One of eight members of the recruiting Class of 1953 from the New York area, Dennis Murphy was a steady and dependable backup to Hugh Beins over three seasons at Georgetown.

A 1949 graduate of Cardinal Hayes HS, Murphy saw considerable action as a sophomore, with seven double figure scoring games and a season high 16 against George Washington in January, 1951. The Colonials were a favorite target for Murphy, who scored 60 points against GW over three seasons, including a career high 19 as a senior. He finished fourth in scoring as a senior with an 8.9 points average.

Murphy graduated Georgetown in 1953 with a double major in history and government, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps at commencement, beginning a 34 year military career. A graduate of the Army Ranger School, he completed training at the the Amphibious Warfare School and attended the National War College; while stationed in Washington, he also earned a master's degree in international affairs at George Washington University.

A decorated Vietnam era veteran (including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with combat V), Murphy was named commander of the USMC Basic School at Quantico in 1977, where he was selected for promotion to Brigadier General. Additional leadership at Camp Lejeune, NC and Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific soon followed. At the time of his retirement in 1987, Murphy had been promoted to major general and held command of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune.

Following retirement, Gen. Murphy served as the executive director of the Naval Historical Foundation.