ORANGEBURG, SC – A memorial service for former South Carolina State football Hall of Famer Philip Murphy will be conducted Saturday (Oct. 27) at 11 a.m. at Rock Community Church (857 Main Street) in Harleysville, PA.  Murphy passed away Oct. 10 in Mystic, Ct. after a brief illness.

Murphy, a 6-5, 270 Middletown, Ct. native, established himself as one of the all-time great defensive linemen at SC State and in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference during his Bulldog playing days (1976-79). He was a first-team All-MEAC performer and the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 1979, when he also earned American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America accolades.

Murphy's name will forever be etched in SC State athletic lore as he earned four letters and played on three MEAC Championship teams and the 1976 Black National Championship squad. He was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and named to the Bulldog Centennial (1907-2007) Football Team in 2007. He was inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame in 2012.

Following his Bulldog career, Murphy was taken as the 26 pick (82^nd overall) in the third round of National Football League draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He spent several years in the NFL before retiring and going into business near his hometown.  

Phillip Murphy