B. Russell Murphy
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Russell Murphy (July 6, 1889 – July 30, 1957) was an American
athlete, coach, and athletics administrator during the early 20th century. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania
, he coached at numerous schools in several sports including football
, basketball
and track
. Murphy was the first basketball coach at Johns Hopkins University
. He is also one of the few college football coaches to resign during the middle of his first year of coaching at a school.
and attended Millville High School before transferring to Peddie Institute
. While at Peddie he excelled in multiple sports. He played left tackle
on the football team for three years and was named captain of the 1908 squad coached V. R. Ford, a former star lineman from Colgate University
. In this season Peddie finished 2–3 with victories over Drexel Institute and Roman Catholic High School
both of Philadelphia and losses to The Hill School
, Blair Academy
and Bordentown Cadets. He played guard
and center
on the basketball
team including being named captain of the 1907-08 team under coach John D. Plant
. As a basketball player Murphy was known for his accurate passing and for his quickness for his five feet ten inches tall and 200 lbs body. In his senior season his overall play including five field goals
helped Peddie beat the Roman Catholic High School, the basketball champions of Philadelphia, 33–16. As a track and field
athlete he participated in the hammer throw
. In 1907 he finished second in the hammer throw at the Rutgers’ Interscholastic meet.
. During his freshman year at Penn, Murphy was elected captain of the freshman football team. He also was excelled as a member of the freshman basketball and track team. He lettered basketball in 1911 under head coach Charles Keinath
helping Penn to a 15–8 record including 5–3 mark in the Eastern Intercollegiate League.
, University of Pennsylvania, Peddie Institute
, St. Charles College
, and Johns Hopkins University
. His coaching duties included multiple sports including football, basketball and track. At Union College he served as athletic director as well as coaching both the basketball and track teams.
, and was student in the College of Physicians and Surgeons
in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to his football duties, he was responsible for rebuilding of the entire athletic department at Johns Hopkins.
Murphy coached three years at Johns Hopkins where he finished with a 6–11–4 record. In his first year, the 1917 team finished with a 1–6–2 record, defeating only Western Maryland College. The next year the team finished .500 with a 1–1–1 record. In his last year his 1919 team once again finished with a .500 record at 4–4–1.
Murphy was the first basketball coach at Johns Hopkins. He coached the 1919–20 squad to a 6–7 record including victories over Dartmouth and Lehigh and losses to Virginia Tech
and Virginia
.
in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
. Murphy was also named head of the Physical Training Department at Dickinson. He replaced future College Football Hall of Fame
inductee Glenn Killinger
as head football coach. Killinger had unexpectedly resigned. The official reason for the resignation was never given, but speculation was that the college administration did not like that he was also coaching a semi-pro team.
Murphy did several things before the season to help with the transition. He brought in the new players from high school and prep school to fall camp early so they could learn the system. Several football alumni were brought in to assist him in getting the team in shape. He also provided a training table at a local hotel.
Murphy only coached the first three games, all losses. Dickinson lost to a team from the United States Third Army, Navy
, and Muhlenberg. In those three games Murphy's team gave up 42 points while only scoring 7. These games were also marked by lack of communication with his assistant coaches and player discontent. In the Navy game his players refused to use Murphy's plays, instead using former coach Killinger’s offense. Due to these problems the Dickinson College athletic committee appointed Joseph Lightner
as Field Coach which caused Murphy to resign. He was replaced by Lightner as head coach, who completed the season and went on to coach at Dickinson until the end of the 1925 season.
Murphy's overall coaching record at Dickinson was 0–3
Since the NCAA
only recognizes games played against four-year degree-granting colleges, his official record at Dickinson is 0–2 This ranks him last at Dickinson in terms of total wins and winning percentage.
* Does not include the loss to a team US Third Army since the NCAA only recognizes games played against four-year degree-granting colleges
† incomplete
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete, coach, and athletics administrator during the early 20th century. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, he coached at numerous schools in several sports including football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. Murphy was the first basketball coach at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He is also one of the few college football coaches to resign during the middle of his first year of coaching at a school.
Early life
Murphy grew up in Millville, New JerseyMillville, New Jersey
Millville is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city population was 26,847. Millville, Bridgeton and Vineland are the three principal New Jersey cities of the Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
and attended Millville High School before transferring to Peddie Institute
Peddie School
The Peddie School is a college preparatory school in Hightstown, New Jersey, United States. It is a nondenominational, coeducational boarding school located on a 280‑acre campus, and serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades, plus a small post-graduate class...
. While at Peddie he excelled in multiple sports. He played left tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
on the football team for three years and was named captain of the 1908 squad coached V. R. Ford, a former star lineman from Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
. In this season Peddie finished 2–3 with victories over Drexel Institute and Roman Catholic High School
Roman Catholic High School for Boys
The Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia opened in 1890 as an all-male high school located at the intersection of Broad and Vine Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.-History:...
both of Philadelphia and losses to The Hill School
The Hill School
The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....
, Blair Academy
Blair Academy
Blair Academy is a private, coeducational, secondary boarding high school with an enrollment of about 448 students for grades nine through twelve. The school has 78 faculty members...
and Bordentown Cadets. He played guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
and center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
on the basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team including being named captain of the 1907-08 team under coach John D. Plant
John Plant (Bucknell coach)
John Plant was an athletic coach at Bucknell University from 1926–1947, including being the head basketball coach from 1926-1932.Plant was originally from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire,England. As a child, he served as a laborer in the pottery mills of Trenton, New Jersey. He often recalled that...
. As a basketball player Murphy was known for his accurate passing and for his quickness for his five feet ten inches tall and 200 lbs body. In his senior season his overall play including five field goals
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
helped Peddie beat the Roman Catholic High School, the basketball champions of Philadelphia, 33–16. As a track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete he participated in the hammer throw
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
. In 1907 he finished second in the hammer throw at the Rutgers’ Interscholastic meet.
College career
Murphy graduated from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. During his freshman year at Penn, Murphy was elected captain of the freshman football team. He also was excelled as a member of the freshman basketball and track team. He lettered basketball in 1911 under head coach Charles Keinath
Charles Keinath
-References:###...
helping Penn to a 15–8 record including 5–3 mark in the Eastern Intercollegiate League.
Coaching career
Murphy served as coach, both as a head coach and assistant coach, at numerous schools including Union CollegeUnion College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
, University of Pennsylvania, Peddie Institute
Peddie School
The Peddie School is a college preparatory school in Hightstown, New Jersey, United States. It is a nondenominational, coeducational boarding school located on a 280‑acre campus, and serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades, plus a small post-graduate class...
, St. Charles College
St. Charles College
St. Charles College may refer to:* St. Charles College, a Catholic seminary school in Ellicott City, Maryland,* St. Charles College , a now defunct Methodist college in St. Charles, Missouri...
, and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. His coaching duties included multiple sports including football, basketball and track. At Union College he served as athletic director as well as coaching both the basketball and track teams.
Johns Hopkins
In 1916 Johns Hopkins Athletic Board picked Murphy as coach for the 1917 football team. At the time of selection he was serving as the athletic director of the Gilman Country SchoolGilman School
Gilman School is a private preparatory school for boys located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1897 as the Country School for Boys, it was the first country day school in the United States. Gilman enrolls approximately 978 students, ranging from kindergarten to...
, and was student in the College of Physicians and Surgeons
College of Physicians and Surgeons
There are several educational institutions that are called the College of Physicians and Surgeons:*The College of Physicians and Surgeons which merged with the University of Maryland School of Medicine...
in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to his football duties, he was responsible for rebuilding of the entire athletic department at Johns Hopkins.
Murphy was the first basketball coach at Johns Hopkins. He coached the 1919–20 squad to a 6–7 record including victories over Dartmouth and Lehigh and losses to Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball
The Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Home games are played at Cassell Coliseum, located on Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg.-History:...
and Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball
The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball program represents the University of Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA's Division I. The team is coached by Tony Bennett.-Statistics:-Retired numbers:-Retired jerseys:...
.
Dickinson
In March 1923, Murphy was named the 17th head football coach at Dickinson CollegeDickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
in Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
. Murphy was also named head of the Physical Training Department at Dickinson. He replaced future College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
inductee Glenn Killinger
Glenn Killinger
William Glenn Killinger was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He letter in three sports at Pennsylvania State University, where he was an All-American in football in 1921...
as head football coach. Killinger had unexpectedly resigned. The official reason for the resignation was never given, but speculation was that the college administration did not like that he was also coaching a semi-pro team.
Murphy did several things before the season to help with the transition. He brought in the new players from high school and prep school to fall camp early so they could learn the system. Several football alumni were brought in to assist him in getting the team in shape. He also provided a training table at a local hotel.
Murphy only coached the first three games, all losses. Dickinson lost to a team from the United States Third Army, Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
, and Muhlenberg. In those three games Murphy's team gave up 42 points while only scoring 7. These games were also marked by lack of communication with his assistant coaches and player discontent. In the Navy game his players refused to use Murphy's plays, instead using former coach Killinger’s offense. Due to these problems the Dickinson College athletic committee appointed Joseph Lightner
Joseph Lightner
Joseph Lightner was the 18th head football coach for the Dickinson College Red Devils in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and he held that position for three seasons, from 1923 until 1925. His overall coaching record at Dickinson was 17 wins, 7 losses, and 2 ties...
as Field Coach which caused Murphy to resign. He was replaced by Lightner as head coach, who completed the season and went on to coach at Dickinson until the end of the 1925 season.
Murphy's overall coaching record at Dickinson was 0–3
Since the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
only recognizes games played against four-year degree-granting colleges, his official record at Dickinson is 0–2 This ranks him last at Dickinson in terms of total wins and winning percentage.
Other contributions
Murphy's contributions included writing "Athletics in the Army" and his membership in early rules committess and as a football official in the early days of the sport.Football
† incomplete