UCM Director of Military, Veteran Services Competes Tonight for ‘Tough as Nails’ Title

A member of the University of Central Missouri is among those competing in the two-hour season finale of “Tough as Nails,” which airs tonight on CBS. Kelly Murphy, known as “Murph” to his competitors, served for 22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and currently is director of Military and Veteran Services at UCM.

The weekly program began airing in early July, and is divided into both team and individual challenges, Murphy is the only remaining member of his team, Savage Crew, that is still in the running for the grand prize of $200,000 and a new pickup truck.

The show, hosted by Phil Keoghan, exists to showcase the men and women who do tough, physically demanding jobs to keep the country running. Contestants compete in challenges that require a variety of toolsets and physical and mental fortitude. Murphy has already taken home $8,000 from team challenges while showing off his UCM and military pride on the show.

Approximately one year ago, a representative of the Discovery Channel reached out to Murphy through Instagram and encouraged him to apply for the show. Never being one to step down from an opportunity, Murphy landed himself a role on the now top-rated summer program. Murphy will be facing off against four other contestants on the season finale.

To learn more about Murphy, please check out the video created by the UCM Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications here.