Legendary CFL coach Cal Murphy has died at the age of 79.  TSN.ca reports Murphy was surrounded by his family when he died at a Regina hospital on Saturday night.

Murphy was born in Winnipeg in 1932.  He played his university football at UBC, and briefly played in the CFL for the BC Lions in 1956.

In 1974, Murphy joined the BC Lions as an assistant coach, becoming head coach in 1975.  Through the rest of the 1970s and in to the early 1980s, he would be part of teams in Montreal and Edmonton, before moving to Winnipeg in 1983 where he spent 14 years as head coach and general manager.  In 1997, Murphy moved to Regina where he worked as offensive coordinator before becoming head coach in 1999.

In total, Murphy was part of nine Grey Cup winning teams in his career, including three as a head coach.

In recent years, Murphy had been a scout for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.  In 2004, he was elected in to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

Murphy had been living in Regina with his wife, Joyce, prior to his death.

Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Mike Kelly is one of many who've posted tributes to Murphy on Twitter. 

"I've lost my mentor and my friend," writes Kelly.

Insight into the man

The Leader Post's Rob Vanstone said he remembers the time Murphy gifted Colts tickets to him and his god son.

"Afterwards I got him a gift card for a restaurant to thank him for it," he said.

"It was the only time he got angry at me, because he didn't want any personal gain from doing a nice thing."

Vanstone said he thinks that beyond Grey Cup rings, Murphy's passion for the game will be his greatest legacy.

"How much he loved the game, he was always watching film, couldn't get enough of it."

Off the field Murphy will also be remembered as a champion of organ donation, having lived 20 years after a heart transplant.

A great man of football

TSN's Glen Suitor, a regular voice on CKOM's Sports Night said he played against Murphy, and interviewed him many times.

"This is happening too often, too regularly these days that the great football legends are passing on," he said.

"As we go into the 100th Grey Cup game...there should be something done to commemorate what Cal Murphy meant to the Canadian Football League."

He emphasized his great respect for the great man of football.

Edited by News Talk Radio's John Himpe and Jared Knoll, with files from Joel Gasson and Stephanie Fraese.