Ed Murphy

Edward Murphy (born January 14, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player. During his playing career, Murphy was nicknamed Radar, "Lucky Luke", and "Ed-la-Gâchette", which in French means, “Ed-the-Trigger”. During his pro club career, Murphy won two European-wide third-tier level FIBA Korać Cup championships, in the 1981–82 and 1982–83 seasons. He also won the Belgian Basketball League championship in the 1979–80 season, three French Pro A League championships (1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85), three French Federation Cup titles (1981–82, 1982–83, and 1984–85), and two Swiss Cup titles (1985–86 and 1986–87).

In 2016, Murphy's number 8 jersey was retired by Limoges CSP. In 2020, he was named the French League's Best Foreign Player of the 20th Century. Murphy was inducted into the French Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2021.

Early life and high school career Edward Murphy, more commonly known as Ed Murphy, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He started playing in organized school basketball competitions at a very young age, where he showed himself to be a young prodigy in the sport. At the age of 10, in an elementary school game, Murphy scored 68 points.

He later attended Marist High School. While at Marist High, the 6'4" tall shooting guard-small forward played high school basketball. At Marist, he quickly proved himself as a player, after spending hours of training working on adjusting his jump shots and overall basketball technique.

College career In 1974, Murphy decided to attend Merrimack College, where he played college basketball with the Merrimack Warriors, in the NCAA Division II, until 1978. In his 1974–75 college freshman season, Murphy, who was known for his long-distance shooting, averaged 15.0 points per game. In his 1975–76 college sophomore season, he averaged 23.0 points per game, and he was an NCAA II Second Team All-American selection.

During his junior season in 1976–77, Murphy led the NCAA division II in scoring, with an average of 32.0 points per game. During that same season, he set the Merrimack single-season school records, for both per game scoring average, at 32.0, and for the most total points scored in a single season, with 896. He was an NCAA division II First Team All-American selection for the 1976–77 season.

In his 1977–78 college senior season, Murphy averaged 31.3 points per game. He was also an NCAA II First Team All-American selection for the 1977–78 season. While at Merrimack, Murphy twice led the school to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16, in the 1976–77 and the 1977–78 seasons, where they lost both times to the Sacred Heart Pioneers. Murphy's career single-game scoring high with Merrimack was 48 points.

Professional career Murphy was selected by the Atlanta Hawks, in the 8th round of the 1978 NBA draft, with the 160th overall draft pick. Since Murphy played at a small college basketball program, in the NCAA's Second Division, the Atlanta Hawks' management were only willing to offer him a non-guaranteed contract. As a result, Murphy never played in the NBA, and instead decided to play professional club basketball in Europe. In September 1982, Murphy told the French basketball magazine Maxi-Basket, "It is too hard to hold on. So in the fall of '78, I decided to find a job. I worked for two months in the United Parcel Service, and in November, I got a call from Glinder Torain, who placed American players in Europe. I decided to come try my luck in the Netherlands". His contract in the Netherlands was the result of advice that was given to the club by the sports agent Glinder Torain,

Murphy's performance provoked the ire of EBBC Den Bosch's head coach, Ton Boot. With a scoring average of 35.8 points per contest, Murphy was the leading scorer of the Dutch League, in the 1978–79 season.

Murphy was the French League's Best Scorer in four straight seasons (1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85). He was also named the French League's Foreign Player's MVP of the 1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85 seasons. During his time with the club, Murphy helped Limoges win three French national league championship titles (1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85), three French Federation Cup titles, (1981–82, 1982–83, and 1984–85), and two European-wide third-tier level FIBA Korać Cup titles (1981–82 and 1982–83).

In the European third-tier FIBA Korać Cup's 1981–82 season, Murphy averaged 29.3 points per game. He also led his team to the league's championship. In the 1982 Korać Cup Final, Limoges defeated the Yugoslav League club Šibenka, and its legendary star player, Dražen Petrović, by a score of 90 to 84. Murphy was the FIBA Korać Cup Finals Top Scorer, with 35 points scored.

In the following FIBA Korać Cup 1982–83 season, Murphy averaged 28.6 points per game. He also again led his team to the league's championship. In the 1983 Korać Cup Final, Limoges once again defeated Šibenka, which was still led by Dražen Petrović, by a score of 94 to 86. Murphy was also once again the FIBA Korać Cup Finals Top Scorer, with 34 points scored.

In Europe's top-tier level competition, the FIBA European Champions' Cup (EuroLeague), Murphy averaged 33.0 points per game in the 1983–84 season. In the FIBA European Champions' Cup's 1984–85 season, Murphy averaged 30.5 points per game. On 17 November 1984, during his last season with Limoges (1984–85), Murphy scored 53 points, in a French League game against ES Avignon.

When reflecting on how his Limoges stint ended, at the conclusion of the 1984–85 season, Murphy said years later, "We had like a verbal agreement of a two-year contract, with Limoges, for two more years. But I couldn’t play, my Achilles… I never missed a game in four years. I was in pain, and I was getting treatment. I hadn't been practicing or anything, and they said I had to go, and I didn’t play in a game. And then Xavier Popelier (Limoges CSP's Chairman at the time), came in and told me I was no more on the team. So that is how my career ended in Limoges. (...) Back then, if you were an American, they would just change the American."

Over 30 years after he last played with Limoges, Murphy stated the following about his days spent with the club during home games, "I never played in a more exciting place. I never played in front of a public that vocal, that loud." During that 1985–86 season, he scored 49 points in a Swiss League game against Viagenello. He was named the Swiss League's Foreign Player's MVP that season.

Murphy suffered a serious injury, acute phlebitis of the scapula, and because of that, he only played in a total of two Swiss national domestic league games, and one game in the European-wide second-tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup for the team, in the 1986–87 campaign. He averaged 20.0 points per game in the Swiss League, in those two games played, and also 20.0 points per game in the one FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup game that he played in.

In the 1987–88 season, Murphy scored an average of 39.9 points a contest in the Swiss League for Geneva. During that same season in the Swiss League, he had a single-game season-high of 54 points, a total of four games in which he scored 50 points or more, and another 15 games in which he scored 40-plus points. Murphy also averaged 38.5 points per game in the European secondary level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup's 1987–88 campaign.

Nyon 1988–1990 Murphy moved to the Swiss Basketball League club BBC Nyon, for the 1988–89 season. During that 1988–89 season, he averaged 36.8 points per game in the Swiss League, and 22.5 points per game in the European-wide third-tier level FIBA Korać Cup's 1988–89 season. In that season's Swiss League, he had six 40+ point games, and single-game season highs of 54 points against Chêne Basket Geneve, on 16 November 1988, and 55 points against SF Lausanne Basket, on 19 November 1988.

In the following 1989–90 season, Murphy averaged 32.1 points per game in the Swiss League, and 28.0 points per game in the European third level FIBA Korać Cup's 1989–90 season. In that season's Swiss League, he had another six 40+ point games, and single-game season highs of 49 points against SF Lausanne Basket, on 21 October 1989, and 49 points against Pully, on 17 February 1990. In 1990, after finishing the 1989–90 season with Nyon, Murphy retired from playing professional club basketball, at the age of 34.

Retirement Murphy is married he and his wife have three daughters. Since retirement he has worked as a supervisor at Hasbro, a company that designs toys, such as Monopoly.