MURPHY MARTIN

[Steve Eberhart]

WFAA reporting Murphy Martin has passed away.

 

[MikeShannon914]

Thanks, Steve, I just got the bad news, too. Murphy died last night (July 3,) about an hour and ten minutes shy of his 83rd birthday. He'd been battling heart problems for a while, and Bud Buschardt told me Murphy was hospitalized about two weeks ago. He also had kidney failure and other problems; Murphy told me a couple of months ago that he was getting set up for dialysis at his house, with some machine that would take care of things overnight while he slept.

Thoughts and prayers to Joyce and the family. Murphy was truly a legend, and I'm really going to miss him.

 

[CrankyYankee]

A link to an obit:

http://www.tributes.com/national/fe...cer-for-the-dallas-cowboys-in-the-1980s/28375

 

[MikeShannon914]

Wow, I figured more of you would have comments to make on the subject of Murphy. The tributes I'm reading are right on...a dedicated and hard-hitting and memorable journalist who spent many a year at the Channel 8 anchor desk (on three separate tours,) and did time on WFAA-AM as well. My generation and younger will also remember him as one of the imposing voices that used to say, "It's 10:00...do you know where your children are?" before WFAA-TV's 10PM newscasts. He also did tons of commercial voiceovers on radio and TV, including the gruff "Preston Chrysler Plymouth Dodge" and later the "Preston TWO Chrysler Plymouth Dodge" spots. He was the PA announcer for all of the Cowboys home games from the 70s through the 90s; not only doing the player introductions, but the "1st down and 10"-type calls throughout the games, and the halftime shows and announcements.

Murphy was truly a legend around these parts. When he was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2006, Murphy's longtime friend Ross Perot was in attendance. When we'd have the DFW Radio Lunch Bunch get-togethers, Murphy was always there, health permitting, and always had great stories to share. When his eyesight was no longer good enough for him to drive, I gave him a ride from the luncheon back to his house, exactly one year ago...and got to ask him firsthand about his trips to Vietnam, his friendships with the late Don Harris and Gene Thomas from WFAA, and some things he wrote about in his book, "Front Row Seat." Age and illness never affected his mind, as he recalled minute details about anything and everything I asked him about. When I saw Murphy for the last time about two months ago, during his first recent extended stay in intensive care at St Paul, he was talkative and had some great stories to tell, and wanted to know all about what was happening at Channel 8, and about the Victory Park studios and such. I could also sense some frustration, as he wanted to get the heck out of there and go home. Thankfully, he did, for about a month and a half, but he got pneumonia and apparently a wire from his pacemaker had caused an infection. I just wish I had gotten by to see him one last time.

So check out the tributes online and keep Murphy's family in your prayers. His wife Joyce has been fighting health issues herself for a while, too.

 

[Slambang]

Another one of the greats has left the building, Murphy Martin was one of those people who had "The Golden Voice", one of those things that has sadly dissappeared from the airwaves in this modern corporate age of Radio/TV/VO. Guys like Murphy, as well as other passed greats like "The Real" Don Steel and Wolfman Jack defined their place in history by the words and voice they used. I have a feeling he'll be calling Cowboys games from the big press box in the sky...