William Murphy

Long before Bill Murphy went onto a great coaching career, he and his twin brother Chet were standout players at the University of Chicago, reaching the finals of the NCAA doubles in 1939. Murphy coached at Michigan from 1949-69, winning 11 Big 10 titles and compiling a record of 198-45. Murphy’s Michigan squads won 47 straight dual matches at one point, a Big 10 record. In 1957, the Wolverines captured the NCAA team title, with star, and fellow Hall of Famer, Barry McKay winning the singles championship. In 1973, Murphy became the head coach at Arizona, where his teams went 99-44 from 1973-80 and won four Western Athletic Conference titles. The Wildcats finished 10th in the NCAAs in 1973 and eighth the following year. Murphy also served as a chairman of the NCAA Tennis Committee and was a past president of the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Association, the predecessor to the current ITA. Murphy, who was a Navy pilot during World War II and also wrote five books on tennis, died in 2005 at age 87.