Charles M. "Bubber" Murphy (December 15, 1913 – January 31, 1999) was an American college football, college basketball, and college baseball coach and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Middle Tennessee State University from 1947 to 1968, compiling a record of 155–63–8. Murphy was also the head basketball coach at Middle Tennessee State for one season in 1948–49 and the head baseball coach at the school in 1951 and from 1953 to 1955. The Murphy Center, an athletic facility at Middle Tennessee State, was named in his honor when it was completed in 1972. In 1976, he was inducted to the Sports Hall of Fame at Middle Tennessee State and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.[1][2]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 15, 1913 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | January 31, 1999 (aged 85) Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1935–1937 | Middle Tennessee |
| Baseball | |
| 1936–1938 | Middle Tennessee |
| 1938 | Meridian Scrappers |
| 1938 | Jersey City Giants |
| 1939–1940 | Fort Smith Giants |
| 1941 | Meridian Eagles |
| Position(s) | First baseman, outfielder, second baseman (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1947–1968 | Middle Tennessee |
| Basketball | |
| 1948–1949 | Middle Tennessee |
| Baseball | |
| 1951–1955 | Middle Tennessee |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1947–1981 | Middle Tennessee |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 155–63–8 (football) 11–12 (basketball) 42–24–1 (baseball) |
| Bowls | 2–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 9 VSAC (1947, 1949–1953, 1955–1957) 7 OVC (1956–1959, 1962, 1964–1965) | |
| Awards | |
| Football OVC Coach of the Year (1965) | |
Murphy lettered in football, baseball, basketball, and tennis at Middle Tennessee. He then played professional baseball in the minor league system of the New York Giants. Murphy died of cancer, on January 31, 1999, at the Alvin C. York Veterans Administration Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.[3][4]
Head coaching record
editFootball
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (Volunteer State Athletic Conference) (1947–1951) | |||||||||
| 1947 | Middle Tennessee | 9–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1948 | Middle Tennessee | 5–5 | 2–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1949 | Middle Tennessee | 8–0–1 | 2–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1950 | Middle Tennessee | 9–2 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1951 | Middle Tennessee | 7–2–2 | 1st | ||||||
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (Ohio Valley Conference / Volunteer State Athletic Conference) (1952–1957) | |||||||||
| 1952 | Middle Tennessee | 6–5 | 2–2 (OVC) | 4th (OVC) / 1st (VSAC) | |||||
| 1953 | Middle Tennessee | 7–4 | 3–2 (OVC) | 3rd (OVC) / 1st (VSAC) | |||||
| 1954 | Middle Tennessee | 4–4–2 | 2–2–1 (OVC) | 4th (OVC) | |||||
| 1955 | Middle Tennessee | 7–2–1 | 4–1 (OVC) | 2nd (OVC) / 1st (VSAC) | |||||
| 1956 | Middle Tennessee | 7–3 | 5–0 (OVC) | 1st (OVC) / 1st (VSAC) | L Refrigerator | ||||
| 1957 | Middle Tennessee | 10–0 | 5–0 (OVC) | 1st (OVC) / 1st (VSAC) | |||||
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (Ohio Valley Conference) (1958–1968) | |||||||||
| 1958 | Middle Tennessee | 8–2 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1959 | Middle Tennessee | 10–0–1 | 5–0–1 | T–1st | W Tangerine | ||||
| 1960 | Middle Tennessee | 5–5 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1961 | Middle Tennessee | 7–4 | 5–1 | 2nd | L Tangerine | ||||
| 1962 | Middle Tennessee | 6–4 | 4–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 1963 | Middle Tennessee | 8–2 | 6–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1964 | Middle Tennessee | 8–2–1 | 6–1 | 1st | W Grantland Rice | ||||
| 1965 | Middle Tennessee | 10–0 | 7–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1966 | Middle Tennessee | 7–3 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1967 | Middle Tennessee | 5–5 | 4–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1968 | Middle Tennessee | 2–8 | 1–6 | T–7th | |||||
| Middle Tennessee: | 155–63–8 | ||||||||
| Total: | 155–63–8 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Charles "Bubber" Murphy". goblueraiders.com. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ "Murphy, Charles "Bubber"". tshf.net. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ Woody, Larry (February 2, 1999). "Murphy's legacy lives on in others". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 1C. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Winningest MTSU coach dies of cancer". Johnson City Press. Johnson City, Tennessee. February 2, 1999. p. 20. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
Further reading
edit- Pogue, Greg (June 8, 2015). "Making the case for MTSU's 'Bubber' Murphy". The Daily News Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)