By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics

Wayne MacMasters wasn't a classmate of Dave Murphy's, nor did he play on the same side of the ball on William & Mary's football team. That didn't matter. Murphy was known and respected by everyone in the Tribe's locker room, even before he became QB1 and rescued the 1983 season.

"He had a presence on the entire team, not just the offense," said MacMasters '83, a former defensive tackle and team captain as a senior. "He led us. We knew he'd take a licking and get back up. We all rallied behind Murph on both sides of the ball.

"He never took anything too seriously, especially his own achievements, which were incredible. He always said, 'It's never been about me,' and he lived that. He was truly a unique person. We'll never meet another one like him."

That seems to be the consensus on Murphy '84, who died on July 8 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was anything but a self-promoter. Although there was plenty he could have promoted.

Murphy finished his career with a 60.9-percent completion rate, which nearly 40 years after graduation stands fourth on the Tribe's all-time list. He shares the school record for most completions in a game (35 vs. Rutgers in '83).

And despite starting fewer than 10 games, Murphy is one of four quarterbacks in W&M football history to have thrown for at least 360 yards twice in a career.  William & Mary Athletics Hall of Famers Lang Campbell, Mike Cook and Stan Yagiello are the other three. Murphy's 401-yard game against Marshall in '83 is sixth on the all-time list.

Murphy was mostly a backup until his senior year in 1983, when then-starter Yagiello dislocated his shoulder in the fourth week against Yale. Murphy took over and led W&M to five wins in its last eight games. The Tribe finished 6-5 for its first winning season since 1977.

Murphy was named the team's Offensive Player of the Year that season after completing 199-of-313 passes for 2,093 yards and 14 touchdowns.
 
"The best thing about him was that he got people around him to play better," said former Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock '69, who recruited Murphy in his first class at W&M. "People had a lot of confidence in him. They trusted him because he was an outstanding teammate.

"I thought the world of him. He was a good leader, a good person, a good father and a good husband. He was everything you could want."

Murphy grew up in Richmond, which is where he eventually settled after graduating with a degree in business. He was a financial advisor for 35 years, the last two decades with Wells Fargo Advisors.

Murphy always believed in supporting his community. 

"David was involved with our community in many ways, but he was especially passionate about supporting causes that impacted young people," said Jim Ukrop'60, L.H.D. '99, the former CEO and Chairman of Ukrop's Supermarkets, Chairman of First Market Bank and noted leader in the Richmond area.  "He served on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond for many years, including a term as chairman. David was instrumental in supporting the Mr. Mac Foundation, an organization that supports efforts with young at-risk students and he was also very active in local youth sports, including the Cal Ripken Little League. He made an impact on many lives and helped create a foundation for future success in those areas he volunteered his time and talents." 

Todd McFarlane, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond, credits Murphy with steering the organization through a difficult stretch.
 
"He served as board chair from 2004 to 2007, although normally we only do two-year terms," McFarlane said. "We were in a dire situation financially, and really, he led the organization out of that. He led it to a better place.

"He was a volunteer, but he was putting in numerous hours from a leadership standpoint. I'm not sure the organization would be here today — or at least in the space it's in today, which is a really great place — had he not been the chair during that challenging three-year period."

Murphy also stayed very close to W&M athletics, particularly the football program. Campbell, whose career was capped by winning the Walter Payton Award after helping lead the Tribe to a conference championship and an appearance in the national semi-finals, has fond memories of his relationship with Murphy.

"We met for the first time during a football reunion around 2004, and maintained a friendship ever since," Campbell said. "Dave was always there for a friendly ear about football or life.

"One of the great things about him was that he wasn't a big ego guy. He had some great games but he was never 'I was better than you when I played.' He was a great mentor."

Murphy also was executive director of the Tribe Club from 1998-2000. Bobby Dwyer, who worked in fundraising for most of his 34 years in Tribe Athletics, remembers how Murphy used his people skills during a difficult transition.

"There was a number of alumni who had been the mainstay of the organization and were ready to turn the reins over to someone else," Dwyer said. "David did a remarkable job of making sure these people who had been instrumental for 20, 25 years felt appreciated.

"At the same time, he was nurturing some younger alumni to come in and take the reins. It was masterful how he did it."

Terry Driscoll, W&M's director of athletics from 1995-2017, came to love Murphy for his sense of humor.

In a 1983 game at Virginia Tech, Murphy was sacked a several times by Hokie defensive tackle (and future NFL Hall of Famer) Bruce Smith. As he accepted his W&M Offensive Player of the Year award at the end of the season, Murphy gave a special thanks to Smith for not hurting him.

"His words were that (Smith) had treated him like a rag doll," Driscoll said. "Then just recently, he took his youngest child, Meredith, to enroll in Blacksburg. And he saw a picture of Bruce Smith in one of their athletic buildings.

"So he gathered the family and took their picture in front of it. Then he sent it around to everybody. That's the kind of guy he was. Just a wonderful, wonderful person."

Murphy also served as volunteer analyst on the Tribe's radio broadcast for the 2016 season, and beyond. Jay Colley, W&M's veteran play-by-play man, saw Murphy as a natural.

"I enjoyed my time in the booth with him immensely," Colley said. "But much more importantly, I enjoyed knowing him as a person and will miss him a great deal."

Everyone will. MacMasters, whose relationship with Murphy became much closer after graduation, will forever miss the back-and-forth humor that made their time together special.

"We formed this really tight bond spending so much time together," MacMasters said. "He was an avid fisherman, and so was I. I got down to a zero handicap, and he was my caddie for a couple of tournaments. We did terrible, but it was always fun to laugh at each other.

"You can't not like David Murphy. Everybody loves that guy. He's just one of those people whose reach is so large."

Dave Murphy is survived by his wife, Kellie and children, Cameron, Thomas, Luke and Meredith.
 
"David had other football offers but he chose William and Mary partly so his parents wouldn't have to go far to watch him play,' said Kellie Murphy.  "He never regretted that choice even when he didn't get the chance to play much until his senior year. The lifelong friendships he made and the people he met along the way—to use one of his phrases—were so important to him and one of the main reasons he loved the school and stayed connected to it."

A memorial service will be held on August 12, 2022, at St. Bridget Catholic Church at noon.  The family will host a life celebration following the service from 2:00 – 5:00pm at River City Roll, located at 939 Myers St., Richmond, VA  23230