By the time Murphy put away his kicking tee, he was Columbus High's All-time leading scorer on the gridiron.

A hard fastball thrower with a sharp slider, Murphy had an disappointing debut by giving up a 400-foot home run to the first Major League hitter he faced, Mike Marshall.

In the history of Major League baseball, no pitcher who had pitched 50 innings or more had an ERA lower than Murphy’s.

That same season, his hits per nine inning ratio (4.65/9ip), had bested the previous National League records posted in 1972 and 1916.

When Rob retired in 1995, that hits per inning ratio still stood atop the NL record book.

In four years with the Reds, Murphy had held 72 of the 78 leads he had been tasked with holding, and had stranded 79% of the runners he inherited.

By pitching over 100 relief innings in both the American and National Leagues, Murphy joined a very short list of lefties to accomplish this feat.

Rob was named the Red Sox Fireman of the Year (best reliever) by the Boston area Baseball Writers.

Murphy also pitched for the Mariners, Cardinals, Yankees, Dodgers and Marlins, retiring at the end of the 1995 season.

Murphy's company, M375 Thoroughbreds, Inc., has bred, raised and raced such successful horses as Platinum Tiara, Swing and Miss, Diamond Studs, Strike Three and Golden Spikes.

In Boston, Murphy worked with the Red Sox in-house charities, the Jimmy Fund and the 65 Roses Foundation.

Back at home in Florida, Murphy has attended many Redbone Organization events to benefit Cystic Fibrosis.

Murphy continues to share his experience and expertise with the youth of Martin County by coaching baseball and softball players of all ages.