Who is John Murphy? Bills caster suffered cardiac arrest days before Damar Hamlin
Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills have been in the thoughts of everyone connected with the NFL this week. But it turns out that John Murphy, their longstanding broadcaster, had a heart scare of his own too.
It has been a harrowing week for the organization on all fronts but thankfully, there have been some positive signs also.
John Murphy is the play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Bills. The 67-year old took over the job from Van Miller after 2003, beginning in 2004, and has been a constant for two decades for all Bills listeners.
Prior to working full-time with the Bills, he was also the WIVB-CBS Sports director until 2012. He started the Bills-themed talk show The John Murphy Show, which debuted on WGR-AM 550.
He also hosted the One Bills Live show, currently anchored by team reporter Chris Brown, who relieved him for the Monday Night Football game against the Bengals. Before moving to WIVB Channel 4, he worked as a sports anchor at WKBW, which was the premier newscast in western New York.
He also worked with the radio station WBEN from 1984 to 1992 before beginning his long association with the Bills.
Due to his long record of excellence in the profession, he was inducted into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2019.
What happened to John Murphy?
Having been a constant on the Buffalo Bills scene for all these years, there was concern when he was not in the booth for the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was reported that he was "under the weather" and would not take his place for the eventually canceled game.
However, the seriousness of his condition was yet unknown. In the same week that Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, it turned out that Murphy had also suffered a stroke over the weekend before the game. The Bills released a statement from his family.
A statement from the Murphy family: https://t.co/zkdbKto0xX
The good news for everyone is that he is recovering at home and showing signs of progress. The Bills also confirmed that Chris Brown will continue to take his place for the upcoming games.
However, they are looking to have him back in the booth as soon as possible, ensuring that we have not seen the last of the great broadcaster.
In the interim Chris Brown will continue to perform play by play duties on the Bills Radio Network.
We look forward to having John back in the booth as soon as possible. Get well soon, John!
A week that has seen Damar Hamlin's unfortunate injury has brought into focus how fragile life can be. It also showed us that it can happen to anyone at any time. The hope is that both Damar Hamlin and John Murphy are reportedly getting better and that is all anyone can ask for.