Ray Murphy, Jr.

Ray Murhphy, Jr., 1968

Ray Murphy, Jr. (October 4, 1946 Joplin, Missouri^[1] — July 20, 2010 Tulsa, Oklahoma^[2]) was an all-American collegiate wrestler at Oklahoma State University. He was awarded the 1998 Medal of Courage from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.^[3]

Early life

Ray was born in Joplin, Missouri on October 4, 1946 the son of the late Raymond Sr. and Ferol Murphy. In 1964, he graduated from Tulsa's Nathan Hale High School where he was an “All-State” wrestler^[4] He was a high school classmate of actor Gary Busey.^[5]

Collegiate wrestling career

Murphy entered college at Oklahoma State University and caught the head wrestling coach's eye by winning an intramural tournament. This allowed him to "walk on" the team.^[6] Murphy's collegiate wrestling career included two appearances in the NCAA national tournament in 1968 and 1969 with the OSU Cowboys. He placed fifth in the 137 pound weight class and second in the 145 pound weight class.^[7][8] He was a hopeful to compete in the 1972 Olympics. Murphy was also a brother of the Oklahoma Alpha Chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at Oklahoma State.

Life-changing injury

On April 11, 1970, Ray Murphy’s life changed forever while wrestling for the OSU Cowboys. Murphy was thrown during a match and landed directly on his head, paralyzing him from the neck down.

For the remainder of his life, Ray was gripped by paralysis and required mechanical assistance in breathing. Murphy was actively involved in the development of sip-and-puff technology—a method where a person can sip and puff in a straw in code to send commands to mechanical devices.^[9] In Ray Murphy's case, he can use sip-and-puff technology to adjust lights in a room, change channels on a television, type on a keyboard, and control his wheelchair.

Because of the importance of sip-and-puff technology, which he used to operate his computer and other amenities, Murphy became a national leader in research of new additions to this technique and later using eye tracking technology. He also was employed as a computer programmer by ConocoPhillips and other corporations to advance this and other handicapped-assisting technologies.^[10]

Later Years and Death

Former Oklahoma State wrestler Ray Murphy died in his Tulsa home Tuesday morning 7/20/2010, 40 years after he was paralyzed from the neck down in a wrestling accident. He was 63.

Other awards

Murphy also won the National Outstanding Handicap award for his determination and work as a quadriplegic.^[11] In 1989, he received national recognition as Handicapped Person of the Year.

Notes