He was the “Prep Dog.” He was “Berdooman.” He was John Mechior Murphy.
Murphy, a long-time sports writer for the Southern California Newspaper Group with stops at The Sun in San Bernardino, The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, and most recently at publications in the Redlands area, died on Nov. 21.
Murphy was 69. A memorial service is Friday in Burlingame in his native Bay Area.
Murphy was an old-school sports writer and one of the last of his generation.
He kept crazy hours and always had a cup of coffee nearby. And snacks. Candy bars. Snickers, especially. He loved basketball, coaching both successful and not-so-successful youth teams at several stops along his path.
“His unrivaled, wonderful professional kindness left a lasting impression — specifically with younger journalists who were learning the ropes of a working newspaper for the very first time,” shared Derek Rich, who worked with Murphy in the early 2000s. “He was like the sports desk’s coolest of cool uncles.”
A native of San Francisco, Murphy knew as many people involved in high school sports there as he did in Southern California.
He was the sports editor at the Watsonville Register-Pajaronian for more than a decade by the time he arrived at The Sun from the Victorville Daily Press in 2002. He replaced Louis Amestoy as The Sun’s high school sports reporter.
Murphy’s low-key energy, and the things that he said, immediately changed the tempo of the sports department.
“Not every ‘Around The County’ ” — a weekly article featuring a sentence-or-two bit about each of the 60-plus high schools across San Bernardino — “is gonna win the Pulitzer,” he’d say after an early exchange with former sports editor Paul Oberjuerge.
But Murphy was as connected as anybody and could connect as well as anyone in the business. He knew about births and deaths first. He reported on former Rams defensive back Donte Deayon (Summit High), and current NFL quarterbacks C.J. Stroud (Rancho Cucamonga), and Jayden Daniels (Cajon) before they were stars, among the thousands of athletes, coaches, parents, and administrators he interviewed over the years.
Murphy fit in so seamlessly at The Sun that it eventually took three new reporters to replace him.
Mirjam Swanson, a Southern California NewsGroup columnist, was an assistant sports editor at The Sun when Murphy was on staff.
“John was cool, man,” Swanson said. “One of those people who could lower the temperature of just about any room with his presence, even a frazzled, hectic newsroom feeling the deadline crunch.
“I probably spent more time eavesdropping on his phone interviews than I have listening to some friends talk, because I wanted to learn how he did it, how he’d get to the root of an issue or a story someone was telling. It wasn’t just that, it was that he also always did it so efficiently and respectfully, all business but also all compassion, plenty nosey but perfectly professional. There was a real art to it, and I always thought it reflected him as a person. He was someone people wanted to talk to, to share news with, because they could sense — even over the phone — it was a good person on the other end.
“I really did learn so much about interviewing — and more, about how to be, from listening in on Murphy’s conversations. And I think about him just about every interview I do, which is to say: I think about him all the time.”
Murphy joined The Press-Enterprise before the paper’s merger in 2008, and kept doing his thing in Riverside for nearly 10 years.
Murphy was affectionately known as ‘Prep Dog’ while at The Sun from his social media handle, and ‘Berdooman’ became his Gmail email address.
Murphy — a graduate of Serra High in San Mateo, and San Francisco State University — returned to the Bay Area to help lead a high school media start-up, but would return to the Inland region. Over a career that spanned 40-plus years, Murphy received recognition for his work from the Los Angeles Press Club, San Francisco Press Club, California Newspapers Publishers, and Associated Press Sports Editors.
His last few years were spent in Redlands and Highland, taking long walks and writing for the Highland Community News. He continued to freelance for The Press-Enterprise until early November.
Outside of journalism, Murphy worked as a paraeducator for the Fontana Unified School District, and served as a youth basketball coach in the Bay Area as well as IE cities of Beaumont and Yucaipa, according to his LinkedIn page.
Murphy asked that any donations be made to his alma mater, Serra High School (451 W. 20th Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403), or The Sisters of Mercy (2300 Adeline Dr., Burlingame, CA 94010).
Murphy is survived by his son Kyle, partner Maria Lopez, and siblings Cathy (Fama), Anne Murphy, and Jim, among other extended family members.
Dennis Pope is a regular correspondent for the Southern California NewsGroup who was deskmates with John Murphy at The Sun from 2002-07, sharing a love of hoops, rock ‘n roll history, and all things San Francisco 49ers. A signed print of Joe Montana, hand delivered by Murphy as a birthday gift during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, now hangs in his office.
