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Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Blue Bomber legend Cal Murphy will enter the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

‘COACH CAL’ ELECTED TO HALL OF FAME

Blue Bomber legend Cal Murphy will enter the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

WBB RELEASE – 2004/089

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MARCH 10, 2004

WINNIPEG, MB – One of the greatest coaches in Canadian Football League History is going into the hall of fame.

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame & Museum today announced that Blue Bomber coaching legend Cal Murphy is part of their 2004 induction class. The Hall of Fame made the announcement today at a news conference from its offices in Hamilton.

Murphy – coach of the Big Blue from 1983-1986 & 1993-1996 – will enter the hall alongside British Columbia Lions & Edmonton Eskimos defensive back Larry Highbaugh, British Columbia Lions kicker Lui Passaglia, Montréal Alouettes & Edmonton Eskimos offensive tackle Dan Yochum and Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Ben Zambiasi.

The induction of Murphy means a total of seven former Blue Bomber players or coaches have been named to the Hall of Fame in the last seven years as Joe Poplawski (1998), James Murphy (2000), Bill Frank (2001), Paul Bennett (2002), Less Browne (2002) and Chris Walby (2003) were also recent inductees.

Murphy’s induction brings the total of Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Hall of Fame to 39 people.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Murphy sits in 2nd place in Blue Bombers all-time victories with 86. His record as Blue Bomber head man (86-51-1) is 2nd to only fellow Canadian Football Hall of Fame member Bud Grant (102-56-2).

As coach and, later, general manager, the Blue Bombers had one of the most successful eras in club history. Murphy led the Blue & Gold to its first Grey Cup win in 22 years in 1984 (47-17 win, Winnipeg vs. Hamilton @ Edmonton, Nov. 18, 1984).

The club would then score Grey Cup victories in 1988 & 1990 under Murphy’s managerial guidance. The team also advanced to two more Grey Cups during Murphy’s tenure: 1992 & 1993.

Murphy was also a position coach with the British Columbia Lions in 1974 and was their head coach in 1975 & 1976. He was a position coach with the Montréal Alouettes in 1977 and with the great Edmonton Eskimos teams of 1978-1982. The Esks won five straight Grey Cups with Murphy on the coaching staff.

Murphy was the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1999, a position coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL-Europe in 2000 and a position coach with the Chicago Xtreme of the XFL in 2001. He has been a scout for the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts since 2001.

AWARDS & HONORS

Along with his many Grey Cup rings, Murphy twice won the Annis Stukus Trophy as the CFL’s Coach of the Year. Murphy took home the honor in both 1983 & 1984.

Murphy was the driving force in bringing the Grey Cup to Winnipeg in 1991. That led to a special award in January 1993. The Governor General of Canada conferred upon Murphy the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation in recognition of his significant contribution to compatriots, community and Canada.

The Winnipeg Football Club established the Cal Murphy Heart of a Legend Award in 2001 to recognize Murphy’s special contributions. The club gives the award annually to the Blue Bomber player who makes the most outstanding contribution to his team, his community and his sport.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTION WEEK EVENTS

The 32nd Annual Induction Weekend will take place Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2004 in Hamilton. Here is a list of the events:

Thurs., Sept. 30, 2004 – 9th Annual Legends on the Links Celebrity Golf Tournament – Copetown Woods Golf Course – Registration is $185.00/golfer.

Fri., Oct. 1, 2004 – 2004 Hall of Fame Game – Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Edmonton Eskimos – Ivor Wynne Stadium – 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Sat., Oct. 2, 2004 – Football Fan Fest, Inductee Bust Unveiling – Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. – Admission by donation

Sat., Oct. 2, 2004 – Annual Induction Dinner honoring the five new inductees – Hamilton Convention Centre – Tickets are $100.00/person.

Tickets for the golf tournament and Induction dinner are on sale now. Please contact Managing Director Janice Smith at 905-528-7566 for more information on the 2004 Induction Weekend ceremonies.

CAL MURPHY’S MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Murphy will be available for interviews by phone today from 12:00 Noon-2:00 p.m. CST. He can be reached at 306-789-1983.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Shawn Coates

Director of Media & Public Relations

Ph: 204-784-2583 Ext. 552

Fax: 204-783-5222

E-mail: media@bluebombers.com

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