Later in life, Murphy participated in city programs in an effort to help young adults and children, such as Billiards in the Streets, which was sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation.

[1] Because he was African American in an era when there were racial tensions in the United States, Murphy was not invited to compete in world title events until 1965 despite his skills as a player.

[7] Murphy won the Burbank World Invitational 14.1 tournament in 1965, defeating white players such as Joe Balsis, Jimmy Moore, and Luther Lassiter.

[1][7] Pool players picketed outside the front of the now-defunct Commodore Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, which was the site of the 1964 Billiard Room Propriety Association of America tournament, to protest Murphy's exclusion.

[12] In the Flatbush neighborhood of New York City, there is a mural painted of Cisero Murphy shooting pool, along with fellow New Yorkers and baseball players Joe DiMaggio and Mike Piazza and Joseph "Cyclops" Bouie III.