In an age where so many kids play one sport and stick to it, Teddy Murphy was a bit of a throwback athlete at Grandview Heights High School.
Murphy was a forward and midfielder for the Bobcats’ perennially successful soccer team, playing all 80 minutes in the team’s 2022 state championship game win.
On the track, Murphy was both a sprinter and a field athlete, and his name is in the school record book in the 400 meters and the pole vault.
And on the ice, Murphy spent his winters as a defenseman with the Northeast Storm in the Ohio Scholastic Hockey League. Introduced to the sport by his older brothers and the Blue Jackets just up the street from his Grandview home, Murphy found a passion in those days with a hockey stick in his hand.
“Being on the ice, compared to all the other things I do, it’s a very different experience,” Murphy said. “There’s just this feeling on the ice that’s different from some other sports. There are aspects of the sport – the physicality, the fast pace – it's just something you don’t really get from anything else.
“It’s meant a lot to me. The people that I’ve met playing it and the things that I’ve learned while playing it are lessons and friendships I’ll embrace for the rest of my life.”
Add it all up and Murphy is a well-rounded athlete and person, which is why he was chosen as the recipient of this year’s Paul Donskov Legacy Scholarship.
Named for one of the pioneers of hockey in Central Ohio who passed away in 2020, the Donskov Scholarship is a $3,500 grant awarded by the Donskov family in partnership with the Blue Jackets Foundation. This scholarship honors Paul Donskov's legacy, lifetime work and the value he placed on education, as well as his tireless passion to help youth hockey players advance and fulfill their academic and athletic dreams.
The Donskov family continues to run camps, train aspiring players and make the Columbus hockey community a better place, and Murphy said that makes receiving the scholarship extra special.
“I didn’t really know about them until now, but it’s wonderful getting to know them,” Murphy said. “They’re a wonderful family, and they do a lot for the hockey community in Columbus and a lot of other places.
“I got the phone call (that I was chosen) and it was pretty wild. I figured a lot of people applied for this scholarship, so I was really surprised that I stood out, but I was really proud of myself that I put myself out there and I won it. It was a surprise.”
The scholarship will help Murphy continue his academic work at the University of Cincinnati, where he will study mechanical engineering and join his older brother Henry. And it’s fair to say those in the Bearcats community will get to know Murphy given how active he was during his high school years.
In addition to playing three sports, Murphy was co-president of the French Club at Grandview Heights High School, was a member of Ski Club and the Best Buddies program, was selected for the National Honor Society and was part of the Ohio Capital Conference Honors Choir.
In the tightknit Grandview community, Murphy also did his part, volunteering with the city’s annual Ox Roast the past few summers, helping the Bobcat Boosters, working at the school’s soccer camp and serving as a fifth-grade camp counselor.
Amid all that, Murphy even found the time this year to pick up the guitar and learn how to play. Even if there were times where it felt like free time was at a premium, he always reminded himself why he was doing all the things he did.
“It teaches you to be a very hardworking person and to keep at things,” he said. “There were a lot of times in my high school career that I felt like I was being overwhelmed by the amount of responsibilities that I had, but at the end of the day, the biggest thing is to remind yourself why you’re doing the things you do. And usually the answer to that is because you love them and they’re fun.”
That’s how Murphy felt about hockey, and he hopes to be able to stay on the ice going forward, whether it be on a club team or a rec league. It’s a sport that’s taught him plenty of lessons and allowed him to meet people he’ll remember forever, and one he thinks he’ll enjoy for the rest of his life.
“It’s definitely something I’m going to keep doing in the future,” Murphy said. “It’s just a great way to unwind and a great way to have fun for sure.”
