Murphy's Law: Pat Murphy Brings Tradition to El Paso
It is a perfect night with the windows open and a soft breeze blowing in. The sound of kids playing outside on this late spring night is echoing throughout the neighborhood. Inside, the College World Series is on the television and a young boy is sitting down on the floor, paying attention to every detail.
Arizona State University is currently playing, and leading the charge for the Sun Devils is manager, Pat Murphy.
He continues to gather information like a sponge, memorizing every stat and story line. At one point he turns back to his parents and mentions, "I'm going to meet Pat Murphy one day."
Just so happens that same young boy would have the chance to sit down and interview Pat Murphy nine years later.
When I had the opportunity to sit down with Pat, I wasn't excited to meet a childhood idol of mine. I was excited to meet one of the great teachers of the game of baseball. How could any baseball fan not be?
The passion he has for the game is infectious, you can't help but be drawn into every word. Listening to his knowledge and his mindset about the game is nothing shy of extraordinary.
Murphy grew up in Syracuse, NY, and battling the elements of the upstate New York weather provided a mental toughness that helped him throughout his career.
"I think anybody that grows up in the northeast knows you don't complain or make excuses. It was easy playing baseball up there because we loved the game," Pat Murphy said.
Murphy continued, "Maybe we didn't have the best fields, maybe we didn't have the most opportunities, but we loved the game. All we wanted to do was play baseball."
Murphy was able to leave the bitter cold weather, attending Florida Atlantic University while receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees from there.
On the diamond, he pitched, played behind the plate and played in the infield. He was honored as a pitcher and as a utility player on FAU's 20th Anniversary All-Star team.
In 2008, he was inducted into the school's Baseball Hall of Fame.
After a few stints playing professional baseball, Murphy turned to coaching and before anyone knew, one of the greatest collegiate coaches began his reign of dominance in the NCAA.
Murphy began his coaching career at Maryville College in 1983 and soon would make his way to South Bend, Indiana, home of the University of Notre Dame, to start building one of the most dominant programs in the late 80's.
"I had a passion to help people, but I didn't have any idea how to coach. Yet, because I so passionate about it, that helped me reach to the players. They knew I cared about them," Murphy said.
Murphy ran ship for the Irish between 1988 and 1994, 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.
The Irish were labeled in 1992 by Baseball America as "the nation's fastest rising program."
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.
Serving as the head coach of the Arizona State University baseball team from the years of 1995-2009, Murphy built a juggernaut in college baseball.
During his 15-year tenure with the Sun Devils, he was named College Coach of the Year by Baseball America in 1998 and Pac-10 Coach of the Year on four occasions (2000, 07-09). Led ASU to four College World Series appearances. (1998, 2005, 2007, 2009) and four Pac-10 championships (2000, 07-09)
He also set one of the most impressive streaks in NCAA history.
On Feb. 15th, 2004 the Sun Devils were shut out. This shut-out loss to Oklahoma was the first shut-out ASU endured in 506 games. The Devils went 338-167-1 during the nine-year streak, averaging 9.4 runs per game.
ASU broke the previous record held by Coastal Carolina (349) on April 7th, 2001, exactly six years to the day when the Devils last suffered an offensive shutout. A streak which the Devils faced some of the most dominant pitchers including, Mark Prior (USC), Barry Zito (USC), Jered Weaver (Long Beach State), and Adam Johnson (CS Fullerton).
Yet, his impact isn't just on the diamond but on the campus, and in the classroom as well. In 2006, he donated $100,000 back to the Arizona State University baseball program to help fund facilities. The donation funded the "Tillman Room" in honor of Brothers Pat and Kevin Tillman and all American heroes.
His final win at the collegiate level was his 1,000th, leaving him with a career coaching record of 1,000 wins, 457 losses, and four ties. Murphy also posted a 55-33 record in postseason play.
In addition to his college coaching career, he was the skipper for the Dutch men's baseball team during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Helped led the Dutch National team to their best showing in international competition at the time, with a 3-4 record in the Sydney Games. The Netherlands placed fifth with wins over Australia, Cuba and their rival Italy.
Their 4-2 win versus the Cuban team was the Cuban's first loss in Olympic play at that time (21 straight victories).
According to NBCOlympics.com, the win for the Dutch is rated one of the top four upsets in Olympic team competition.
His international coaching doesn't end with the Sydney Olympics. In a pre-Olympic tournament, he led the Dutch to a victory against Team USA who was coached by Tommy Lasorda. Then in the summer of 1987, he led Holland to the European Championship, a victory that qualified the team to the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Now in professional baseball, Murphy is still winning and etching his name in baseball lore.
In 2011, he led the short season affiliate of the San Diego Padres, the Eugene Emeralds, to a league best 46-30 record. The record proved to be the most wins among all short-season clubs, setting a Northwest League record by winning 14-straight games.
In 2012, he led the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League to a 47-29 record, which was the best record in the league, but missed out on the playoffs due to finishing second in both halves of the season
This past year, in his first season with the organizations Triple-A affiliate, he led the Tucson Padres to a 77-67 record.
Entering his fifth season in the Padres organization, this is Murphy's second campaign as the manager for the organization's Triple-A affiliate.
Out of all the accomplishments and feats Murphy has etched on his resume, one thing stood out most of all. The way he builds relationships with his players and how he makes it look so easy.
"In this profession, the most important thing is my relationship with the players, and trying to help them any way I can," Murphy said.
Murphy is one of the most beloved managers in the game of baseball and not only does every player love playing for him, but they will go to world ends to fight for him.
"I loved playing for him. He doesn't expect much, all he wants from his players is to respect the game and to play hard and that is my type of guy. He is an old school type of manager," San Diego Padres outfielder Jeff Francoeur said.
Former ASU Sun Devil and Chihuahuas outfielder Travis Buck added, "It is huge to have a leader like Murph. When I played for him at ASU, he basically ran it (the program) like a big-league atmosphere. He treated us with respect but he expected us to play the game the right way. He got me mentally prepared for the next step."
"He is one of the best coaches and managers I have ever played for. It is pretty special I have the opportunity to play for him again," previous Sun Devil and Chihuahuas middle infielder Brooks Conrad said.
"What I will take away that is most important to me, is the relationships. The friends I have made, the people I have met, and seeing people accomplish great things is amazing for me," Murphy said.
Murphy added, "Baseball is a great game. It changes lives, it helps people believe in themselves, and it does a lot of good in the world."
Purchase your tickets now to watch Pat Murphy and the Chihuahuas play at Southwest University Park. For more information on 2014 Full Season Seat Information, please email [email protected] or call (915) 242-2000.