“Fellas, if we want this one,” he tells them, “We are going to have to work, and we always have to embrace the challenge of any adversity that comes our way.”

“I know life is not that simple,” he said, “but at times it’s almost that simple.”

Murphy added that those lessons come from the coaches he learned from.

“I have been very fortunate to have [had] good role models at just about every level of every sport I played [at] and that was their message,” he said. “When things get bad, you have to embrace it, fight through it, and when you do, it’s very empowering.”

Former center Jack Holuba ’13 called Murphy a “stern man and a no B.S. kind of guy.” Both he and Riegel said the same thing when asked when they were most surprised by their coach.

“For being such a serious man and maybe not the most gregarious at times, the way he reacts when you win—he leaps into the crowd and everyone is going nuts,” Holuba said. “The passion he has for the game is really admirable…. You remember that football is fun.”

Of the celebration, Riegel said, “That caught me off-guard the first time it happened…. He just doesn’t let his emotions run wild as a head coach, [so] to see him go nuts gets everyone fired up.”

Players said the way Murphy acts in those moments and others helps back up his lessons.“[Murphy teaches in his] talk to us but also in the way he carries himself—the way he manages his program, the way he leads us, [and how he sets] that example,” captain Norman Hayes said.

THE OTHER TEACHERS

During preseason practice, Murphy invites the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention & Response to speak to his players.A representative of the office tells the players about their potential to prevent instances of sexual assault as physically larger people and recognizable members of the community.

The session made Holuba more passionate about the issue, and he said six to 12 other guys worked with OSAPR as well. Teammates got involved with Harvard Men Against Rape and the White Ribbon Campaign.

In 2006, then-captain Matthew C. Thomas ’06-’07 was charged with assault and battery against his ex-girlfriend. Holuba said he and his teammates wanted to help the program move past the incident and show the benefits he sees in football.

“I think football, especially lately with all the things you are hearing—you hear so much of the bad,” he said. “But I think for me, everything I associate with football is good values.”

Murphy decided to remove Thomas from the team following the charges. Recently, he has said the decision was difficult but necessary.

Holuba said Murphy’s decision to do so was emblematic of his constant message that “it doesn’t matter who you are or what your role is, you are held responsible for your action.”