by Matt Cooke
The winningest coach in Gulf South Conference men’s basketball history has received the league’s highest honor. Former UWG coach Ed Murphy was recently named as part of the Gulf South Conference Hall of Fame Class of 2015.
The newest Hall of Fame class was announced on Thursday, May 14, by the league office in Birmingham. The group includes three former coach/administrators and two volleyball players. Induction ceremonies are set for June 24 during the conference’s annual summer meetings at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort at Miramar Beach, Fl.
Murphy’s credentials as a Hall of Fame coach are without question. His 399 victories are more than any men’s basketball coach in GSC history. He is the only coach ever in the GSC, regardless of sport, to lead three different league institutions to conference titles and to berths in the NCAA Tournament.
At West Georgia, Murphy turned around a moribund basketball program when he arrived in 1993. Inheriting a perennial 20-game loser, he guided his first West Georgia team to the regular season GSC East title and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UWG was no stranger to success during Murphy’s 14 seasons as head coach. His teams won 273 games, made seven appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, and advanced to the 2002 Elite Eight for the only time in school history. Also, Murphy’s program produced six winners of the GSC Player of the Year honor.
Before his years at West Georgia, Murphy’s teams also excelled at two other GSC schools. He won league titles and advanced into the post season at both West Alabama and Delta State.
Four other GSC legends join Murphy in the Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Former Valdosta State baseball coach Tommy Thomas, and former UAH athletic director Jim Harris were tabbed from the coach-administrator ranks. Also set for induction are twin sisters Rachel Price-Bell and Ronda Price-Brinley – legendary volleyball players from North Alabama.
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Posted: May 18, 2015
