Dennis R. Murphy

Place of birth:
San Francisco, California

Position played:
Loose Head Prop

Summary of rugby career:

First Started Playing Where:
UCLA

Clubs represented and Years:
UCLA (1967-1971)
Valley (1972)
Santa Monica Rugby Club (1973-1977)

Territorial/National Representative Teams and years:
Los Angeles County
Southern California
California
US Eagles
Team America - Bermuda World Rugby Classic (1988-1991)

No of Caps (if applicable):
One - USA vs France (1976)
Reserve - USA vs Australia (1976)

No of International Matches (if applicable):
Two

Tours: Where, With Whom and Years:
New Zealand, Australia and Fiji - University of California all stars from all campuses - (1970)
England and Wales - Santa Monica Rugby Club (1973)
Canada - UCLA (three different times)

Awards and Recognition:


Impact rugby had on your life:


Most inspirational teammate/coach and why:
Larry Petrel, Larry and I played opposite each other in the 1966 UCLA/USC football game. He was a nose tackle and weighed about 240#. I was an offensive guard. We next met at Santa Monica where he was a wing forward and I was a prop. By that time he was down to 180# and running sub 3 hour marathons. He had an uncanny sense of the position of the ball and was always in position to contribute to each play. Being a brilliant person, I adopted a strategy to come out of the scrum and keep up with Larry. This strategy carried me unto the national team.

What wisdom would you pass on to current players:
Rugby, through the associations you make, can be very valuable to you. Nurture the associations you make in Rugby and you will be rewarded both socially and in your professional life.

Marital Status (Spouse/Kids names):
Married

Favorite quote:
Mark Twain: Sorry I wrote such a long letter; I did not have time to write a shorter one.

Interests:
Snow and Water Skiing; good beer.

Internet links to anything of interest on the web about the player: