Cal Murphy Cal Murphy ( March 12 , 1932 – February 18 , 2012 ) was a Canadian football coach , general manager and scout , most notably for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League . In his career as a coach and / or General Manager he lead various teams to nine Grey Cup Championship teams , earning a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame . In his retirement years he spent some time as a scout for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Early life . Murphy , one of seven children , was born in Winnipeg in 1932 . His father , William Murphy , a senior executive with Coca - Cola , moved the family to Vancouver . He attended Vancouver College , a K - 12 independent Catholic school for boys served by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in British Columbia , where he was a football standout . He then starred with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds as a left - handed quarterback and defensive back , and played a brief stint with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 1956 . Murphy then turned to education , returning to Vancouver College and taking over the reins as Head Coach in 1960 – 61 . He led the Fighting Irish to their only undefeated season . He pursued his Master ' s Degree at while an assistant coach at Eastern Washington University under Head Coach Dave Holmes . Murphy followed Holmes to the University of Hawaii Rainbows , and became part of the most successful coaching tenure in Hawaii history . ( From 1968 – 1974 , UH won 67 percent of its games and never suffered a losing season . ) In 1973 , Murphy left Hawaii for the San Jose State Spartans ( 1973 ) under Head Coach Darryl Rogers . Coaching career . Cal Murphy joined the CFL coaching ranks in 1974 with the BC Lions under Head Coach Eagle Keys , and became Head Coach after game six in the 1975 season . He was fired after the 1976 season , and moved on to spend the 1977 Grey Cup championship season in Montreal with the Alouettes under Head Coach Marv Levy . In 1978 , he took the job as offensive line coach with the Edmonton Eskimos under head coach Hugh Campbell , and from 1978 through 1982 , Edmonton won an unprecedented five consecutive Grey Cup championships with the talents of football greats such as Tom Wilkinson , Larry Highbaugh , and Warren Moon . In 1983 , Murphy was hired by Paul Robson of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and spent 14 years as Head Coach and General Manager . He developed a reputation for finding top talent , and developed one of the most feared defenses in CFL history with the likes of Tyrone Jones , James " Wild " West , and Aaron Brown . In a controversial move , he traded away strong - armed and popular starting QB Dieter Brock to the Hamilton Tiger - Cats for the smarts of lesser known QB Tom Clements . Although Clements would suffer a season - ending collarbone injury , and the Bombers would lose in the 1983 Western Final to the BC Lions , they would crush the Brock - led Tiger - Cats in 1984 by a score of 47 – 17 in a frigid Grey Cup in Edmonton , bringing the city of Winnipeg its first Grey Cup in 22 years . Murphy was awarded the Annis Stukus Trophy for Coach of the Year in 1983 and 1984 . The Blue Bombers appeared in five Grey Cups under his tenure as GM and Head Coach , winning three in 1984 , 1988 , 1990 . He earned a reputation for his often cantankerous personality . He was an outspoken opponent of CFL expansion to the United States , believing it put a risk to the uniqueness of the Canadian game , and challenged the goodwill relationship long - maintained with the NFL . He finished up his CFL career in Regina with the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1997 to 1999 . In 2000 , he coached with the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe , followed by a brief stint with Chicago Enforcers in the XFL . Murphy was elected into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2004 , and was a scout for the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts at the time of his death . Personal life . After suffering heart attacks in 1978 and 1985 , in 1992 Murphy underwent emergency heart bypass surgery that kept him alive before being saved by a last - second donor and successful heart transplant surgery . In January 1993 , the Governor General of Canada presented Cal Murphy with the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal in recognition of the significant contribution to compatriots , community and to Canada . His eldest son , Mike , is a scout with the NFL ' s Miami Dolphins , and son - in - law , Sammy Garza , is a scout with the NFL ' s Dallas Cowboys . He had seven children : Carol , Mike , Barbara , Erin , Shannon , Brian and Kelly . Cal Murphy died in Regina , Saskatchewan on February 18 , 2012 , aged 79 .