Patrick Stacy Murphy (born November 28, 1965) is an American
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
coach and the current head coach of the
Alabama Crimson Tide softball
The Alabama Crimson Tide softball team represents the University of Alabama in NCAA Division I college softball. The team participates in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). It is currently led by head coach Patrick Murph ...
team. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on May 7, 2022the first softball coach to be so honored.
Early life and education
Murphy was born in
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...
, and raised in nearby Fayette. Murphy graduated from Fayette High School and completed his
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in history education at the
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and gr ...
in 1988.
Coaching career
Early coaching career
While attending Northern Iowa, Murphy coached
Little League baseball
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization After graduating from college, Murphy became varsity baseball coach at Sumner High School in
Sumner, Iowa
Sumner is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The city is located along the county's eastern border, between Bremer and Fayette County, Iowa, Fayette counties. The population was 2,021 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...
, leading the team to a 22–3 record in his first season of 1989 and the state championship game in 1990.
In 1990, Murphy began studies for a master's degree in communications at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...
) and joined the Lady Cajuns softball team as an assistant coach, where he would stay until 1994. Simultaneously, he was also head baseball coach at Independence High School in
Independence, Iowa
Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 in the 2020 census, an increase from 6,014 in 2000.
History
Independence was founded in 1847 near the center of present-day Buch ...
, from 1992 to 1995.
After one year as interim head softball coach at Division II Northwest Missouri State in 1995, Murphy moved up to the Division I collegiate level as an assistant coach at
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
from 1996 to 1998.
Alabama
Murphy built one of the most successful college softball programs, taking Alabama to eleven
Women's College World Series
The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...
appearances (2000, '03, '05, '06, '08, '09, ‘11, '12, '14, '15 & '16) since 2000, which ties for first in the NCAA along with
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
2004 Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
and as an assistant coach for the United States national softball team in the summer of 2009.
On June 9, 2011, Murphy announced that he was leaving Alabama to take the head coaching position at rival
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
. Three days later, before signing a contract at LSU, he changed his mind and returned to Alabama— saying Alabama is "where his heart was".
On March 9, 2018, Murphy reached his 1,000th career win, becoming only the 38th coach to reach 1,000 wins. At 20 seasons coaching, Murphy reached 1,000 wins faster than any other coach.
Head coaching record
*Interim head coach.
Academic degrees
*Northern Iowa, 1988 B.S. in History Education
*Southwestern Louisiana, 1992, M.S. in Mass Communication
National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to recognize coaches who have made extraordinary contributions to the sport of softpitch softball. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association
National may refer to:
...