Gene Murphy

Gene Murphy (August 6, 1939 - October 29, 2011) was an American football player and coach. He was a quarterback for the University of North Dakota from 1960-1962.^[1] He then moved into an assistant coaching position, where he remained until 1977.^[2] He served as head coach for the team from 1978-1979.^[3] The team went 15-7 in his two seasons, winning the North Central Conference and advancing to the NCAA Division playoffs in 1979.^[4][5]

In 1980, Gene Murphy was named head football coach at California State University, Fullerton.^[6] He coached the team from 1980 to the end of the program in 1992.^[7][8][9] His team won the Pacific Coast Athletic Association championships in 1983 and 1984.^{[10][11][12][13]} The 1984 team was ranked in the National Top 20.^[14] His assistants included future NFL head coaches Steve Mariucci, Tom Cable and Hue Jackson.^[15][16][17] Notable former players include Damon Allen, Mike Pringle, Bobby Kemp, Mark Collins and Jim Thornton.^[18] In 1999, Gene Murphy was inducted into both the University of North Dakota Hall of Fame and the Cal State Fullerton Athletics Hall of Fame.^[19][20]

After Cal State Fullerton dropped its football program, Gene Murphy served as head coach at Fullerton College from 1993 to 2007.^[21][22] He remained a consultant with the program until his death.^[23][24] He died at age 72 on October 29, 2011 in the University of Southern California hospital in Los Angeles, four days after undergoing surgery for cancer of the esophagus.^[25][26][27] He is survived by his daughter Aileen, her mother Christine McCarthy, his two adult sons, Tim and Mike, and his four grandchildren.^[28]

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