 LOCAL AND STATE NEWS |
WILLIAM H. MURPHY, III, NOVEMBER 22, 1933-OCTOBER 18, 2009, WEEK OF OCTOBER 22-28, 2009
The Wilmington Journal
Originally posted 10/22/2009
BY HIS FAMILY
The Wilmington community pauses this week to celebrate the life and legacy of an icon, William E. Murphy, III.
Coach Murphy is a native of Wilmington. He is a 1954 graduate of Williston Senior High School where he developed his passion for the game of football. The Williston Tigers celebrated the presence of William Murphy as a defensive tackle where he was known to his teammates as, ''Big Train! Murphy completed his high school career and pursued further training at Voorhees College in South Carolina. Upon his return to Wilmington, he worked as an athletic director for the city of Wilmington.
This job carried him throughout the city establishing his reputation as a community organizer and setting in motion his lifelong enterprise of transforming the lives of children through the discipline of sports.
Within a few years, Murphy would find himself in the little wooden building, (the original 8th Street Center), impacting generations of Wilmingtonians with the rigor of self-control, self-discipline, self-respect and self-denial that was the hallmark of his demand for excellence as a team member on and off the field.
In recent years, Coach Murphy worked part time at the 8th Street Center which, because of his contribution, continues to be a viable part of the Wilmington community. He served as coach of the semi-professional team, the Wilmington Tigers, who are scheduled to play the Mason-Dixon Football League Championship game on Saturday at Legion Stadium. Because of his life of service, Coach Murphy was scheduled to be inducted into the Mason Dixon Football League Hall of Fame. This honor will be bestowed posthumously during the half-time ceremony of the game.
Off the field, Coach Murphy left an indelible impression as well. He was revered in the Wilmington community as a family man, one who loved everyone, and as one who had a big, big heart.
He was generous to a fault but his long range prospective into the lives of others was became the driving force behind his work. Most people look at children and just see children. Coach Murphy looked at children and saw lives filled with untapped potential. Coach Murphy tapped the potential and from his collection of Boogas (the girls) and Scrubs (the boys), he cultivated lives. As we celebrate the life of this great man, we also pause to reflect on our own lives in hopes that our lives will be lived with like passion, and like commitment.
Survivors
Leaves to cherish his memories his wife, Audrie Daniels-Murphy, his children, Glenda Felder (Oliver) of Bowling Green,VA, William of the City, Russell of Charlotte, NC, Portia Daniels-Murphy, Raleigh, NC and Torey Davis of the City; Eleven grandchildren, Terrance, Malcolm, Shanita, Melissa, Marcus, Charmaine, Brandon, Jamir, Torey, Jr., S'niyah and Treyvion ; one sister, Doris Nash and one brother James Murphy, both of the city; four nieces and nephews, Jerry Nash of Bladensberg, MD, Renee Murphy of Virginia Beach, VA, Samuel Brown, III (LaToya) of the City, and Evette Brown also of the City. Coach Murphy will forever be remembered by a host of Wilmington families who found him to be an excellent role model, an important father figure and a good friend.
Services
There will be a visitation from 4:00-8:00 p.m.on Satur-day, October 24, 2009 at John H. Shaw's Son Funeral Home, 520 Red Cross Street.
Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at Williston Middle School.
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