Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, the longtime voice of the Buffalo Bills has elected to step away from his post.
The legendary John Murphy, who boasts a legendary 35-year career with the Bills, announced his decision to hang up the microphone on Thursday.
For 16 years, Murphy provided insightful commentary as a color analyst. The following 19 seasons, until 2022, Murphy became the iconic play-by-play announcer, earning him the “Voice of the Buffalo Bills” moniker.
While open to future involvement, his time in the booth seems on hold.
Murphy suffered a stroke toward the end of the 2022 NFL season, which led to Chris Brown assuming the PxP role for broadcasts on WGR 550 in Buffalo on an interim basis. Brown continued to do so throughout the 2023 season, as Murphy hasn’t called a Bills game since.
“John’s love and enthusiasm for the Bills and Western New York has been evident for the past 30-plus years in the booth. We will all miss his great calls and passion as the play-by-play announcer. We continue to wish he and his family all the best during his recovery and we hope that he can remain a part of our organization in the future,” Bills owner Terry Pegula said in a statement.
Murphy, in a recent interview with WBEN’s Susan Rose, indicated he’s prepared to embark on a new chapter. Murphy and his wife, Mary, decided this was the perfect time to step down.
He feels content with this choice — one he made months ago.
“I’ll miss it a great deal,” Murphy said. “I’ll miss the people more than anything.”
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.