Norwich University

Robert Murphy was a celebrated two-sport athlete at Norwich University making his mark in football and lacrosse. He earned three varsity letters in each sport.

Bob was an outstanding offensive guard for three successful Cadet football teams. He was an exceptional blocker who helped make it possible for fellow Hall-of-Famer George Kulhowvick to score 34 career touchdowns, including a school record 16 in one year. Bob was a First Team choice following his sophomore year on the last Vermont All-State team ever selected. As a senior, he won UPI All-New England honors. In all, the Cadets won 18 games, lost only five, and tied one in his three seasons, tying the mark set by the 1939, '40, and '41 teams as the best three-year period in their history of Norwich football.

As a sophomore, Bob played in the first intercollegiate lacrosse game ever held at Norwich University. The Cadets went on the post a 4-2 record in that first year of varsity competition. Bob co-captained the team in his senior year and was named a First Team All0Star for the 11-team Colonial Division. In his three seasons as a letterwinner, the Cadet lacrosse team won nearly 70 percent of its games. 

Bob was also a member of the Varsity Club while at Norwich and he graduated with a bachelor's degree in education. He later served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps and achieved the rank of captain. He carried out assignments as a platoon commander, company commander, and executive officer. In 1976, Bob completed work on a master's degree in education from Springfield College.

Bob remains active, having run and completed the New York Marathon two years ago. Among his most distinctive honors, he is a member of the Cheshire Academy Hall of Fame. Today, Bob is president of both the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Watertown, N.Y. and Clinton's Ditch Pepsi-Cola Co-op. Bob and his wife, Mary, live in Watertown, N.Y. They have two sons; Brandon and Phillip.