the Packers selected Ed Policy as his successor. Later that year, the team inducted him into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the organization.
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Early life
Mark Murphy was born on July 13, 1955, in Fulton, New York and graduated from Clarence High School. At Clarence, Murphy was an all-star in three sports: baseball, basketball and football. His senior year, he was ranked 10th academically out of a class of 357 people. He also became the first person in school history to receive a "white letter, as the outstanding performer in his sport, for all three [sports]". During his last year of high school, he "was named the best all-around athlete in western New York".
College
After high school, Murphy attended Colgate University where he received his bachelor's degree in economics. While at Colgate, he played college football and baseball. Halfway through his freshman year, he became a starting defensive back. During his junior year, he led his team in interceptions and tackles, while helping Colgate to a record of 8–2. That year, he was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I football all-star squad. During his college football career, he intercepted over 10 passes and was respected enough that opposing teams often did not throw the ball in his direction.
Murphy completed post-graduate work from two universities. In 1983, while playing full-time in the NFL, he completed his Master of Business Administration from American University. Then, in 1988, he received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University.
NFL playing career
After deciding to focus on football, Murphy ended up going undrafted in the 1977 NFL draft. He signed shortly thereafter with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent, primarily to serve on special teams. In his first two seasons, Murphy played in 30 games, but did not start and did not record any defensive statistics (tackles were not officially recorded until 2001). He excelled on special teams as a rookie, including blocking a punt in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He did return three kickoffs for a total of 44 yards in his first season and caught one pass for 13 yards in his second. Murphy became a starter in his third season, beginning a run of four straight seasons where he started every game as the Redskins' starting safety. From 1979 to 1983, Murphy recorded 27 interceptions, six fumble recoveries and one forced fumble during the regular season. He added an additional interception and a fumble recovery in the playoffs. Over his career, Murphy played in 109 regular season games and 8 playoff games, all for the Redskins and the last four seasons under hall of fame head coach Joe Gibbs.
Murphy was co-captain of the 1982 Washington Redskins team that won Super Bowl XVII during the 1982 strike-shortened NFL season. During the second half of the Super Bowl, Murphy recorded a critical interception that helped prevent the Miami Dolphins from opening up a larger lead. The Redskins ultimately scored 17 straight points to secure the victory. The 1983 NFL season was Murphy's finest of his career, though, as he led the NFL in interceptions with nine. The Redskins went on to play in their second consecutive Super Bowl, although they lost 38–9 to the Los Angeles Raiders. Murphy was named to the 1984 Pro Bowl and received first-team All-Pro honors. Murphy's last season with the Redskins was the 1984 NFL season, where he missed nine games due to a knee injury. At the end of the season, he was released by the team after contract negotiations became divisive. In 1984, Murphy won the "Miller Man of the Year" for his off-field work in the community.
During his time with the Redskins, Murphy was the team's representative to the NFLPA. In this position, he became very active in the strike that shortened the 1982 NFL season. Many, including Murphy, felt that his prominent role in the players' strike led to his eventual release by the Redskins. In recognition of his achievements with the Redskins, he was named as one of the team's 70 Greatest players in history. He also is part of the organization's 50th Anniversary Team.
Professional career
NFL Players Association
After retiring from the NFL, he was hired by the NFLPA in 1985 as an assistant executive director. During his three years at the NFLPA, he worked on a player counseling program, drug testing, and collective bargaining and developed the agent certification system. By 1986, he had been promoted to vice president of the NFLPA. After his playing career and tenure with the NFLPA, Murphy was selected to serve on the Commissioner's Player Advisory Committee in 1994 and NFL Youth Football Committee in 2002.
Lawyer
Murphy worked for the Street Law Clinic in 1988, where he received an award for developing a program educating inmates on the law. He then was hired as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice from 1989 to 1992.
Athletic director
Murphy returned to his alma mater, Colgate, in 1992 to serve as the university's athletic director. He held that position for 11 years until 2003. During his tenure, the football program had a complete turnaround. In 1995, the team went 0–11; the year after Murphy left, the team made the championship game. During his time, the team, which did not offer athletic scholarships, made the playoffs three straight years. The university also saw sustained success in other sports, including basketball, volleyball, softball, and ice hockey.
In 2003, Murphy left Colgate to take a position as the athletic director for Northwestern University. He held that position for four years until 2007. During his tenure, Murphy led a program with 19 sports, a $40 million budget and 160 employees. The sports program was highly successful, with eight national championships by individual athletes and three team titles. The football team saw increased success, winning two bowl games under Murphy, after only four in the university's history beforehand. Student-athletes at Northwestern were tied for the best graduation success rate in the country in 2007, Murphy's last year in charge of the program. In 2023, Murphy was named as a defendant in two lawsuits by former football players related to a hazing scandal that occurred during his tenure as athletic director.
Green Bay Packers
In December 2006, Bob Harlan, the Packers president since 1989 announced his intention to retire. After a selection process was finalized, John Jones, the Packers senior vice president, chief operating officer and Harlan's handpicked successor was announced as the tenth president of the Packers. Harlan retained the CEO position for a year while Jones served as president; both represented the Packers at NFL owner meetings that year. However, just days before he was due to take over, the Packers announced he was taking an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons and concerns about performance in his role. Harlan stayed on as CEO and began another selection process. On December 3, 2007, the Packers announced Murphy as the organization's next president. Murphy officially began his tenure in January 2008, at the conclusion of the 2007 NFL season. The Packers had just come off an overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game and shortly thereafter, quarterback Brett Favre announced his retirement. However, similar to past seasons where Favre contemplated retirement, he took back his retirement announcement and expressed his intention to play in the 2008 NFL season. Ultimately, Favre requested an unconditional release from the Packers so he could play for another team. Murphy met with Favre in July 2008 to discuss a $20 million marketing agreement where Favre would work with the Packers but not as a player. Favre was reinstated into the NFL in August 2008 and planned to report to the Packers training camp. However, Favre and the team agreed that it was time for Favre to move to another team and he was ultimately traded to the New York Jets a few days later. Years later, Favre took responsibility for retiring too soon and credited Murphy with helping to restore his relationship with the Packers, which culminated when Favre being was invited back to Lambeau Field to have his number retired by the Packers.
Favre's successor at quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, completed his first season as a starter with a losing record of 6–10. However, his solid play impressed the team enough that he was signed to a six-year, $65 million extension. Rodgers continued to improve and lead the team to success, and the 2009 season began a string of eight straight playoff berths. The Packers lost in the opening round of the 2009–10 playoffs, however the next year they made the playoffs as the sixth seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) and won Super Bowl XLV. This victory likely made Murphy the first person to win a Super Bowl both as a player and as a team's chief executive. In 2011, Murphy was put on the NFL's bargaining committee to help negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. When negotiations failed, Murphy and other team owners locked the players out for four months. The lockout ended in July 2011 when a new agreement was reached. The next season, in 2012, Murphy and the other team owners failed to come to an agreement with the NFL referees, leading to the 2012 NFL referee lockout. An agreement with the referees was only reached after outrage from the infamous Fail Mary game between the Packers and Seattle Seahawks, where replacement officials were widely panned for their controversial decisions at the end of the game.
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
In August 2025, Murphy accepted a position as the Executive in Residence at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. The focus of this newly created role was to enhance the standing and ensure the long-term success of the university's sports program.
Personal life
Murphy married his wife Laurie, who was also a Colgate graduate, and they have four children together. They are active in numerous local organizations, including multiple schools, churches and youth sports leagues. Financially, the Murphys have donated to organizations like the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation, We All Rise Green Bay, Urban Triage and Maroon Calabash. Murphy also pledged to donate $250,000 to "causes in Wisconsin that support social justice and racial equality" following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests. In 2023, Murphy and his wife purchased the Maxwelton Braes Golf Course in Door County, Wisconsin, with the goal to preserve it and prevent it from being developed into housing. In July 2025, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that the two were still working on improving the golf course, as it was one of the activities Murphy would focus on in retirement.