WATCH: Bills legends congratulate longtime play-by-play announcer on retirement

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Steve Tasker, and more Buffalo Bills legends have congratulated longtime broadcaster John Murphy on a legendary career.

Nov 11, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) looks to pass the / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

For several generations of Western New Yorkers, John Murphy’s voice is synonymous with Buffalo Bills football. He was a crucial part of the team’s game-day radio broadcasts for over 30 years, serving as its play-by-play man from 2004–2022.

The broadcaster officially stepped away from his post on Thursday, tying a bow atop a legendary career that was cut short after the announcer suffered a stroke late in the 2022 season. Murphy has since recovered and, per the team’s official website, is open to remaining with the Bills’ game-day broadcast in a different capacity.

Murphy’s departure sparked well-wishes from all reaches of the Buffalo faithful, including players that the broadcaster covered throughout his career. The Bills shared a video featuring several former players congratulating Murphy on his retirement on their X account, an emotional send-off for a person whose voice Buffalo fans associate with emotional moments.

An amazing career for a Buffalo legend.

Thank you, Murph! #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/ICUvGLQfeW

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 9, 2024

Former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, wide receiver Stevie Johnson, running back Thurman Thomas, and special teamer Steve Tasker are the former players featured in the short clip, with Fitzpatrick—a known Bills supporter who has attended Buffalo playoff games as a (chest hair-flaunting) fan—-providing a particularly heartfelt see-ya-later.

“We’re still all huge Bills fans here out in Arizona now, but when I think about the soundtrack of my career there, it’s in your voice, and I know that there are a lot of legends in Buffalo who feel the same way,” Fitzpatrick said. “Everything that you’ve done for the city and Buffalo and for the team, the Bills, has been amazing, and I also truly appreciate the friendship that we’ve forged over the years.”

In what may be an indictment on the team’s previous organizational ineptitude, Fitzpatrick was arguably the best quarterback of Murphy’s tenure as play-by-play man before the arrival (and eventual emergence) of Josh Allen; Fitzpatrick played for the Bills from 2009–2012, starting 53 games.

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Tasker was also quite heartfelt in his segment given his unique personal and working relationship with Murphy; the two hosted One Bills Live, the team’s daily radio show, with each other from 2018–2020.

“Thanks for being a mentor, an example, thanks for being a great co-worker, a co-host, thank you for showing me the ropes on how to be on radio and TV every single day,” Tasker said “I cannot thank you enough. I’ve been a broadcaster for twice as long as I was a professional football player, and you’ve been a part of it from the word go.”

The impact that Murphy has made on his colleagues and listeners throughout his career is clear; his work was immortalized with his induction into the Buffalo Broadcasters Association's Hall of Fame in 2019.