Patrick Murphy first softball coach inducted to Alabama Sports Hall of Fame

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - Alabama Softball coach Patrick Murphy was inducted into the Class of 2022 for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 7. The Crimson Tide’s head coach became the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’s first member for the sport of softball.

“I can’t thank everyone from the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame enough,” Murphy said in a press release from Alabama Softball. “It’s an incredible honor. This kind of thing doesn’t happen to a guy from a small town in Iowa.”

Murphy congratulated the other members inducted for the Class of 2022. He also talked about his goals for his coaching career.

“I wanted to have a family atmosphere, I wanted a team full of servant leaders, I wanted a team that was full of ‘mudita’ and I wanted everyone on the team to have an attitude of gratitude,” Murphy said.

Murphy is in his 26th year the University of Alabama, and his 24th year as head coach. He has guided UA’s softball team to 22 NCAA Tournaments and 13 Women’s College World Series appearances, including a national championship in 2012. He has been named SEC Coach of the Year five times, and earned six SEC regular season championships and five SEC Tournament titles as head coach. He was previously inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013.

University of Alabama Athletics Director Greg Byrne congratulated coach Murphy, saying, “We are so proud of him, not only for his accomplishments on the field, but also, and more importantly, for the impact he’s had on the lives of the many student-athletes that he’s coached. Coach Murphy helped build Alabama Softball from the ground up and has made it into one of the nation’s top programs. He deserves every bit of this recognition and is the true definition of a hall of famer.”

Murphy is one of eight members of this year’s Alabama Sports Hall of Fame class that also includes former Crimson Tide basketball standout Keith Askins along with Doyle Alexander, William Andrews, Rusty Greer, Jake Peavy, Philip Rivers and Justin Tuck.

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