Pandemic Papers: An interview with Mike Murphy (Class of 1986)

Mike Murphy was one of my best friends during our four years together as students at Marist College, 1982-1986. I’m honored and grateful that we have remained in touch, albeit not nearly as much as we should be. Life and distance (Erie, PA, is a long way) and time will do that. I’m so glad that he agreed to answer these Pandemic Papers questions, as he is a loyal blog follower. Murph is an old and dear friend, so much of this interview was a sweet rehashing down a memory lane that we know really well. But you know one thing that Murph’s answers reveal to me in a refreshing way? How optimistic of a human being he was and still remains. It shines through in every answer to every question.

When Murph’s daughter Kayla ran for Niagara a few years ago, we were able to reconnect, and he talks about that in his long and beautiful interview answers. I remember one MAAC XC meet at Holmdel, toward the end of men’s race, nervously pacing and jogging. Out of nowhere, Murph appeared. We hugged and he stayed with me, calming my nerves and I know he was secretly rooting for his old school (hey, it wasn’t his daughter’s race!). We were scared freshmen, two doors down in a mostly empty and sweaty Champagnat Hall in August of 1982 (holy crap, that’s almost 40 years ago!), at the beginning of XC preseason. We became friends quickly and that has endured the test of time. The vision of a post-middle age dude shuffling around his home in Erie with a coffee mug and punching up this blog every morning makes me smile. Hey Murph, enjoy that coffee a bit more this morning, because this one is for you, brother.

 

Take us way, way back: When, how and why did you start running? What other sports did you play growing up and when did running take primary focus?

As a kid in Fayetteville, NY, I played all the “normal” sports growing up in the 1970s, Little League baseball, parochial school basketball and volleyball, and even tried football for a season, but really didn’t excel at any.  Coincidentally, my teammate on those grade school teams was Paul Kelly.   He was a year behind, but we would continue to be teammates all through high school and then at Marist.  For me, running didn’t enter the equation until high school where I my life took a different direction.

 

You ran for a legendary program and a legendary coach at CBA Syracuse. Tell us about that experience, how it shaped you as a runner and your fondest memories, highlights and PRs from your high school days.

Before entering high school, I was diagnosed with hypertension.  Unfortunately, heart disease is something I inherited.  My grandfather was a New York City policeman who died while on duty of a heart attack directing traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge.  When I started high school at CBA in the fall of 1978, my Mom was the one who knew I need to do something physical to keep my blood pressure in check.  At that time, CBA’s coach, Jerry Riordan, had already established one of the best cross country and track programs in New York state and in the entire Northeast.  As a freshman, I decided to try running as a way to control my BP while joining a legendary program.  I was in awe of Mr. Riordan and the program and knew I wanted to be a part of it.  I joined in August of 1978 not knowing what I was getting myself into.  I’ll never forget that first XC practice.  The team typically did a mile warmup around our cinder track before stretching and proceeding with the actual workout.  That first day, I thought the mile warmup was it.  What a rude and humbling awakening!  That first year I probably did more walking than running and that includes the first of several 1.7-mile races freshmen ran those days.  The only area where held my own were the 100-yard sprints we did after our run.  Despite those challenges my freshman year, there is no doubt Mr. Riordan has had the most influence in my life, outside my wife and family, than any other individual.  He introduced me to the beauty of running and instilled in me and my teammates values that I hold sacred today.  Hard work, team, perseverance, and leading by example.  Even more importantly, were the friendships I forged around the roads of Syracuse University, in the Jamesville hills, and around the trails of Green Lakes State Park.  While I haven’t spoken to many former teammates in 30-plus years, I still consider them my friends.  The bonds we established through the physical challenges we endured are very, very special.  As my time at CBA progressed, I somehow evolved into a long-distance runner.  My PRs weren’t very noteworthy, 800 (2:04), mile (4:44), two mile (10:03) and 13:30s for the 2.5-mile XC circuit at Van Cortlandt Park.  I think my best effort in high school was my “breakout” as a distance runner my junior year.  Prior to that season, I was half-hearted as a runner not willing to put in the hard work needed.  That summer I approached the season differently as all I did was run, usually twice a day.  That first race, I was on the JV squad as we competed what was called the Sarah Coventry Invitational near Rochester, NY.  The course was extremely hilly with the last 400 yards a flat sprint to the finish.  I paced myself through the hills and just picked off runners as the race progressed.  I ended up in second that last 400 with Mr. Riordan and my mom cheering me to the finish.  That taught me a valuable lesson that you can’t replace hard work.  That race also solidified me as a distance runner.

 

Sort of side note: Section 3 has long been a powerhouse for XC and track. Why do you think that is and have you still followed it through the years (FM's success, etc.)?

I think Section 3 is so strong due to coaches like Jerry Riordan, who was at CBA for 20-plus years and then at Henninger for the remainder of his career.  We were fortunate to have several coaches in the area like Mr. Riordan, John Holm at Corcoran and George Constantino at Nottingham that could have coached at the collegiate level.  Also, being away from the area for 30-plus years, Syracuse is a great place to train.  Back in the 1980s, Syracuse University wasn’t the nationally recognized program it is today, but the area around it had ample places to train with lots and lots of hills and different surfaces.  I’ll never forget that we used to run a hill we called Tar Baby.  It had to be close to a mile long on pure asphalt which in the summer was brutal.  You could feel the heat rise off the road surface.  If you could tackle a few reps on Tar Baby, you could handle anything.  That taught me another running “lesson” that doing hills built strength.

 

How, when and why did you choose Marist College? Were you recruited for running?

At CBA, every year we traveled to Van Cortlandt Park for the Manhattan College Invitational, and sometimes the Christian Brothers Invite.  I have fond memories of those trips running at Vanny like climbing up Heartbreak Hill, the burned out car that used to be in the back hills, and the clogged Burger King bathroom on Broadway.  BTW…  the best pizza in the world is at a shop on Broadway right across the street from the finish line.  It was on these trips that I that I came across Marist by way of Manhattan College.  When I was looking at colleges, I had an on-campus visit at Manhattan the fall of my senior year.  On our way home from that visit, driving up Route 9, we literally stumbled on to Marist and decided to stop.  I had received some materials from Marist, but was not recruited.  On campus, my Dad was able to get an ad hoc meeting with James Daley, the Dean of Admissions, that afternoon.  I was sold on Marist after that hour discussion.  Jim Daley then helped me get in contact with the then XC Coach Bob Mayerhofer.  Guess the rest is history.  I joined the team as a walk on, like you, in August of 1982.

 

My recollection of the first few days/weeks of the Fall 1982 semester were that you and I were sort of shy, scared and feeling out of place kind of kids. That was MY experience anyway! What was your transition to college and college life like. I know it's only 38.5 years ago, but try to remember!

 

Yes, 38 years is a very, very long time ago.  I think that you are spot on that we were a bit timid as we began our time at Marist.  I remember that we both walked on to the team and by chance were assigned rooms only two doors away from one another in Champagnat.  I’ll never forget meeting you and walking down to McCann for that first team practice.  Yeah, we were shy and a bit scared too!  I think what made it easy joining that team were the upperclassmen.  Guys like Mike McGuire, our captain, Kenny Bohan and Pat Mulrain were great.  They were very welcoming and treated us more like peers opposed to underclassman.  It was great to start our college experience two weeks before everyone else as we “experts” in campus life before school even started.  But I’ll never forget how we were treated by our upperclassmen.  I took that to heart when I was a junior and senior tried to lead by their incredible examples.

 

We shared a lot of miles and a lot of memories in our four years together. Try to parse it down to a few personal highlights -- academically, athletically, etc. What are some of your biggest memories, milestones, PRs, etc.

I just loved to run across the Mid-Hudson Bridge into and around Highland.  I think that we had a 10-mile circuit across the bridge we did regularly.  I remember this one very windy day where the gusts had to be over 50 mph.  We almost got blown off the bridge and everyone was laughing as we plodded over it, except you.  I think you were grimacing the entire way afraid the wind would take you over.  The early morning van rides down to Van Cortlandt, Sunday afternoon Dutchess Hill loops, and the late dinners in the cafeteria were all memorable, but I think the highlight were the people I met, especially on our teammates.  I know that I’ll forget someone so I’m not going to try, but the men and women I had to pleasure to train, race and live with were incredible.  What’s even more rewarding is to see the people each of them have become.  Not just runners, but professionals, parents and most importantly good people.

 

Pulling on the same thread: Try to tell our younger readers what it was like to be a XC/distance runner on the Marist College team, circa 1982-1986. What was it like?

I bet very different from today.  While an established program at Marist, we were just a men’s team with a dozen or so athletes, very little scholarship money and a part-time coach, Bob Mayerhofer.   We lived in those old red Marist vans racing at Vanny frequently.  I remember our big meet at that time was to travel to South Bend for the annual National Catholic Cross Country Championships at Notre Dame.  Only the top 7 runners traveled to the meet as making the team my freshman year was a highlight.  Our sophomore year, we wandered around Notre Dame’s Athletic & Convention Center.  Out of nowhere, Digger Phelps, the legendary basketball coach for the Irish, noticed out team jackets and approached us.  He invited us into his office where he proceeded to chat with us as he knew about Marist being originally from the Hudson Valley.  We got the attached photo with him, quite aged, after our meeting.

 

We have several coaches during our time at Marist, most notably Steve Lurie for the last three years. Steve was quite a character and we still talk about him a lot. Tell us some of your memories of him as a coach, of his running camp (Beginning Trails!) and anything else ...  

You know that the more time passes, the more I appreciate what Steve Lurie tried to teach us.  He cared immensely about each of us.  He had the challenging task of dealing with a bunch of 20-year-olds who thought they knew more about the sport than what we really did.  I think of Steve, like I do you, Jerry Riordan, and all coaches, as teachers.  You instruct and guide us on how to perform at our highest ability, both mentally and physically, while instilling upon us values like hard work, persistence, and team.  Steve Lurie typified the “teacher/coach.”  He also knew everyone in the sport at the time.  I was lucky enough with my teammate, Pete Pazik, to attend, as a spectator, the 1983 5^th Avenue Mile.  Steve was coaching a runner entered in the race, Jama Aden.  Coincidentally, Aden is still in the sport and now an international coach under some scrutiny.  Not only did we get to watch the race from a VIP position, but we got to attend the athletes’ gala that evening.  I remember Pete and I just looking at each other as stood in the elevator with Joan Benoit Samuelson.  That’s the year before she won the 1984 Olympic marathon in LA and then sitting at the table with several US and international Olympians.  It was an incredible day for a running geek like myself, which I owe all to Steve.

 

What was your major at Marist? What are some of your favorite memories academically -- favorite courses, professors, etc.?

I was a Mass Communications major and interned in our Sports Information department. I had aspirations to work for the US Olympic Committee, but they never materialized.  I did make it to the USOC Headquarters in Colorado Springs a few years ago which was huge.  My favorite course was Public Speaking with Jeptha Lanning.  He was an amazing teacher and taught me so much on how to handle myself in front of a one person or one hundred people.  I do a lot of presentations in my job today and use those lessons from Dr. Lanning all the time. I also have tremendous respect for David McCraw, who taught journalism.  I learned how to write from him and to succinctly convey your point.  In our Journalism 101 class, he used to have us read the front page of every section of the New York Times daily.  He’d quiz us regularly on the current events.  While I took a break for probably 25-plus years, I started to read the front page of the Times and start my day with it and your blog.  Finally, while not a professor, Father Richard LaMorte had a big influence in my days at Marist.  He was and I believe up until a few years ago our school chaplain.  He taught me so much about life, chiefly that nobody is perfect and it’s human to make mistakes.  That’s life.  It’s how you respond to adversity that will define your success and how you are as a person.  What is amazing about Father LaMorte is that he seems to come back in my life at times when I need a dose of his wisdom.  A good lifelong friend and mentor.

 

What did you THINK you were going to do post-collegiately and what have you DONE post-collegiately in terms of career-wise and how did your Marist education help to shape that?

After Marist, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.  I went back home and ended up substitute teaching for a couple of years.  During that time, I worked at my alma mater and was the head XC and Track coach at CBA for a year.  I enjoyed that a lot.  Working with high school kids and introducing them to the sport was very gratifying.  I was able to channel some of Mr. Riordan with my kids and hope I taught them something during my tenure.  After a few years, I went on to work at Syracuse University as an admissions counselor before meeting my wife Kathy.  That changed everything.  For the last 30-plus years, we’ve lived in Erie, PA.  I worked at Campbell’s Soup (19 years), Kraft Foods (2 ½ years), Mondelez International (2 ½ years), and now have been with Mars Wrigley the last 5-plus years.  I’ve had a variety of roles in business analysis, sales and management working primarily with grocery retailers, e.g. Shoprite, throughout the country.  I remember coming out of college I swore that I’d never follow my Dad’s footsteps as he was in the business for 40-plus years.  Guess the big lesson for me was never say never; 30 years later, I enjoy what I do and still get to incorporate skills I developed at Marist, like business writing and public speaking.  I still hope that someday I’ll get back to my first job, coaching high school kids.  My daughter Kayla graduated as a teacher and is looking out West for a job.  She would also like to coach as I’m selfishly thinking I might be her assistant at some point in the future.

 

What type of running and racing did you do post-collegiately and how much running are you doing currently? Side note: It sucks getting old!

Ya!  We’re not old, just aged like a fine wine!!  I managed to stay running after graduation for more than 40 years.  For most of that time, I ran for fitness.  After I turned 40, I did begin running competitively again, mostly half and full marathons until just a few years ago.  Nothing too swift, but I’m proud of running for as long as I did and still have the same knees I was born with.  My highlight would be running several of the Disney World half and full marathons with my wife and daughter.  Think I was in tears the first time we crossed the line together as a family.  Unfortunately, those years took their toll on my knees and I “retired” from the pounding a few years ago.  About 10 years ago, Kathy, Kayla and I began to do quite a bit of hiking while on vacation.  Hiking has become our family fitness “thing.”  We’ve been to quite a few national parks hiking the trails in Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Death Valley and around Mt. Rainier in Washington State.  We’ve also hiked the Canadian Rockies and around the Hawaiian Islands including into a volcano crater.  Last summer, we were supposed to travel to Iceland and Norway for some serious hikes, but the virus put that on hold for a while.  We ended up hiking in the White Mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire.  Of all the places we’ve been to, these were the toughest climbs to date.  Lots of rocks and hand over hand climbing especially hard going down the mountains.  There’s still a lot of national parks we haven’t been to and hope to get to as many as we can in the next few years.  While hiking isn’t the same as running, you still can get a really good workout on your feet for 6-plus hours.

 

How cool was it when your daughter, who ran XC and track at Niagara, raced in the same meets at Marist and we were able to see each other again! Tell us about that experience!

It was awesome!  As rewarding as running and competing has been for me, watching my daughter Kayla run in grammar school, high school and then at Niagara University has been incredible.  She has accomplished so much more than I did.  She was a walk-on at Niagara and by her junior year earned an athletic scholarship.  It was extra special for me as Niagara is a MAAC peer school and we got to see each other at various XC and track meets over her four years.  The most memorable day would be her junior year, 2016, at the Monmouth Track Invitational.  For late March, and Monmouth, it was a beautiful day with lots of sun and temps in the 60s.  I think we spent hours on the backstretch as you coached and I took it all in.  Kayla ran the 5K that day late in the day as the weather turned to blustery with storms approaching.  Guess that’s typical Monmouth weather.  Regardless, it was a blast to monitor her progress to a PR with you that day.  I still remember as she sprinted the final 200 we looked at each other and you gave an approving nod.  That was a very special day.

 

It's been a long time since you've been here, but how do you think your four years at Marist shaped the rest of your adult life? Do you think about Marist often?

My time at Marist taught me so much, but I think it’s the people I owe a lot to and think of often, especially my former teammates like you.  I know that I’ll miss someone so I won’t try to reel off names, but I couldn’t be more fortunate to spend my four years with such high caliber people.  They do mean so much about friendship, diversity of thought, and most importantly accepting and valuing people for who they are as individuals.  Obviously, none of that was planned, but it just happened when you put individuals from different backgrounds together working for a common goal.  While I haven’t stayed connected to many of my former teammates, I couldn’t be prouder of who they’ve become as people.

 

We're honored that you have stayed connected to our program, following the team through the blog. What keeps you checking on us? 

You.  Not only are you one of my closest, dearest friends, but I am so proud and impressed with what you’ve done with the Marist Cross Country and Track & Field programs over the last 30-plus years.  I remember those early years.  Your teams were obviously smaller and the support you received from administration was nowhere near today’s level.  I feel fortunate to have watched this program flourish and become one of the best in the Northeast.  Your blog is one of the ways I’ve been able to stay connected with Marist despite the distance and time.  Also, you’re a pretty good writer and I enjoy reading your blogs with my first cup of coffee in the mornings.

 

How has the pandemic affected you, personally and professionally?

Prior to the pandemic, I traveled quite a bit with my customers on the East Coast, Boston and Portland, Maine.  Since last March, I haven’t traveled at all. I work out of my home office when not traveling, but it has been very strange not packing a bag and getting on an airplane.  I’ve traveled quite a bit domestically for business the last 30 years so definitely a bit surreal.  Not sure Kathy likes having me home all the time as we share an office together which sometimes can be very cramped.  The good thing the last 10 months is that Kayla has been home with us.  Her career has been put on hold due to the pandemic.  It’s tough to see your kid’s dreams put on hold, but in the grand scheme we’ve been very fortunate as we’re together and safe.

 

What message can you send to our older student-athletes who's end of college career has been most greatly impacted by the pandemic?

I think my only words of wisdom would be that life is about change.  Nothing ever stays the same.  While the last 10-plus months have been challenging, especially for college students and student-athletes, weathering through these unprecedented times requires each of us to adapt to change.  If it means wearing a mask, social distancing, or delaying a cross country season, you must be able to adapt and change.  While not anywhere near what we’ve experienced with the pandemic, especially the loss of life, I was thrown a big change about 10 years ago.  I was exited from a company I was with for almost 20 years.  That was pretty traumatic as Kayla was just starting high school and the pressure to remain in Erie and get her through school and into college was immense.  I was fortunate to find something else that allowed us to stay in Erie.  I’ve been with Mars Wrigley for more than five years now and I think it’s safe to say that I enjoy my job now more than ever.  I guess I’m getting at that the adage when one door closes, another opens, is so true.  You just need to be flexible and adapt to the changes that life will undoubtedly throw you.

 

If you could talk to the 18-year-old Murph about to drive down the Thruway to attend Marist, what would you tell him?  

Cherish those precious days in Poughkeepsie.  Take full advantage of all that Marist College has to offer, especially the people.  You’ll develop friendships that will last a life time.

Anything else you'd like to add ...  

I’m going to get mushy, but want to reiterate how proud of you I am, my friend.  You’ve done an incredible job building this program over the last 30-plus years and have had a tremendous impact to hundreds, most likely thousands of lives.  Now that’s legacy.  Speaking for all the Marist alum, you are not allowed to retire!  Well done, Pete!!