Murphy played quarterback at North Dakota from 1960-62 and was its coach from 1978-79. He made a lasting impression on Eric Emery, especially after Cal Fullerton went 12-0 in 1984. Murphy died on October 29, 2011.

“I think I carried over a lot of respect for EJ and Gene Murphy and what they did for us at Cal Fullerton,” said the great Emery, who played linebacker for the BC Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League from 1985-87.

“He brought us together and basically told us we were going to be champions because he saw the talent in us. I had to get him (EJ) to look at North Dakota because that’s where Gene was coming from and a lot of the coaches he brought with him were from there and they were very good guys. So I thought there had to be something in North Dakota.”

There’s also a North Dakota connection between the younger Emery and NTDP coach Nick Fohr. Fohr was born and raised in Grand Forks and regularly attended UND games with his father, Roger. Roger officiated outside of ice hockey until his death from cancer in January 2023.

“Oh yeah, we definitely talked about that,” Fohr said. “To me, it’s a pretty cool place and to have someone like EJ take care of it is pretty awesome.

“When people think of EJ Emery, a black kid who wants to play hockey, they rarely put him in North Dakota, right? We had some really good conversations about the city, the town, what it’s like. When we talked to EJ and his family, they (UND) did a really, really, really good job of making him feel comfortable in the recruiting process, letting him see what it’s like and meeting some of the players and other people. I made it feel like a home for him.”

North Dakota hockey coach Brad Berry said Emery has been on the team’s radar since he played for the Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, British Columbia, during the 2021-22 season.

“When we got to the recruiting process, he knew us, we knew him and we felt comfortable,” Berry said. “When we recruit players, we have a criteria for what we want in a player: It doesn’t matter where you come from or who you are. It matters what you are as a person, and he checked every box we had.”

Emery (6’1″, 180 pounds) became UND’s first black player since defensive end Akil Adams, who played in 18 games from 1992-94.

North Dakota has had a variety of rosters since then. Washington Capitals forward TJ Oshie, a Native American player born in the United States, played there from 2005–08. Center Jordan Kawaguchi, a Canadian-born player of Japanese descent, played for UND from 2017–21 and was the team captain in his senior season.

Emery’s selection by the Rangers and his move to North Dakota was a great relief for Adams, who played in the minor leagues and Germany after leaving college.

“I’m still a North Dakota guy through and through,” said Adams, who lives in Detroit. “He’s definitely in the right place, and I’m happy to see someone else really there. I think that says a lot about the type of player he is.”