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| Pat Murphy |
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**2007 Pac-10
Coach of the Year**
Pat Murphy became only the
third head coach in Arizona State's modern baseball history when he was hired in
August of 1994. Following in the footsteps of legendary head coaches Bobby
Winkles and Jim Brock, Murphy's 13-year tenure at the helm of the ASU program
has been marked with great success. Since inheriting the Sun Devil program,
Murphy has carefully nurtured the tradition of excellence in Tempe, at the same
time establishing himself as one of the top collegiate head coaches in the
nation. Six times in the past 11 years, ASU has been ranked in the Top 12 in the
country. Twice in that same decade, Murphy has had teams finished in the Top 3
in the country; a feat matched by only ten other schools and no other major
sports program in the state of Arizona. Murphy's ASU squads are always present
in the national Top 25, including a streak of 100 consecutive weeks in the polls
that lasted from 2000 until the middle of 2005. In 13 seasons at the helm of the
Sun Devil program, Murphy is 529-257-1 and has led the Devils to the NCAA
Tournament in eight straight years and ten of the last 11. He owns an all-time
44-29 record in NCAA Tournament action as a head coach and is 35-21 in
postseason play at ASU. His coaching accomplishments include becoming the
youngest collegiate coach to reach 500 career victories (with 75 percent of the
wins at the Division I level). In over 20 years of coaching at the collegiate
level, Murphy owns a career 902-428-4 record. At the Division I level alone,
Murphy has recorded 847 wins in 20 years, averaging 42 wins a year. With 20 more
years of coaching, Murphy is on pace to break the all-time NCAA victories record
by the age of 65. Before arriving in Tempe, Murphy took a virtually unknown
Notre Dame baseball program from a non-fully funded sport into the national
spotlight. His Notre Dame teams averaged over 45 wins a season during his seven
years in South Bend.
GIVING BACK
In 2006, Pat Murphy made an unprecedented gesture, donating $100,000 back to
the Arizona State University baseball program to help fund facility
improvements. The donation will be used to fund the "Tillman Room" in honor of
brothers Pat and Kevin Tillman. Kevin was a member of the Sun Devil baseball
team from 1997-99. During those years, Murphy and Pat became close, as Pat would
frequently attend baseball games and practices in support of his younger
brother, Kevin. The sports medicine room inside the baseball clubhouse will
carry the theme of the "Tillman Room" and serve as an area to inspire and pay
tribute to these American heroes.
DEVILS RETURN TO OMAHA IN
2005
The 2005 season was a memorable one for Murphy and the Sun Devils, as ASU
made their 19th trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The Sun Devils
finished the year with a 42-25 record, the fifth 40 win season under Murphy.
Earning their sixth straight postseason berth, ASU rolled through the Regionals
held at Packard Stadium, setting up a match-up with defending national champion
Cal-State Fullerton, who eliminated ASU in 2004. The Sun Devils got their
revenge, defeating the Titans in three games to earn a spot in the 2005 College
World Series. Arizona State would finish third in the World Series, their fifth
third place finish in school history. They finished the season with a Top Six
ranking in all four of the college baseball national polls, including two #3
rankings. 11 Sun Devils earned All-Pac-10 honors, led by Travis Buck and Jeff
Larish, who earned First Team distinctions. Larish led the Pac-10 with his 23
home runs, while Buck led the conference with his 110 hits. Seven Sun Devils
were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, with Travis Buck going in the
First Round to the Oakland Athletics.
BEATING ARIZONA
In the rivalry series against the University of Arizona, Murphy has guided
ASU to a 37-22 record (.622) in his 12 seasons in Tempe and won 10 of 12 season
series from the Wildcats. He also has a 17-12 record (.586) at Sancet Stadium in
Tucson.
SUCCESS IN THE PAC-10
Since the 2002 season, no other Pac-10 school has won as many games as ASU,
both overall and conference games. A model for consistency within the
conference, ASU has an overall record of 211 wins and 99 losses (.681) since
2002 and a conference record of 73 wins and 47 losses (.608) in that same
period. Murphy is also second among current Pac-10 head coaches in career
winning percentage. Through 12 seasons at the helm of ASU, Murphy has a .665
winning percentage. Only Stanford's Mark Marquess has a higher winning
percentage (.670 in 30 seasons at Stanford).
SILENT SUCCESS
Overcoming challenges has always been Pat Murphy's forte. When he took over
the ASU job in 1995, Murphy was faced with the task of replacing a legend in the
late Dr. Jim Brock. After resurrecting the Notre Dame baseball program and
building it into a national contender, Murphy welcomed the opportunity and
privilege that came with taking over the ASU baseball program. Despite a
transition period that saw his 1995 team (with nine wins against teams ranked in
the Top 10) and 1996 team (ranked in final Top 25 poll) both left home from the
NCAA tournament, Murphy has enjoyed a consistent and measurable amount of
success during his tenure in Tempe. (The only other team ranked and left home
from the tournament was Murphy's 1991 Notre Dame team). The 1997 team finished a
pitch away from Omaha while in 1998, Murphy became the fastest coach to ever
reach the National Championship game after taking over a program. The 2000 team
won the school's 17th conference championship and set the stage for some
impactful recruiting classes to leave their mark on the program. In 2003, ASU
got off to a 28-1 start and cruised to a Super Regional match up with #3
Cal-State Fullerton. Unfortunately, the #5 Sun Devils battled the #3 Titans for
a spot in Omaha, while two unranked teams faced off in another Super Regional.
The 2004 team was awarded a #1 national seed heading into the postseason, but
was unfortunately sent on the road to face-off with eventual National Champion
Cal-State Fullerton in the first round of the NCAA regionals. In 2005, the Sun
Devils returned to Omaha after two seasons of being frustratingly close. All
said, the 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2004 teams were all National Championship
caliber and missed the opportunity to represent ASU in Omaha by mere pitches.
THE ZANY SIDE OF MURPH
With a reputation that precedes him, anyone familiar with the ASU baseball
program will tell you that the Pat Murphy you hear about and the Pat Murphy you
get to know are two totally different people. With his stoic concentration and
intense attention to detail during games, many judge Murphy on game day behavior
alone. However, spend just a few minutes with him or speak to someone that has
played for or coached with "Murph" and you'll see the real representation of Pat
Murphy. The consummate player's coach, Murph is well known for his knowledge of
the game and ability to help student-athletes maximize potential -- both on the
field and in the classroom -- but also to provide an environment to keep his team
loose and enjoying the opportunity to represent the maroon and gold. Murph has
been known to sing in the dugouts, play the harmonica during team meetings, have
his teams dress in shirt and tie in order to maintain a "business like" approach
to practice, and box a priest for charity. Murph also has a tattoo on his back
that carries the names of several people influential in his life and that
motivate him to be the same influential source for others. Close friends Harvey
Dorfman and Pat Tillman, children Kai and Keli and personal heroes Bruce
Springsteen, Muhammad Ali and Ara Parseghian are all represented on the tattoo.
THE STREAK
One of the NCAA's most impressive statistical streaks came to an end in 2004
when the Sun Devils were shut out for the first time in 506 games. With a 6-0
loss to NCAA Tournament participant Oklahoma on Feb. 15, 2004 at Surprise
Stadium in Surprise, Ariz., ASU endured its first shutout since April 7, 1995
(at USC). The Sun Devils combined to go 338-167-1 during the nine-year streak
and averaged 9.4 runs per game. ASU broke the NCAA record (previously 349 set by
Coastal Carolina) on April 7, 2001, exactly six years to the day when the Devils
last endured an offensive shutout. Notable pitchers the Devils faced during the
streak include Mark Prior (USC), Barry Zito (USC), Jeremy Guthrie (Stanford),
Kirk Saarloos (CS Fullerton), Jason Young (Stanford), Ben Diggins (Arizona),
Adam Johnson (CS Fullerton), Ryan Drese (Cal), Jeff Weaver (Fresno State), Jered
Weaver (Long Beach State), Jeff Niemann (Rice), Chad Hutchinson (Stanford), Abe
Alvarez (Long Beach State) and Adam Pettyjohn (Fresno State).
THE INTERNATIONAL STORY
Throughout his illustrious career, Murphy has earned accolades in the
international ranks as well, as he led the Dutch Olympic Baseball Team in the
Sydney 2000 Games. In the 2000 Olympics, Murphy returned to the international
baseball scene, helping lead the Dutch National team to their best showing in
international competition with a 3-4 record in the Sydney games. The Netherlands
placed fifth with wins over Australia, Cuba and their rival Italy. The Dutch's
4-2 victory over Cuba was the first loss in Olympic play at the time for the
international power, a span that covered 21 games. The win by Murphy's squad was
noted by nbcolympics.com as one of the top four upsets in Olympic team
competition. The Dutch went on to finish fifth in the Olympic tournament. In a
pre- Olympic tournament, Murphy beat Team USA and their famous manager Tommy
Lasorda. No stranger to international baseball, his ties to the Dutch team
stretch back more than a decade. In the summer of 1987, Murphy led Holland to
the European Championship, a victory that qualified the squad for the 1988 Seoul
Olympics. He was asked to coach Holland in the Seoul Olympics, but declined so
he could return to the University of Notre Dame, where he had recently been
named head coach.
A PROGRAM BUILDER
Murphy has helped to keep a tradition alive that has seen ASU record 45
straight seasons with at least 30 wins. Murphy's Sun Devil squads have averaged
40 wins per season and have advanced to the NCAA tournament in nine of last ten
seasons. After building Eck Stadium at Notre Dame - a dream of his that no one
said would ever happen - Murphy is also overseeing the renovation of ASU's
facility, Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The facility is
undergoing a complete overhaul and has already seen the additions of a new
practice infield, hitting facility, playing field, clubhouse, entrance since
Murphy's arrival. The next phase of improvements will include alumni tribute
areas, chairback seating and an expanded press box
MURPHY IN POSTSEASON PLAY
Posting a career 38-27 (.585) record in postseason play -- placing him within
the Top Ten of active coaches for postseason wins -- Murphy's NCAA playoff
repertoire also includes a niche for carrying out the upset victory. On five
separate occasions his teams have defeated the regional host team, while six of
the last ten Murphy-coached squads to make the playoffs have reached the "Sweet
16" or better. These accomplishments have come despite the fact that his teams
have been sent to play the No. 1-ranked team seven times in regional play (1992
at Miami, 1993 at Florida State, 1994 at Clemson, 1997 at Miami, 1998 at Wichita
State, 2001 at Cal State Fullerton and 2006 at Rice). The 2006 season marked the
seventh straight year ASU advanced to the Tournament and the ninth out of the
last ten.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Murphy's squads continue to demonstrate excellence in the classroom as well,
as ASU boasted more First-Team Academic All-American selections (three) in 1999
than any other program in the nation. It was the most selections by an Arizona
State baseball team in the history of the school. Former Devil Casey Myers
(1998-2001) was a three-time selection to the Academic All-American team and
twice the Academic All-American of the Year. In all, ASU has had five selections
to the Academic All-American team since 1999, and 43 Devils have earned
All-Pac-10 academic acclaim under Murphy's guidance since 1995. During Murphy's
tenure, the baseball squad has an overall 2.60 GPA. It has steadily risen since
he arrived in 1995, improving the 2.31 GPA from 1991-95. In addition, in his 22
years as a head coach, he has never had a player declared academically
ineligible.
AN OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE
The 2003 Arizona State Baseball team dominated the final release of the NCAA
statistics as the only team in the nation (283 Division I teams) to rank in the
top 10 in the four major statistical categories. ASU, who finished the season
ranked No. 7 in the nation (Baseball America) with a 54-14 record, placed second
in batting average (.347), second in scoring (10.03 runs per game), eighth in
pitching (3.32 ERA) and ninth in fielding (.973 FLD%). In addition, the Sun
Devils also ranked fourth in win-loss percentage (.794), fifth in slugging
percentage (.529) and 28th in home runs per game (1.18). ASU also broke the NCAA
record with 14 grand slams. Individually the Sun Devils also had several players
rank nationally. Dustin Pedroia led the nation with 34 doubles (0.50 per game)
and was also 31st with a .404 batting average and fourth in toughest to
strikeout. Sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish led the nation in walks (1.20 per
game), was sixth with 1.46 RBI per game (95 total) and 18th in runs scored per
game (1.23). The 2004 season also saw ASU's offense lead the Pac-10 with a .325
batting average and averaging 7.89 runs per game. ASU also led the nation in
hitting in 1999 while tying a school record with a .356 batting average.
Murphy's 2002 squad nearly repeated as the NCAA leader in 2000, but finished
second with a .346 average. The ASU offense has been potent under Murphy's
watchful eye, combining to hit .331 and averaging 9.11 runs per game. The Devils
have led the Pac-10 in hitting in six of the last seven years, including last
season when ASU hit .319.
| Year |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
BA |
| 1995 |
55 |
1939 |
395 |
595 |
35 |
.307 |
| 1996 |
56 |
2075 |
552 |
702 |
73 |
.338 |
| 1997 |
61 |
2252 |
540 |
735 |
56 |
.326 |
| 1998 |
64 |
2277 |
557 |
723 |
57 |
.318 |
| 1999 |
60 |
2199 |
679 |
782 |
67 |
.356 |
| 2000 |
59 |
2134 |
647 |
738 |
86 |
.346 |
| 2001 |
58 |
2049 |
479 |
669 |
33 |
.327 |
| 2002 |
58 |
1994 |
450 |
618 |
38 |
.310 |
| 2003 |
68 |
2471 |
682 |
858 |
80 |
.347 |
| 2004 |
49 |
2062 |
465 |
670 |
50 |
.325 |
| 2005 |
67 |
2360 |
481 |
731 |
50 |
.310 |
| 2006 |
58 |
2070 |
440 |
661 |
47 |
.319 |
| 2007 |
64 |
2294 |
599 |
791 |
79 |
.345 |
| Totals |
787 | 28,266 |
6,966 |
9,273 |
751 | .328 |
MAJOR LEAGUE PIPELINE
Grooming players for the major league amateur draft has become Murphy's
forte. In fact, in 22 seasons as a head coach, only three players have been
drafted lower after playing for Murphy than he was out of high school or junior
college -- and those circumstances are widely injury related. During the Murphy
era, 90 players have been selected in the annual MLB Draft, leading all NCAA
schools. The 2003 draft had a record 12 Devils selected, with three more signing
free agent contracts. Several of Murphy's former players have appeared in the
major leagues, including Craig Counsell (Milwaukee Brewers), Willie Bloomquist
(Seattle Mariners), Jeff Duncan (New York Mets), JonSwitzer (Tampa Bay Devil
Rays), Chris Duffy (Pittsburgh Pirates), Andre Ethier (Los Angeles Dodgers) and
Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox).
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Community outreach has been a signature of Murphy's teams, who are taught to
give back to their communities and be positive role models. In 1995, Murphy
created a non- profit organization called PTM Programs For Youth. The
organization was originally referred to as the Guadalupe Project and provided
baseball instruction and life skills lessons to underprivileged youth from
Guadalupe, Ariz., a small town within the metro Phoenix area. Now known as the
Sandlot All-Stars and open to a broader group of children in the East Valley,
the program provides year-round mentoring for kids ages 5-9 by Arizona State
coaches and student-athletes. The primary goal of the program is to build
leadership skills, self-esteem, encourage academic success and explore career
opportunities. With help from the Tempe Diablos, Murphy has also instituted the
Diablo Youth Clinics, held at ASU's Packard Stadium for kids aged 7-12. More
than 250 kids took part in the program's inaugural clinic in 1999. In January
2000, along with the ALS Arizona Chapter, Murphy and ASU baseball sponsored the
first 5K Fun Run to Beat Lou Gehrig's Disease. ASU baseball student-athletes
have also participated in events with the Phoenix Children's Hospital and Susan
G. Komen Foundation. For his constant community service and giving back to the
greater Phoenix area, Murphy was awarded the 2001 March of Dimes Leadership
Award.
ALWAYS A TOP RECRUITING
CLASS
The 48-year-old Syracuse, N.Y., native and his coaching staff have assembled
some of the finest recruiting classes in the nation during each of the past 11
years. His 1995 class was ranked No. 1 in the nation, with names such as Phill
Lowery, Andrew Beinbrink and Ryan Mills. Year after year, Murphy gets
commitments from several of the nation's top prep players to become Sun Devils.
For the past nine seasons, ASU has had a recruiting class ranked in the Top 15.
This season is once again no exception, as Murphy will lead 22 newcomers onto
the field as Sun Devils for the first time. Despite a current trend that sees
many teams reload with just top prospects, Murphy also brings players in to mold
into a scrappy and hustling player. As Baseball America proclaimed in its annual
recruiting class review in reference to Murphy's and ASU's unique and successful
style of recruiting, "if you don't understand it, then you're not a Sun Devil."
THE SUN DEVIL YEARS
The 2004 campaign marked yet another successful season for Sun Devil
Baseball. ASU recorded a 41-18 record, marking the fourth 40-win season under
Murphy. Compiling a 28-7 record against the top-ranked non-conference schedule
in the nation, the Sun Devils earned the national No. 7 seed while advancing to
the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year. Despite suffering a
disappointing exit from the NCAA Tournament at the hands of eventual National
Champion Cal State Fullerton, ASU earned a final ranking of No. 20 in the nation
(Sports Weekly/ESPN) and spent the entire season ranked in the national polls.
Fourteen Sun Devils earned All-Pac-10 honors, including first-team selections
for Travis Buck, Dustin Pedroia and Jason Urquidez. Pedroia led ASU hitting .393
(96-for-244) and earned first-team All-America honors. Urquidez led the Pac-10
with 12 victories, marking the most by a Sun Devil starter since 1993. Buck
earned a spot on the USA Baseball National Team after hitting .373 with nine
home runs and a team-leading 58 RBI. ASU once again led the Pac-10 in hitting
with a .325 team batting average and averaged nearly eight runs per game. In
addition to finishing in the top 10 in the NCAA in the four major statistical
categories (scoring, batting, pitching, fielding), the 2003 season also brought
about a number of entries into the ASU single-season record books. Murphy's
squad ranked second in fielding percentage (.973), third in runs scored (682),
sixth in hits (858), fifth in doubles (160), second in RBI (630), third in walks
(406), tied for third in batting average (.347), fifth in pitching shutouts (10)
and third in ERA during the aluminum bat era (3.32). The 54 wins are the most by
a Sun Devil squad since the 1988 team finished with 60 victories. ASU also set
an NCAA record with 14 grand slams. Individually, several Sun Devils also had
record-breaking seasons. Shortstop Dustin Pedroia became only the 22nd player
with 100 hits and the 16th player to hit .400. He set an ASU and
Pac-10 record with 34 doubles. Sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish had a
breakout season entering his name into the record books in several categories,
including ranking fifth with 95 RBI and second with 78 walks. He broke the
school record with four grand slams and tied the single-game records with nine
RBI and four doubles. Murphy led the 2002 Sun Devils to a 37-21 record overall,
placing third in the Pac-10 with a 15-9 record. ASU hosted the NCAA Mesa
Regional at Hohokam Park, going 2-2 before losing to No. 1 seed Houston. Dustin
Pedroia, Andre Ethier and Jeremy West all earned first teamAll-Pac-10 honors,
while Pedroia became ASU's seventh player to compete for Team USA. The pitching
staff posted a 4.40 ERA, ranking second in the Pac-10 and the lowest during the
Murphy head coaching era. The 2001 Sun Devils posted a 37-20-1 record en route
to yet another NCAA Tournament bid. Led by All-Americans Casey Myers and Andy
Torres and a crop of seven freshmen All-Americans, the Devils placed third in
the Pac-10 and finished ranked 22nd in the nation. Myers repeated as the
Academic All-American of the Year and became only the third player in Pac-10
history to repeat as the Pac-10 Player of the Year. Since the Pac-10 joined the
North and Six-Pac in 1999, ASU has won three of the four Pac-10 Player of the
Year awards. The 2000 edition of Arizona State baseball finished with a 44-15
record, and made its third postseason appearance in four years. Finishing within
the Top 12 in the nation, the Sun Devils also captured their first Pac-10
Championship since 1993 with a 17-7 conference record, earning the league's
automatic bid by virtue of tiebreakers against both Stanford and UCLA. Murphy's
2000 Devils once again made a dent on the NCAA record books, leading the nation
in scoring (10.97 runs/game), second in batting average (.346), fifth in
fielding (.971), seventh in home runs (1.46 HR/game), second in slugging
percentage (.561) and first in triples (0.63 per game). Senior outfielder Mitch
Jones, who Murphy lured to ASU just one year earlier as a junior college
transfer, set the ASU record for home runs with 27. Despite bowing out to Texas
in the 2000 regional championship game, the Sun Devils led the nation in scoring
and finished near the top in batting average for the second straight season,
averaging just under 11 runs per game and hitting .346. ASU, playing "old
school" college baseball, avoided being swept by an opponent in2000. The Sun
Devils also led the Pac-10 in attendance, averaging more than 2,600 fans at each
home game. Mitch Jones, Casey Myers and Jon Switzer earned All-America honors.
Adding to his credentials, Murphy was voted the 2000 Pac-10 Coach of the Year by
his peers. During the 1999 season, Murphy assembled one of the most prolific
offensive teams in ASU history. Concluding the year with a 39-21 overall record,
the 1999 Sun Devils led the nation in batting average (.356) and scoring (11.32
runs per game). Their .356 team average tied the top single-season mark in ASU
history, set by the 1981 National Championship Team. The Devils had the
remarkable offensive season despite playing the first 17 games of the season
with wood bats. In addition, the Sun Devils led the conference in virtually
every offensive category. Arizona State had more players drafted in the 1999
Major League Amateur Draft (10) than any other school in the Pac-10 Conference.
The 1999 season also produced a Sun Devil Pac-10 Player of the Year and current
Seattle Mariner utility player Willie Bloomquist. Murphy and his coaching staff
led the 1998 Sun Devils to the pinnacle of collegiate baseball-the College World
Series in Omaha, Neb. It was Murphy's first trip to the big show, and it would
be a memorable one. Earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, Murphy's
squad was once again tested by being sent to play the No. 1 team in the nation.
Traveling to Wichita, Kansas, the Devils started a journey that would eventually
land them in college baseball's premier showcase, becoming ASU's 18th team to
play in the annual College World Series, and only the second to play for the
national championship without having hosted a regional tournament. The Devils
finished regional play 4-1, notching wins over nationally ranked Georgia Tech,
Oklahoma State and Wichita State along the way to advance to Omaha. Advancing
through the CWS bracket without a loss, ASU faced Pac-10 foe USC in the
championship game. In a record-breaking game, ASU came up short, falling to the
Trojans 21-14. ASU finished second in the nation with a 41-23 overall record and
a third-place finish in conference play (18-11). After storming through the
postseason, falling just one win short of a national championship, the Sun
Devils concluded the season with a consensus No. 2 ranking and a total of six
players earned All-America status. In addition, 10 Sun Devils were taken in the
1998 MLB Amateur Draft, including Ryan Mills, the sixth pick overall by the
Minnesota Twins. In just his fourth season at ASU, Murphy became the second
fastest Pac-10 coach to reach the CWS championship game, behind only former Sun
Devil Coach Jim Brock. For his efforts, he was named the Baseball America
National Coach of the Year. Only two years into his ASU coaching career, Murphy
took the program back to where it belonged, in postseason play. Murphy guided
the Devils to their 16th regional appearance, taking his team across the country
to face No. 1 seed Miami in Coral Gables. The `97 Sun Devils came within one out
of making an 18th trip to Omaha, bowing out in the championship game
of the Atlantic Regional to host Miami in dramatic fashion. After defeating the
No. 1 Hurricanes 10-3, ASU dropped a pair of one-run games to Miami to fall
short of a trip to Omaha. ASU finished with a No. 11 ranking by Baseball America
and a 39-22 overall record. The Sun Devils again fell short of the NCAA
Tournament in 1996, despite finishing the year ranked 25th by Baseball America
and posting 35 Division I wins, with eight of those coming against top 25 teams.
The 1996 squad posted the fourth-best team batting average (.338) in ASU
history, and led the Pac-10 Southern Division in seven offensive categories
including batting average, runs and hits. The Devils recorded a 35-21 record,
despite being without pitching aces Phill Lowery, Kaipo Spenser and Ryan Mills
for most of the year. Murphy graduated 11 players from the 1996 team to the
Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Inheriting an average team in 1995--at a
school where average is unacceptable--with only two returning starters and
without the benefit of his own recruiting class, Murphy's first ASU squad posted
34 wins in 1995. Always a flare for the big game, nine of those victories came
over Top 10 foes such as College World Series participants USC, Stanford and
Florida State. During one stretch of games in mid March, Murphy led the Devils
to six consecutive wins over eventual CWS participants Oklahoma, USC and
Stanford. Despite being ranked in the top 25 all season and the numerous big
wins, the Devils fell short of a trip to the NCAA Tournament, but the foundation
was laid for the Devils to remain as one of the powers in college baseball.
THE NOTRE DAME YEARS
Prior to arriving at Arizona State, Murphy spent the previous seven seasons
as head coach at the University of Notre Dame, where he guided the Irish to a
consistent level of success unmatched in the history of the program. Building
the program from the ground up with the support of only four full scholarships,
Murphy guided the Irish to a 318-116-1 (.732) record in South Bend, including
consecutive trips to NCAA regional finals in 1992, 1993 and 1994, a streak
matched only by Texas. He built Irish Baseball into a Top 25 program, laying a
strong foundation that still exists today. Under Murphy's guidance, the Irish
averaged more than 46 wins per season and rejuvenated the pride in the program
to the point where a new 3,000-seat stadium was built on the campus in the fall
of 1993. Murphy's 1994 Notre Dame squad finished 46-16 and came within one win
of a trip to the College World Series. The Midwestern Collegiate Conference
Champions advanced to the finals of the NCAA East Regional in Clemson, S.C.,
knocking off the host and No 1 ranked Tigers along the way. Notre Dame finished
the season ranked 18th by Collegiate Baseball and 20th by Baseball America.
Current Milwaukee Brewer Craig Counsell and Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Michalak
are just two of Murphy's products from ND who have excelled at the Major League
level. Murphy began his Notre Dame tenure in 1988, taking over a team that
posted a combined 65-80 record in the three previous seasons. With a nucleus of
players who finished 15-29 in 1987, and had never enjoyed a winning season at
Notre Dame, Murphy began revamping the program and promptly led the Irish to a
39-22 mark. The following six campaigns saw the Irish garner national rankings,
conference titles, NCAA tournament appearances, 45-win seasons and more.
Murphy's efforts were rewarded in just two years, as in 1989 the Irish posted a
school-record 48 wins and logged their first NCAA tournament appearance in 19
years. Murphy guided the program to its first national ranking as the Irish were
rated that year as high as 16th in The Sporting News, 23rd in Baseball America,
and 24th in the Collegiate Baseball polls. Later, the Irish would earn their
first MCC title by winning the final four games of the conference tournament in
a span of 23 hours as Murphy snared his first MCC Coach-of-the-Year honor. That
season was followed by two more 45-win seasons. The 1990 Irish squad put
together a 46-12 record, which ranked fourth in the nation. Over the last 29
games of the season, Notre Dame achieved a 25-4 mark to bring Murphy another MCC
Coach-of-the-Year award. In 1991, Notre Dame overcame a schedule that saw the
Irish play their first 27 games on the road to post a 45-16 record. Included
were wins away from home over national powers Texas and Miami as well as
eventual national champion LSU and a midseason 18-game win streak. In 1990,
Murphy began a baseball tournament hosted by Notre Dame that was held in
Seattle's Kingdome. The 1992, 1993, and 1994 seasons added emphasis to Murphy's
status as one of the nation's top coaches, as his Irish teams grabbed MCC titles
and in each year beat regional hosts to come within one game of a trip to Omaha
for the College World Series. It's no wonder why the Irish were labeled in 1992
by Baseball America as "the nation's fastest rising program." In fact, Murphy
shunned the University of Miami's attempts to lure him away from Notre Dame and
accept the Hurricanes' head job in 1992. When he left Notre Dame for ASU in
1995, he became the first Irish head coach of any sport to leave South Bend for
another job.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
In addition to his head coaching and international coaching experience,
Murphy has spent numerous years in the collegiate ranks as both a player and
assistant coach. He gained his collegiate experience as a pitcher at Florida
Atlantic University, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees.
Murphy played catcher, infield and pitched for FAU, and was recently honored on
FAU's 20th Anniversary All-Star team as a pitcher and utility player.
After college, Murphy signed a professional baseball contract with the San
Francisco Giants in 1982. His four-year professional career included stints in
the Giants and San Diego Padres organization, along with two independent clubs.
Murphy began his collegiate head coaching career at Maryville (Tenn.) College,
leading the Division III Fighting Scots to their best record in 10 years during
his first and only season in 1983. He was also an assistant football coach while
at Maryville. He then returned to Florida Atlantic to serve as an assistant
coach and administrative assistant to the athletic director. During his two-year
stay, FAU compiled an 84-30 record and was consistently ranked among the Top 10
Division II teams in the nation. During the summer of 1984, Murphy embarked on
his first international experience, helping develop baseball in Australia as a
state manager in New South Wales. He was in charge of running baseball clinics
and promoting the sport to the public. Following his stint in Australia, Murphy
was named player-coach of the Tri-Cities (Wash.) Triplets of the Single-A
Northwest League, making him the youngest manager in professional baseball. A
return to the college ranks came in 1986, as Murphy signed on as head coach at
California's Claremont-Mudd- Scripps Colleges. In his first year as head coach,
Murphy piloted Claremont to a 24-16 record, earning the program its first
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in 11
years. Murphy was named the West Region's Division III Coach of the Year as the
Stags finished the year ranked 10th in the nation.
| Year |
School |
Overall |
Notes |
| 1983 |
Maryville (Tenn.) |
10-21-1 |
School's most wins in 10 years |
| 1986 |
Claremont-Mudd Scripps |
24-16 |
Southern California
Intercollegiate Champs |
| 1987 |
Claremont-Mudd Scripps |
21-18-1 |
|
| 1988 |
Notre Dame |
39-22 |
MCC Eastern Division Champs |
| 1989 |
Notre Dame |
48-19-1 |
Program's first NCAA Appearance
since 1970 |
| 1990 |
Notre Dame |
46-12 |
.793 winning percentage- fourth
best in Division I |
| 1991 |
Notre Dame |
45-16 |
Second MCC Championship |
| 1992 |
Notre Dame |
48-15 |
Third MCC Championship/NCAA
Regional Final |
| 1993 |
Notre Dame |
46-16 |
Fourth MCC Championship/NCAA
Regional Final |
| 1994 |
Notre Dame |
46-16 |
Third Straight MCC Championship
and NCAA Regional |
| 1995 |
Arizona State |
34-21 |
Recorded nine wins over Top 10
teams |
| 1996 |
Arizona State |
35-21 |
Finished ranked 25th in the nation
but no NCAA Tournament |
| 1997 |
Arizona State |
39-22 |
Devils one out away from CWS trip |
| 1998 |
Arizona State |
41-23 |
Baseball America Coach of
the Year/2nd at CWS |
| 1999 |
Arizona State |
39-21 |
Devils lead NCAA in hitting (.356)
and scoring (11.32 r/g) |
| 2000 |
Arizona State |
44-15 |
ASU wins Pac-10 title/Pac-10 Coach
of the Year |
| 2001 |
Arizona State |
37-20-1 |
NCAA Tournament berth for fourth
time in five years |
| 2002 |
Arizona State |
37-21 |
Third straight NCAA Tournament
appearance |
| 2003 |
Arizona State |
54-14 |
Ranked in Top 10 of four major
NCAA statistical categories |
| 2004 |
Arizona State |
41-18 |
Fourth 40 win season at ASU/National
#1 seed |
| 2005 |
Arizona State |
42-25 |
Third place at CWS |
| 2006 |
Arizona State |
37-21 |
Seventh straight trip to NCAA
Tournament |
| 2007 |
Arizona
State |
49-15 |
Pac-10 Coach of the
Year/Pac-10 Champs/Third trip to CWS |
|
|
Totals |
Overall: 902-428-4
Division I: 847-373-2 ASU: 529-257-1 |
|
|
