- Chet Murphy
-
Chet Murphy Born November 15, 1917
Chicago, IllinoisCitizenship United States Alma mater University of Chicago Occupation Tennis player and coach Known for Big Ten doubles tennis champion, 1938, 1939
Colorado Tennis Hall of FameHome town Chicago, Illinois Chester "Chet" Murphy (born November 15, 1917) is a former American tennis player, coach, instructor and author. In 1938 and 1939, Murphy and his twin brother, William, won consecutive Big Ten Conference doubles championships while competing for the University of Chicago. In 1939, he was also the runner-up in the NCAA singles and doubles championships. Murphy later had a long career as a tennis coach and instructor at the University of Minnesota, the University of California-Berkeley and Colorado's Broadmoor Hotel. He has also published several books on tennis.
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Tennis player
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Murphy and twin brother, William, began play as a doubles team for Tilden High School in Chicago. The brothers won the Illinois High School Athletics Association state championship in doubles in both 1934 and 1935.[1]
They played for the University of Chicago from 1937 to 1939, leading the school to three Big Ten tennis championships.[2] As a doubles team, they were "undefeated in collegiate meets,"[3] including wins at the Big Ten doubles championships in 1938 and 1939.[4] They were also the runner-up team at the 1939 NCAA doubles championship.[4]
In 1938, the Murphy brothers helped the undefeated University of Chicago tennis team score the first clean sweep in the history of the Big Ten tennis championships by winning all nine finals matches at Evanston, Illinois.[5][6] The brothers won the doubles title over the Northwestern team, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. John Shostrom won the No. 1 singles and the Murphy brothers won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles.[5] At the national level, the Murphy brothers were ranked as the #10 doubles pair by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1938.[7]
In May 1939, when the Murphy brothers led the University of Chicago to its third straight Big Ten tennis championship, the Associated Press wrote: "The University of Chicago, where the athletic habit of recent years had leaned toward defeat, now has a new complex well established – tennis championships."[8] The Murphy brothers won their second consecutive doubles championship, and Chet won the No. 1 singles.[8] In June 1939, the brothers were runners up in the NCAA doubles championship to Bob Peacock and Doug Imhoff of University of California-Berkeley. and Chet was runner up in the NCAA singles championship to Frank Guernsey of Rice in Texas. In US singles competition Chet never lost to Billy Talbert.
In May 1939, Murphy played an exhibition match against the top-ranked American woman tennis player, Alice Marble. The match was played in front of a "throng of 2,000, crowding every possible point of vision," with Murphy winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.[9]
Tennis coach and author
In 1941, Murphy received a master's degree in physical education from George Williams College in Chicago.[citation needed] Then he served five years as a naval aviator in World War II.[10] After being discharged from the Navy, Murphy began a career as a tennis coach. He taught and coached tennis at the University of Chicago, University of Detroit, University of Denver, University of Minnesota and University of California-Berkeley.[11] In four years at Minnesota (1956–1959), Murphy started with a team in 1956 that went 1-7, but turned the program into a winner with a 9-4 record in 1959.[12] In ten years as the tennis coach at Cal (1960–1969), Murphy compiled a record of 80-52.[13] His best season at Cal was 1961, when his team finished with a record of 11-3, placed third in the AAWU, and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals, finishing third.[14]
While on a summer break from college coaching, Murphy accepted a position as head tennis professional at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado. He returned the following summer and began a program that "helped established the Broadmoor as one of the preeminent tennis centers in the United States."[10] In addition to collegiate coaching, Murphy directed the tennis programs at the Broadmoor for 44 summers.[15][16][17][18]
Murphy also had success as a writer of books about tennis. He and his brother, Bill, co-authored the "Tennis Handbook", first published in 1962.[19] On his own or as a co-author with his brother, Chet Murphy also wrote "Advanced Tennis,"[20] "Tennis for the Player, Teacher, and Coach,"[21] "Tennis for Thinking Players,"[22] "Lifetime of Tested Tennis Tips,"[23] and "A Parents Guide to Teaching Kids to Play."[24]
Murphy also received a Doctorate in Education from the University of Michigan.[25] As of 2011, Murphy lives in Tucson, Arizona and is 93.
Honors and Halls of Fame
Murphy has received numerous honors over the years, including the following:
- In 1973, the International Tennis Hall of Fame awarded its Tennis Educational Merit Award to Chet and Bill Murphy; they were the seventh recipient of the award.[26]
- In 1985, Murphy was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame; his brother William was inducted in 1984.[27]
- In 2003, the Murphy brothers were jointly inducted into the University of Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame.[4]
- In 2005, for his contributions in building the Broadmoor Hotel into one of the leading tennis centers in the United States, Murphy was inducted into the Colorado Tennis Hall of Fame.[10]
- Murphy has also been inducted into the Tilden Tech High School Hall of Fame.[10]
See also
- William Murphy (tennis)
Notes
- ^ "Boys Tennis Individual Champions". Illinois High School Athletics Association. http://www.ihsa.org/activity/tnb/records/ybych1.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "Helman Captures Illinois Crown". Los Angeles Times. 1936-08-31.
- ^ "Gene Mako To Show In Valley Net Meet". Appleton Post-Crescent. 1939-07-11.
- ^ a b c "University of Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame". University of Chicago. http://athletics.uchicago.edu/halloffame/hof-inductees-alpha.htm.
- ^ a b "Chicago Takes Net Title; Badgers 7th". Wisconsin State Journal (AP story). 1938-05-22.
- ^ "Maroon Netmen Capture Title: Make Clean Sweep in Big Ten Tennis". Waterloo Daily Courier (UP story). 1938-05-22.
- ^ "Budge Wins Top Ranking". Oakland Tribune. 1938-12-26.
- ^ a b "Chicago Tennis Squad Repeats: Murphy Brothers Capture Doubles Title, and Chet the Singles Title Honors". Appleton Post-Crescent. 1939-06-01.
- ^ "MISS MARBLE IS BEATEN, 6-4, 6-3, BY CHET MURPHY". Chicago Daily Tribune. 1939-05-19.
- ^ a b c d "Colorado Tennis Hall Of Fame: 2005 Inductee Biography - Chet Murphy". Colorado Tennis Hall of Fame. http://www.coloradotennis.com/cta/website.asp?Dept=hof&Sec=inductees&Type=asp&Page=hof&req=bio&firstname=Chet&lastname=Murphy&iyear=2005. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "Gopher Net Coach Gets Cal Berth". Oakland Tribune. 1959-01-30.
- ^ "Year-by-Year Records Coaching History". University of Minnesota Athletics. http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1368865. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "Men's Coaching Records – University of California". http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-tennis/archive/cal-m-tennis-coachingrecs.html. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "Men's Tennis Year-by-Year Record". University of California. http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-tennis/archive/cal-m-tennis-yr-by-yrrec.html. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "Broadmoor Net Pro on U.S. Council". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. 1967-12-16. ("Broadmoor's head tennis professional Chet Murphy was recently appointed NCAA delegate to the Tennis Games Committee of the United States Collegiate Sports Council.")
- ^ "Broadmoor's Murphy To Coach, Teach Tennis". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. 1971-02-28.
- ^ "Tennis Boom Just Hitting Springs Says Agnoses, McKennas of Surge". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. 1974-07-10.
- ^ "Sports Line". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. 1975-06-26.
- ^ William Murphy and Chet Murphy (1962). Tennis Handbook. John Wiley & Sons Inc.. ISBN 0471072109.
- ^ Chet Murphy (1988). Advanced tennis. W.C. Brown Publishers. ISBN 0697072746.
- ^ Chet Murphy, Bill Murphy (1975). " Tennis for the player, teacher, and coach. http://books.google.com/books?id=JBVgAAAACAAJ&dq=%22chet+murphy%22+tennis".
- ^ Chet Murphy (1982). Tennis for Thinking Players. http://books.google.com/books?id=MxBzAAAACAAJ&dq=%22tennis+for+thinking+players%22.
- ^ Bill Murphy, Chet Murphy (1978). Lifetime Treasury of Tested Tennis Tips: Secrets of Winning Play. http://books.google.com/books?id=8FTBPgAACAAJ&dq=%22tested+tennis+tips%22.
- ^ Chet Murphy (1983). A Parents Guide to Teaching Kids to Play. http://books.google.com/books?id=zQRAAAAACAAJ&dq=%22chet+murphy%22.
- ^ "Anyone for Tennis? Free Reno Clinic at Wingfield Park". Reno Evening Gazette. 1963-05-10.
- ^ "TENNIS EDUCATIONAL MERIT AWARDS FOR MEN AND WOMEN 2009 FACT SHEET". International Tennis Hall of Fame. http://www.tennisfame.com/FileUploads/2009%20Tennis%20Ed%20Awards%20Form.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-17.[dead link]
- ^ "ITA Men's Hall of Fame". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. http://www.itatennis.com/AboutITA/HOF/Mens.htm.
Categories:- American tennis coaches
- University of Chicago alumni
- Living people
- 1917 births
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