Classmates, Friends, and Family of Kevin J. Murphy '71

Kevin J. Murphy was raised in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and enrolled at Frostburg State College in the fall of 1967. A four-year starter on the men’s basketball team and two-time team MVP, he graduated in 1971 with a degree in History Education. Three years later he became the 18th inductee into Bobcat Sports Hall of Fame. At the time of his induction, “Murph,” as he was known, was the all-time leading scorer in Frostburg history with 1656 points, had scored a career high 46 points in one game, and was the only player in school history to score 500 points in a season, which he did twice. He was a member of the 1970-71 team that had a record of 24-4, still the best in school history. Fifty-plus years after his graduation, many of Murphy’s achievements remain in the Frostburg record books. He is ranked fifth all-time in career points, second for points scored in a single game, and second for free throws made, to name a few.

After his graduation from Frostburg, Murphy spent more than thirty years teaching and coaching basketball in Washington County. Most of those years were spent as head boys’ basketball coach at Williamsport High School, where his teams made five trips to the Maryland Final Four, a county record. In 1985 he was the first Maryland high school coach to introduce the shot clock and the 3-point line on an experimental basis at Williamsport’s Christmas tournament. In addition to boys’ basketball, Murphy coached girls’ basketball, football, baseball, and cross country at various points in his career. He also founded and directed basketball tournaments, camps, and summer leagues. He was named Washington County Coach of the Year twice as well as Tri-State Coach of the Year. In 2011 he was inducted into the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2014 he received the Jim Riggleman Coaching Achievement Award from the Frostburg Baseball Alumni Association. His ties to Frostburg continued to the next generation with three of his four children Kevin, Kollin, and Kathryn–also graduating as Bobcats.

The Kevin Murphy Men’s Basketball scholarship was established by former NBA assistant coach Barry Hecker, a longtime friend and Frostburg graduate, and is supported by a number of fellow teammates, coaches, friends, and family members to help young athletes benefit from both the athletic and academic opportunities that FSU has to offer.