* This article can also be found in the latest version of The Ripon Magazine, which can be found at the following link: https://ripon.edu/about-ripon/publications/.

Sophomore defensive lineman Desmond Murphy, a first-generation student from Bryan, Texas, was a key player in the Ripon College football team's hot start to the 2021 season.

The team began the season with a 5-0 record, the first time in 11 years that a Ripon team achieved that. The Ripon defense contributed to that accomplishment, holding opponents to 14 or fewer points in four of their first five games.

For Murphy, being a part of that is significant. He helped the Red Hawks to a 6-3 record and a fourth-place finish in the Midwest Conference, finishing his season with 20 tackles, including five for a loss. This is tied for fourth on the team, and he also registered his first career sack and forced a fumble.

"Although we didn't win the conference this season, I was able to form a stronger bond with my teammates," Murphy says. "Being a part of this defense has been a blast because we all trust each other to make plays, and we pride ourselves in being faster and more physical than opposing offenses."

Murphy is an exercise science major with an emphasis in human performance. Most first-generation college students have a unique college experience, and Murphy's experience has been no different, with some trials and tribulations along the way.

"Being a first-generation college student means a lot to me because I have the opportunity to receive a degree and further my education," Murphy said. "It also means there may be more adversity that I have to face, but with the help of God, family and friends, I continue to strive for success."

His college experience has been anything but normal, he says, "but that's what makes it special. I was unable to have a full football season as a freshman because of COVID-19, but throughout our three-game schedule in the spring of 2020, I was a starter on the team, which was an exciting feeling to know that all the hard work I put in throughout the years was paying off."

Also making Murphy's college journey unique is the fact that he hails from a town in Texas between Houston and Dallas, nearly 1,300 miles south of Ripon. "One of the reasons I decided to attend Ripon College was that it allowed me to not only further my academics, but also continue playing the sport I love," Murphy said. "Never in a million years would I have thought that I'd be attending college in Wisconsin because of how cold it gets during the winter. But being here has allowed me to interact with students from all over the world."

Although he is just a sophomore, Murphy already has an idea of his future roadmap. "After college, my plan is to enter graduate school and further my career as a performance specialist," Murphy says. "Being involved in that profession is important to me because I will have the opportunity to work with different athletes while improving their speed, strength, balance and coordination."