Jim Murray ( American football ) Jim Murray is the co - founder of the Ronald McDonald House and a former General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles . He is a native of West Philadelphia and is also president of Jim Murray Ltd , a sports promotion and marketing firm . Childhood Influences . The son of Irish Catholic parents who worked long hours at hard jobs , he grew up in a rowhouse in West Philadelphia and attended Our Mother of Sorrows Parish grade school and West Catholic High School . He graduated from Villanova University in 1960 . Jim is the brother of Francis W . Murray , who was so influenced by his sibling ' s success in professional sports that he embarked on an impossible odyssey to purchase the New England Patriots of the NFL , in the late 1980s , after Jim ' s tenure as GM with the Eagles had ended due to the financial pressures faced by Leonard Tose , the former owner of the Eagles . His influence was truly based in their childhoods , as both brothers , growing up poor Irish kids in West Philadelphia , sought the sanctuary of sports in a tough neighborhood where a basketball court was an impenetrable fort . Jim and Fran preferred a ball rather than a book , and athletics became a metaphor for where life was a game and to live your dream was the only way to score . One generation later , Jim would influence his nephew and the youngest son of his brother Fran , an independent award winning filmmaker named T Patrick Murray who produced for ESPN a football documentary that USA Today critic Mike Clark gave " 4 out of 4 stars " entitled THE LAST GAME . Early career . He began his career in sports administration with the Tidewater Tides of baseball ' s South Atlantic League . After a tour of active duty with the Marine Corps Reserve , he returned to baseball as assistant general manager of the Atlanta Crackers , an affiliate of the St . Louis Cardinals . In 1964 , he left baseball to enter the restaurant business , but returned to Villanova as sports information director in 1966 . Philadelphia Eagles . In 1969 , he joined the Philadelphia Eagles ' public relations staff and became the NFL team ' s administrative assistant two years later . In 1974 , five years after joining the organization , Murray was named general manager for the Eagles . For more than nine years , Murray served as general manager and took the franchise from the NFL ' s cellar to Super Bowl heights . In 1976 , he and owner Leonard Tose hired Dick Vermeil as head coach . From 1978 through 1981 , the Eagles made the NFL playoffs . After the 1980 season , the Eagles played the Raiders in Super Bowl XV , which was the first Super Bowl appearance in the franchise ' s history prior to 2005 . Murray left the Eagles in 1983 . Charity work . During his 14 years with the Eagles , Murray assumed leadership roles in a number of community projects . He helped start the successful Eagles Fly for Leukemia campaign . He was the co - founder of the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia along with Dr . Audrey Evans and persuaded many of his peers in the NFL to become involved in the unique Ronald McDonald House concept . The Ronald McDonald Houses provide temporary homes , at little or no cost , for the families of children undergoing treatment for various illnesses at nearby hospitals . Started in Philadelphia in 1974 , there are now over 300 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide . These activities have endeared Murray to people all around the Philadelphia area . Awards . His numerous honors and awards include the first annual Leonard Tose Award in 2002 , Citizen of the Year Award from the American Medical Association in 1999 , the Distinguished Service Award from the American Legion in 1992 , inducted into the Philadelphia City All - Star Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 , President Ronald Reagan ' s Medal for Volunteers of America in 1987 , the prestigious Bert Bell Man of the Year Award from the Bakers Club of Philadelphia in 1983 , 2005 Award for Outstanding Catholic Leadership given by the Catholic Leadership Institute . Murray and his wife , Dianne , reside in Rosemont , Pennsylvania . They have five children and four grandchildren . Film and television . Murray can be found being interviewed on numerous NFL Films Productions about the Philadelphia Eagles .