The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced Thursday that the late Cal Murphy will be added to the team’s Ring of Honour in a ceremony in July.
Murphy, who passed in 2012, started as a head coach with the Blue Bombers before also becoming the general manager and then holding both titles during his time with the Blue Bombers from 1983-96.
His long career in the CFL included one Grey Cup championship as a coach and eight as a general manager.
“Cal was such an important part of the Blue Bombers for his many years with the club as a coach, a GM and a steadfast voice for Canadian football,” said Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller in a release on Thursday. “Strong-willed and passionate in his beliefs, he had his hand on the rudder during one of the most successful eras of Blue Bombers football. On behalf of the Winnipeg Football Club, I’m thrilled to see his name join the other icons in franchise history in the Ring of Honour.”
Murphy will be the 18th member of the Ring of Honour at Princess Auto Stadium. The team has inducted a new name to the Ring of Honour every year since 2021.
“We are excited to know how complimentary people are about him and honoured they still remember him as their own Canadian and Winnipeg-born head coach and GM,” said the Murphy family in a statement. “He was both supportive and stern as well as a leader. a good husband and father and strong in his Catholic faith.”
Murphy, a Winnipeg native, was inducted to the Winnipeg Football Club’s Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2004. The Blue Bombers erected a statue of Murphy outside of Princess Auto Stadium (known as Investors Group Field at the time) in 2017.
The ceremony to honour Murphy will take place when the Blue Bombers battle the BC Lions on July 30.
