Jim Murray
Jim Murray, the former general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles and founder of the first Ronald McDonald House for families of seriously ill children in Philadelphia, has been named grand marshal of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
The theme of the 2014 parade is: St. Patrick, bless the contributions of Irish Americans to our nation.
Murray, of Rosemont, is president of Jim Murray Ltd.., a sports promotion and marketing firm and was the Eagles’ GM when the team went to Super Bowl XV and the team made the NFL playoffs four times. He, along with owner Leonard Tose, hired popular coach Dick Vermeil.
Born in West Philadelphia, Murray is a 1960 graduate of Villanova University and an ex-Marine who got his start in sports with the Tidewater Tides of baseball’s South Atlantic League. He was also assistant general manager of the Atlanta Crackers, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and was also a sports information director at Villanova.
Along with the Ronald McDonald House, Murray’s philanthropic work includes launching the Eagles Fly for Leukemia campaign.
The father of five, he and his wife Dianne have four grandchildren.
The 2014 parade is scheduled for Sunday, March 16.
