Pat Murphy (baseball coach)

Pat Murphy (born November 28, 1958 in New York) is in his 14th season as the head baseball coach at Arizona State University. He has been extremely successful, never having failed to produce 35 wins in a season. His coaching accomplishments include becoming the youngest collegiate coach to reach 500 career victories. In 1998 he won the "Baseball America Coach of the Year", and in 2000, 2007, and 2008 he won Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Also in 2000 he was the head coach of the Dutch Men's Baseball Team at the Summer Olympics in Sydney. He left Notre Dame to take the Arizona State job in August 1994. He has led ASU to the College World Series three times (1998, 2005, and 2007). His team won the Pac-10 championship in 2000 and back-to-back Pac-10 Championships in 2007 and 2008. Seven times in the past 12 years, Murphy's ASU team 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. Murphy has led the Devils to the postseason for nine straight seasons and 11 of the last 12. His teams set a NCAA record of not being shutout in 506 consecutive games, shattering the previous streak of 349. Murphy's Devils weren't shut out from 1995 until 2004.
Arizona State's coach for the past 14 years is Pat Murphy. Murphy's current record through the 2008 season is 529-257-1. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2007. Murphy was also named National Coach of the Year in 1998. Under the coaching leadership of Murphy, Arizona State has participated in the College World Series three times so far (1998, 2005, 2007). Pat Murphy's previous coaching job was at the University of Notre Dame. In fact, Murphy was the first coach in Notre Dame's history to leave the head baseball coaching job when he decided to accept the head coaching position at ASU. Pat Murphy is a coach known for producing excellent student-athletes. During his 21 years as head coach in the NCAA, he has never had a player declared academically ineligible. ASU has carried a 2.6 GPA during the Murphy era. Attendance at Packard Stadium during Murphy's coaching tenure has constantly improved, and has led attendance in the PAC-10 each of his 13 years at ASU. In the last five years, 36 ASU players have been selected in the Major League Baseball's Rookie Draft under the coaching of Pat Murphy. ASU leads all NCAA schools in the 14 years under Murphy with 85 players selected into the MLB Draft. Murphy also coached ASU during "The Streak". "The Streak" was a 506 consecutive game streak where ASU did not fail to record a run during a game. That record shattered the previous NCAA record by more than 150 games. [ Policar , R. (2008). Devils. New York, NY: Professional Sports Publications. ] In the rivalry series against the University of Arizona, Murphy has directed the Sun Devils to an overall record of 37-22 and has won 10 of 12 series against the University of Arizona. [ Policar , R. (2008). Devils. New York, NY: Professional Sports Publications. ] Two well known sports figures, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Garagiola Sr. and former College Football Head Coach Lou Holtz , had this to say about Pat Murphy and his coaching ability: "Any player who plays for Coach Murphy can count on two things: He will make them a better player and a better person." - Joe Garagiola Sr. [ Policar , R. (2008). Devils. New York, NY: Professional Sports Publications. ] "Pat is one of the best coaches I've ever observed regardless of the sport. He is enthusiastic, intelligent, and an excellent communicator and motivator. I learned a great deal by observing him coach his Notre Dame teams." - Lou Holtz [ Policar , R. (2008). Devils. New York, NY: Professional Sports Publications. ]
Murphy is known for his stoic concentration and intense attention to detail during games, and therefore many judge Murphy on game day behavior alone. However, Murphy is 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.

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