Murphy had big impact on CFL

Cal Murphy’s love of football — and of the CFL in particular — resonated with former Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Gene Makowsky.

Murphy, who coached with the Roughriders from 1997 through ’99 at the tail end of a legendary coaching career, died Saturday in a Regina hospital. He was 79.

“He was a great prairie boy who was a giant in the CFL,” Makowsky said of the Winnipeg-born Murphy. “Football was obviously his passion and it’s tough to see him go.

“It was clear he loved football and wanted to win and that’s what you ask of a coach or a scout. He had a lot of health problems the last few years and I heard stories that he was looking over game film in the hospital and he wanted his scouting notes.

“He certainly loved the game and that was clear with his years of involvement in the game.”

Murphy began his CFL coaching career in 1974 as an assistant with the B.C. Lions before becoming the team’s head coach during the ’75 season.

After working on the staff of the Montreal Alouettes team that won the Grey Cup in 1977, he moved to Edmonton the following season — and was part of the Eskimos dynasty that won five straight Grey Cups.

In 1983, he was hired by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to be the club’s head coach.

Murphy guided the Bombers to the league title in 1984, Winnipeg’s first Grey Cup in 22 years. He spent 14 seasons in Winnipeg as either head coach or GM (or both), helping the club win three championships before his departure in 1997.

He joined the Roughriders’ coaching staff in ’97 and became the team’s head coach and director of football operations in ’99. The Roughriders went 3-15-0 in Murphy’s only season at the helm.

“We struggled mightily the year he was the head coach,” Makowsky said. “He was a tough coach, a hard-nosed coach. He didn’t mince too many words. We worked hard, but that’s good.”

After he was replaced as Saskatchewan’s head coach by Danny Barrett, Murphy had coaching stints in NFL Europe and the XFL before becoming a scout for the NFL’S Indianapolis Colts — a job he held until his passing.

He finished his career with nine Grey Cup rings and a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of the Colts.

Murphy, who was renowned for his ability to evaluate talent and to coach all facets of the game, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

“Cal’s influence on the CFL covers the full scope of football in Canada,” former Edmonton head coach Hugh Campbell noted in a statement released by the Eskimos. “He made sure we stuck with our Canadian rules and continually stood up for our League.

“On a personal note, I learned a great deal from my friend, Cal, about football and life. His big personality was a treasure.”

Cal Murphy, who had heart attacks in 1978 and in 1985, underwent a heart transplant on July 15, 1992. He subsequently was a vocal proponent of organ donation.

“I received this gift and I’m going to do everything I can to use it,’’ he told the LeaderPost in 2002. “I’m going to live my life. I’m going to try to be useful. Some people may not think I am (laughs), but that’s all right.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.