In Their Words is a weekly feature appearing Sundays in The Blade's sports section. Blade sports writer Dave Hackenberg talked with former University of Toledo football coach Jack Murphy on the eve of the 35th anniversary of a very special season.
In 1993, Terry Bowden led Auburn University to an 11-0 record in his rookie year as the Tigers' head coach. It was much-ballyhooed at the time - and remains stated as fact on numerous Internet sites, including biographical pieces that surface when doing a search on Bowden's name - that by going undefeated and untied he had done something never before accomplished by a first-year major college coach.
Not true. Bowden didn't even compile the most wins.
Thirty-five years ago this month, Jack Murphy opened his first preseason camp as coach at UT. His mandate for the 1971 season was a simple one: Don't screw up perfection. He didn't.
Murphy has become sort of the forgotten man. Never mind his being overshadowed by Bowden's more recent history. Heck, there are probably people right here in Toledo who associate Frank Lauterbur, and no other coach, with UT's famous 35-game winning streak that stretched from 1969-71.
Also not true.
Lauterbur led the Rockets to records of 11-0 in 1969 and 12-0 in '70. But he left after the latter season to become coach at the University of Iowa and Murphy, a former Lauterbur assistant who was coach at Heidelberg College, returned to UT after a one-year absence to take the reins for the 1971 season.
His Rockets, led by the dynamic duo of quarterback Chuck Ealey and defensive tackle Mel Long, went 12-0, including a 28-3 victory over Richmond in the Tangerine Bowl.
The 35-0 streak was snapped in the 1972 season-opener on the road against the University of Tampa, coached at the time by future Ohio State boss Earle Bruce. The talented cast of characters that created the streak was gone and proved hard to replace, and despite a couple more winning seasons along the way, Murphy resigned under pressure following the 1976 season with a 35-32 career mark at UT.
A native of Barberton, Ohio, Murphy came to Toledo as an assistant coach to Clive Rush in 1960 and became the defensive coordinator under Lauterbur in '63. He headed defenses that helped produce UT's first Mid-American Conference title in 1967 and helped get the 35-0 streak started in '69.
Murphy, who has been inducted in the Barberton, Heidelberg, and UT athletic halls of fame, never coached again after his final stint with the Rockets.
He spent 11 1/2 years as general sales manager for Seaway Beverage, and 12 years as manager of public and governmental affairs for Envirosafe. Retired since 2001, the 74-year-old Murphy and his wife of almost 52 years, Carol, have four children and eight grandchildren. He said his passions are grandkids, golf, and his family's cottage on Lake Erie near Port Clinton.
"WAS IT A daunting task, taking over in the midst of the streak? Maybe a little. But I was well aware of the talent, too, and talent is what wins. Going 12-0 my first year, well, I suppose it's a record somebody will break. But, sure, it still means a lot. It wasn't easy. There were a couple games that provided some uptight moments.
"The Villanova game, the second game of the year as I recall, was 7-7 late in the fourth quarter. Fortunately, Chuck got loose and hit a long pass to Glyn Smith. George Keim came in and kicked the field goal to win it. Then there was the Western Michigan game, when we were down two touchdowns in the second half. And Chuck brought us back to beat a very good team. [Ealey set five MAC records in the game and three fourth-quarter touchdowns produced a 35-24 win.]
"After the game, the Western Michigan coach, Bill Doolittle, said something like, 'I think God was leading that team.' Billy was referring to Toledo's quarterback, not Toledo's coach."
"CHUCK AND MEL LONG deserve every bit of acclaim that came their way. They were tremendous. But people sort of forget that Gary Hinkson was a tri-captain, too. He was a three-year starter at free safety and he was excellent. He had two interceptions down at Miami that year and he's still the [career] record-holder [with 18 interceptions]. He's a bright guy who has become a very successful businessman. Oh, there are so many people I could name. It was a great team."
"I'D BEEN AT Toledo for 10 years as an assistant and I was the [defensive] coordinator for the first undefeated team and, yes, I knew that was going to be a special time at UT. But it wasn't a hard decision to accept the head coaching job at Heidelberg when it was offered. I was anxious to spread my wings and see if I could fly. It was nice to go back and contribute something to my alma mater.
"We went 3-6 [in 1970] but 14 starters were freshmen. Our one recruiting class was excellent and it was the foundation for the Heidelberg team that won the [NCAA College Division] national championship two years later. I'm very proud I had a little something to do with that."
"THE STREAK ENDED at Tampa. Earle had a very gifted team and they just licked us [21-0]. There's no other way to put it. You know, 22 seniors graduated [after 1971] from the 35-0 teams and the cupboard was a little bare. We tried our best to re-capture that greatness. We had some wonderful players like Gene Swick, Don Seymour and John Ross. We tried, but we struggled."
"I NEVER COACHED again after I resigned. I'd been at it for 20 years and had some great moments and some not-so-great moments. I rode the fence for awhile. I wasn't without options as far as coaching. But we loved the Toledo area and I decided to stay and try something else. I was fortunate to get other opportunities. Some of the skills you learn in coaching carry over very well into the business world and I was able to have some success."
"WE GET CREDIT for bringing Tom Amstutz to the university. He wasn't highly recruited, but he was a good, tough kid out of Whitmer High. I think Tommy has done a remarkable job [as UT's coach since 2001]. His program never misses a beat. I try to get out and see him a couple times a year and get my fix. Yeah, after all these years, I still suffer from football withdrawal.
"Then I can go up in the stands and be a fan. My wife and I have season tickets and go to all the games. We sit outside and Carol out-cheers everybody in our section. I've been invited upstairs [into the suites] and I've been there a couple times. It's not my favorite place. It's hard to pay attention to the game and you can't hear the sounds of the game."
"IT MAKES ME feel good when folks come up and say, 'Hi, coach.' A lot of people still remember, which is nice. [Murphy laughs.] It's either that or they can't think of my name and 'Coach' is just easier."
Contact Dave Hackenberg at: dhack@theblade.com or 419-724-6398.
First Published August 13, 2006, 4:10 p.m.
