he accepted an appointment to the U.S. Navy's Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida. On December 13 of that year
Murphy was born on May 7, 1976 in Smithtown, New York to Irish American parents Maureen and Daniel Murphy, a former assistant Suffolk County district attorney . [ 1 ] He was raised in Patchogue . He attended Saxton Middle School, where he played youth soccer and pee-wee football, with his father as coach. In high school, he continued playing sports, and took a summer job as a lifeguard at the Brookhaven town beach in Lake Ronkonkoma . He returned to the job every summer through his college years. [ 1 ]
Murphy was known to his friends as "Murph", and he was known as "The Protector" in his high school years. In 8th grade, he protected a special needs child who was being shoved into a locker by a group of boys. He also protected a homeless man, who was being attacked while collecting cans. He chased away the attackers and helped the man pick up his cans. [ 2 ]
In 1994, Murphy graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School and left home to attend The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). He graduated from Penn State in 1998, with degrees in both political science and psychology . [ 1 ] Murphy was engaged to be married to his girlfriend Heather in November 2004.