Jim Murray, a former general manager of the Eagles and co-founder of the Ronald McDonald House, died on Monday, his Godson and 94 WIP radio host Rob Ellis announced.
Murray was 87.
A West Philadelphia native and a Villanova University graduate, Murray found his way to the Eagles in 1969 as a part of their public relations staff, then worked his way up to becoming the team's GM ahead of the 1974 season.
Over the nine years that followed – until he was fired in 1982 – Murray hired Dick Vermeil as the head coach, landed Bill Bergey out of the WFL's collapse, and swung the trade with the Rams for Ron Jaworski in a series of moves that helped to eventually assemble the Eagles roster that won an NFC title in 1980.
Murray's greatest impact came off the field, though.
He co-founded the Ronald McDonald House, which was established right here in Philadelphia in 1974 during a push to support former Eagles tight end Fred Hill and his daughter Kim, who was diagnosed with leukemia several years prior.
The initiative was built for families with children battling cancer, offering housing to them within the city while their kids underwent treatments. '
More than 50 years later, the idea has expanded out from Philadelphia to houses all over the world, but the root of it always remained in Murray's hometown.
"People love the Eagles so much, it penetrates every level of society," Murray told the Eagles' website last year. "It really tells the same story as Philadelphia.
"Philadelphia embraces strangers who become part of the city. I think it's the ultimate graduation. Over the years, as they have increased their intensity of helping kids on defense, kids get cured. And now with these houses, people come from literally all over the world, so you're seeing the miracle being passed along."
Still for a long time to come.
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