Teeing it up with Mark Murphy: Inside his Packers legacy

BAILEYS HARBOR, Wis. — After nearly 18 years leading the Green Bay Packers, which included a Super Bowl and plenty of tough decisions, former president and CEO Mark Murphy is settling into retirement in a different kind of green: his golf course in Door County, Wisconsin.

TMJ4 Sports’ Ashley Washburn joined Murphy for a round at Maxwelton Braes, where the two discussed his days as a player in Washington to the franchise-shaping decisions that defined his tenure in Green Bay.

"Well, on the first tee, you hit until you're happy," Murphy laughed. "That's the rule at Maxwelton Braes."

Murphy's journey to Green Bay began with his playing career in Washington (1977-84), where he won Super Bowl XVII.

"I was just very fortunate to be part of some great teams, and we ended up getting the two Super Bowls (appearances), and you look back on it now, you realize how fortunate we were," Murphy said. "Even in '81, we were ranked among the leaders in terms of defense."

Watch the full interview below:

When asked about his most memorable play as a player, Murphy laughed and said his interception in Super Bowl XVII stands out most vividly.

That interception led to a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins, but it was his work off the field with the NFLPA that shaped his future. Murphy served as the team's representative during the 1982 players' strike, and those negotiations set him on the path to working as an athletic director.

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Murphy served as an athletic director at his alma mater, Colgate University, from 1992 to 2003. He then spent nearly five years at Northwestern (2003-07)

"I was very happy at Northwestern," Murphy shared. "I'd been there just short of five years, and I wasn't looking to leave. The man who ran the search was a man named Jed Hughes whom I had gotten to know — actually, he coached in the league when I was playing. So he called. He said, Mark, I'm doing a search for the Packers president. Would you be interested?"

Murphy's first year with the Green Bay Packers included a trip to the 2007 NFC Championship, followed by Brett Favre's retirement that didn't exactly stick.

"It was challenging, because Favre was just beloved," Murphy expressed. "There was a real split in the fan base because we made a commitment to Aaron Rodgers. There was a lot of pressure to allow — whether it was pressure, number one, to allow Brett to come back and compete or just to cut him. But we knew there was value, so we ended up being able to trade him to the (New York) Jets."

Murphy noted how history repeated itself with the quarterback transitions.

"We had Favre and Aaron (Rodgers) sit for three years, so when he finally was able to play, he was ready. And the same thing with Jordan (Love). He sat for three years behind Aaron, and I give Aaron a lot of credit. Aaron was a really good mentor to Jordan, helped him a lot. And you know, Jordan stepped in right away and played great."

During Murphy's tenure, he only had to hire a coach and general manager, providing unusual stability for an NFL franchise. One decision that still weighs on him was parting ways with Mike McCarthy.

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"That was a difficult decision," he explained. "Because he was beloved as well — there's a road named after him. He was great. He won a Super Bowl, but I did feel that a change was needed, and I know Mike was disappointed because he had so much success. But a change was going to be made."

Murphy revealed he recently had breakfast with McCarthy, who now lives in Green Bay and spends time in Door County.

"I said, Mike, I can get us on Maxwelton Braes," Murphy said with a laugh.

Murphy shared his philosophy about hiring coaches and their golf games.

"So when I was an athletic director, we had a rule of thumb," Murphy smiled. "Never hire a coach who's a single-digit handicap. Because if they're that good at golf, they're not spending enough time coaching."

When asked if he takes potential hires golfing first, Murphy joked about current head coach Matt LaFleur.

"I'll just say, Matt LaFleur — I don't want to be critical," he laughed. "Matt's not a great golfer. He's a great guy. He's a great athlete, but not a great golfer."

One of Murphy's proudest achievements was bringing the 2025 NFL Draft to Green Bay.

"It's a mic drop," Murphy stated. "When the NFL started taking the draft on the road — I'm going to say it's like 10, 12 years ago, and we said, you know, we think Green Bay would be great. Well, we're never going to host a Super Bowl, but the draft would be great in Green Bay."

Murphy described announcing the Packers' first-round pick as overwhelming, especially when he decided to go off-script while looking out at the massive crowd.

On the day Murphy was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame, he had to share headlines with the team's groundbreaking decision to draft edge rusher Micah Parsons.

"Somebody told me, and I said, no, that's not true," Murphy recalled. "That's AI-generated. But yeah, I give Brian (Gutekunst) credit. He was stuck to his convictions, and when you have a chance to have an impact player like that."

Murphy believes this year's Packers team has special potential.

"This is our third year in a row where we've had the youngest team in the league, and those young players are developing and maturing," he explained. "The other reality, it's a young man's league, and our players are really playing well. The other thing, I don't know if he gets enough credit is Jeff Hafley. He's done an amazing job. Boy, he's made a huge difference. I've been very impressed. He'll probably be a head coach in the NFL soon."

Murphy shared an interesting piece of Maxwelton Braes history, explaining how the Los Angeles Rams practiced on the 11th fairway in the 1940s when teams would stay in the Midwest for extended periods due to expensive air travel.

In retirement, Murphy has taken on a role as Executive in Residence with UW-Green Bay's athletic department.

"You know, I was an athletic director for 17, 18 years and really did miss that, and so it was an opportunity to get involved," Murphy explained. "I kind of feel like I'm going back to my roots, where I started in college athletics. And it's really a crazy time in college athletics with NIL and the transfer portal."

When asked for any behind-the-scenes stories now that he's no longer employed by the Packers, Murphy laughed off the suggestion.

"You want me to tell you some Aaron Rodgers stories? No. You're not getting me to do that," he laughed.

As we finished our round, Murphy offered a parting message to Packers fans.

"I was very honored to be in that position for that long," he smiled on the 18th green. "It's a pretty special organization, and hopefully I left it better than I found it, and I think they have a chance to have a pretty special year this year. It's early, but things look pretty good."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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