Honoring our heroes and supporting their families

Inspired by a fallen hero and driven by his personal connections, junior Ryan Doolittle has rallied campus together to honor Navy SEAL families through the Auburn University Interfraternity Council (IFC) Murph Event, blending fitness, philanthropy and an incredible mission. 

Almost a year ago, the idea behind the event came to fruition in Doolittle’s head. He pitched the event when he applied to be the director of philanthropy within IFC. Once he earned the position, he became busy planning it. His father, John Doolittle, a former Navy SEAL, knew fallen Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy for whom the famous workout, “The Murph,” was named after. 

The event, held this Veterans Day, was meant to raise money and awareness for the Navy SEAL Foundation, which provides emotional and financial support for the families of Navy SEAL members. 

“For me, I have a strong connection to the organization because I personally know families who have been affected by loss. Having the family tie to Lt. Murphy, I knew the Navy SEAL Foundation would be a good fit for the event here at Auburn,” said Doolittle. “Navy SEALs and their families are such a niche group of Americans and American heroes, so I’m hoping we brought awareness to the foundation and what they do for these families. We made sure 100% of the proceeds went directly to the foundation.” 

In total, the event featured about 70 participants, 20 volunteers and some spectators and was hosted at the Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston Obstacle Course, alongside the Auburn Veterans Resource Center and ROTC to kick off Military Appreciation Week. Doolittle wanted to make sure the event had a connection to a military holiday. 

‘The Murph’ workout is typically completed on Memorial Day; however, student involvement would be limited during the summer it was moved to Veterans Day. With Veterans Day occurring on a Monday this year, the Murph became a great way to kick off Military Appreciation Week on campus that concluded with the Military Appreciation football game versus UL-Monroe on Saturday. 

Due to the response of the event and the impact it’s had its first year, Doolittle hopes the event will become a lasting tradition. 

“The response has been incredible, and I’d love to see this grow into something bigger next year,” he said.