Reaching the 500-win plateau also will place Murphy within an elite circle of college basketball coaches who have claimed at least 500 career wins coaching at any level (NCAA I, II, and III).
The official men's basketball records book published by the NCAA lists coaches from all divisions with at least 500 career wins. Murphy will join that list of 77 coaches, led by Dean Smith who coached the University of North Carolina to a record 879 victories. Murphy also will share company with the likes of Jim Boeheim of Syracuse who has 528 wins to his credit through 22 years of coaching the Orangemen.
Murphy's Continentals have jumped out to a 5-0 start and sit atop the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) standings with a conference record of 3-0. Hamilton is among the top teams in the East Region, according to the NCAA Division III men's basketball regional rankings. Should the Continentals ride their winning streak to nine, Murphy will notch his 500th career win on January 19 against Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.
Murphy's teams have frequently been ranked among the nation's top 10 NCAA Division III programs. Murphy and his teams have posted winning records in each of the last 24 seasons, compiling a 475-150 (.760) record during that time, including 14 seasons of 20 or more wins.
Murphy, a 1960 graduate of Springfield College, has not had a losing season at Hamilton since the 1973-74 campaign (his fourth year as head coach) in which the Continentals posted a 6-17 record. He registered his best season record in 1990-91 with a 26-1 mark, with the only loss coming in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York championship game to Potsdam by the score of 85-80. In that season, the Continentals were undefeated (24-0) and ranked number one in the nation at the end of the regular season.
Murphy and the Continentals have racked up their share of ECAC championships. Before New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC–in which Hamilton also belongs) teams were eligible to compete in NCAA championships, the Continentals were invited to every ECAC Upstate New York Championship tournament since its inception for the 1974-75 season. Hamilton came away champion of that tournament 10 times–1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, and 1992.
From the time NESCAC teams were eligible to compete in NCAA championships beginning with the 1993-94 season, Murphy has led his Continentals to the NCAA tournament four consecutive years, including two "sweet sixteen" appearances, the most recent coming last year.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has recognized Murphy for his achievements on numerous occasions. He was named the NABC Division III Coach of the Year in 1978-79 and 1990-91, and NABC East Region Coach of the Year after the 1982-83 season. In August 1998, Murphy was inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame.
Murphy also has a knack for developing players to their fullest potential, as evidenced by the list of All-Americans who have played for him. In all but six of the last 22 seasons, at least one Hamilton player has been named to an All-America team, including Michael Schantz, a senior on this year's team who earned NABC first-team All-America honors last season.
Cedric Oliver (1975-79), a three-time All-America choice, was twice named the NCAA Division III Player of the Year and was later drafted by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Two-time All-American John Cavanaugh (1983-87) was the third overall selection in the 1987 Continental Basketball Association (CBA) draft. Michael Nelson (1987-91) was also a three-time All-American, and Mike Smith (1988-92) earned the honor in both 1990-91 and 1991-92.
A native of Milford, Conn., Murphy came to Hamilton from Belleville (NY) High School where his teams registered a national-record 83 consecutive victories.
THE MURPHY FILE
Name: Tom Murphy
Occupation: Athletic Director and men's basketball coach, Hamilton College
Age: 60
Family: wife, JoAnn; sons Michael and Brian
Hometown: Milford, Conn.
College: Springfield, Mass., graduated 1960
Hamilton coaching record: 496 wins through 28 years (includes five wins this season)
Honors:
oNational Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III Coach of the Year, 1978-79 and 1990-91
oNABC East Region Coach of the Year, 1982-83
o10 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York Titles
oFour consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (1995-1998)
oNew York State Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (August 1998)
MURPHY'S MILESTONES
Milestone wins in Hamilton coach Tom Murphy's career:
Win Season Opponent Score
1 1970-71 Utica 80-71
100 1978-79 Eisenhower 81-65
200 1983-84 Elmira 80-68
300 1988-89 Clark 111-91
400 1992-93 Skidmore 108-83
MURPHY'S YEAR-BY-YEA
