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D. Murphy The W

Former Hinds Coach and Administrator Selected for Inaugural Hall of Fame

COLUMBUS, Miss. (Story courtesy of The W Athletics) - With its long and storied history in athletics - especially as it relates to women's intercollegiate competition - the Mississippi University for Women Athletics Department is proud to announce its Class of 2023 for induction into its inaugural The W Athletics Hall of Fame. The HOF ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 1, as a part of the Homecoming Week festivities at The W. 

The first student-athlete chosen to be inducted into The W Athletics Hall of Fame is former football coach and athletics administrator, Dot Murphy. The Starkville native is the most decorated women's basketball player in the long history of the program. She joined the squad in 1970 and immediately became a key cog in the team's run to the National Invitational Women's Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament national championship that year. The following season (1971-72), Murphy helped The W to a fourth-place finish in the first ever AIAW tournament. 

At The W, she was the first player to eclipse 1,000 career points and averaged better than 22 points per game for her four-year career at The W. 
Murphy earned a spot on the United States' first ever women's entry in the World University Games in the summer of 1973 in Moscow. With The W coach Jill Upton at the helm, the USA won a silver medal. While playing for the USA team in 1973, she was not just a teammate, but a roommate, with the soon-to-become legendary Pat Summitt, who was also on the squad. Murphy earned All-American honors in 1974. She later attended Mississippi State University where she met her future husband, Gene Murphy. 

Murphy was an assistant coach for the University of Tennessee Martin women's basketball team in 1975-76. Later that year, Itawamba Community College hired her as their head women's basketball coach where she spent one year. In 1977, The W hired Murphy to be their head coach where she stayed until 1982. 

After leaving The W, Murphy had another landmark moment for women in athletics. Gene Murphy was hired by Hinds Community College as defensive coordinator in 1983. Dot was eventually hired to be the wide receivers coach in August 1984, becoming the first-ever female college football coach in history. Murphy has coach multiple NFL players over her coaching career at Hinds and has had an impact on every athlete around her. Murphy coached at Hinds until 2018. Murphy won six State/Region titles with Hinds, helped lead Hinds to nine NJCAA Bowl Games, and coached multiple NJCAA All-Americans. 

Murphy was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2000, Sports Illustrated released their Top 50 Athletes from each state and Murphy was selected as one of the Top 50 athletes from the state of Mississippi.  In 2003, The Clarion-Ledger noted Murphy as the "greatest athlete in Mississippi University for Women history." 

The HOF ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 1, as a part of the Homecoming Week festivities at The W. Anyone interested in attending the inaugural The W Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony and Dinner can do so via The W Homecoming Week page Here. 

Full Press Release from The W: https://bit.ly/3DREBmf

 
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