 In Murphy's high school years, he earned the All-State and Defensive Player of the Year awards at Spring Lake Park High School in Minnesota.In college, he was a four-year starter at North Dakota State University from 1999 to 2002, All-America First Team selection as a junior in 2001 after leading the Bison with 11 sacks.He completed his collegiate career with 129 tackles and 22 sacks.