William Murphy

William E. Murphy (November 15, 1917 – May 16, 2005) was a Navy Cross winner in World War II, an American Championship tennis player and university coach.

Early life In 1941, he earned a Master's Degree in Physical Education from George Williams College in Chicago. In World War II as a dive bomber pilot in the Pacific, landing a bomb that helped sink the world's largest Japanese battleship Yamato, earning Navy Cross.

Career In 1948, he became the coach of the University of Michigan tennis team, where he remained for 21 years until 1969. He led Michigan to Eleven Big Ten Team Championships and the NCAA Team Championship in 1957. In 1970, he became the tennis coach at the University of Arizona until retiring in 1981. He remained in Tucson and died in 2005 at age 87. His wife, Mimi, died in June 2011. Chet died in 2016.

Player A native of Chicago, Illinois, Murphy and twin brother, Chet, played for the University of Chicago from 1937 to 1939. They led the school to three Big Ten Conference Tennis Championships. As a doubles team, they were undefeated in collegiate meets, including wins at the Big Ten Conference Doubles Championships in 1938 and 1939. They were the Finalist team at the 1939 NCAA Doubles Championship. The brothers won the doubles title over the Northwestern team, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5. John Shostrom won the No. 1 singles and the Murphy brothers won No. 2 and No. 3 singles. Bill beat Northwestern's Harry O'Neil, 6–0, 6–3.

In May 1939, the brothers led the university to its third straight Big Ten Conference Tennis Championship. The Associated Press wrote, "The University of Chicago, where the athletic habit of recent years has leaned toward defeat, now has a new complex well established – tennis championships." The Murphy brothers won their second consecutive Doubles Championship, and Chet won the No. 1 singles. The following week, he won the mixed doubles at the Longwood Cricket Club tennis tournament in Brookline, Massachusetts with Mary Arnold.

In August 1939, at the Meadow Club Invitation tournament in Southampton, New York, the brothers beat the team of Peacock and Imhoff, but lost a close doubles match against Wimbledon champions Bobby Riggs and Elwood Cooke. They won two of the first three sets but ultimately lost, 13–11, 3–6, 7–5, 4–6, 0–6. At Seabright, they beat Riggs and Bitsy Grant.

Coach Murphy was the tennis coach at the University of Michigan for 21 years from 1948–1969. His Michigan tennis teams won 11 Big Ten Conference Championships and the NCAA Team Championship in 1957. In 1953, he recruited three outstanding junior players: Mark Jaffe, Barry MacKay (tennis) and Dick Potter. They formed the core of his teams for three years. MacKay and Potter broke the Big Ten record held by Bill and Chet for most Big Ten Conference Doubles Championships with three. MacKay and Potter won the Big Ten Conference Doubles Championships in 1955, 1956, and 1957.

In 1970, Bill was hired by Dave Strack, Athletic Director at University of Arizona and former basketball coach at Michigan, as the tennis coach. He retired there in 1981, and lived in Tucson until his death in 2005 at age 87.

Coaching record at Michigan:

Recognition

Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 1984 (Chet followed in 1985). University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor (1983) Joint inductiong into the University of Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame (2003). Member of the USPTA President and Chairmen of the National Collegiate Tennis Coaches Association and National Collegiate Tennis Committee (1965 and 1966) Navy Cross for 72 combat missions in the Pacific and sinking Yamato Battleship Distinguished Flying Cross Four Air Medals during War Helped sink the Japanese Battleship Yamato, largest in the world