William Murphy (tennis)
| William E. "Bill" Murphy | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Nov 15, 1917 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | May 16, 2005 Tucson, Arizona |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Tennis coach |
| Years active | 1948–69 |
| Known for | Big Ten doubles tennis champion, 1938, 1939 Coached University of Michigan to NCAA team tennis championship, 1957 |
| Home town | Chicago, Illinois |
William E. "Bill" Murphy (November 15, 1917 – May 16, 2005) was an American Championship Tennis player and Coach. In 1938 and 1939, Murphy and his twin brother, Chet, won consecutive Big Ten Conference doubles championships while competing for the University of Chicago. Murphy won the 1939 Singles title at the Western Tennis Association tournament in Chicago. He earned a Master's Degree in Physical Education from George Williams college in Chicago in 1941. He was a War hero in World War II as a dive bomber pilot in the Pacific, helping sink the Battleship Yamato. In 1948, he became the Coach of the University of Michigan tennis team, where he remained for 21 years until 1969. He led Michigan to Eleven Big Ten Team Championships and the NCAA Team Championship in 1957.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Bill Murphy and twin brother, Chet, played for the University of Chicago from 1937 to 1939, leading the school to three Big Ten Conference Tennis Championships. As a doubles team, they were "undefeated in collegiate meets," including wins at the Big Ten Conference Doubles Championships in 1938 and 1939. They were also the Finalist team at the 1939 NCAA Doubles Championship.
In 1938, the Murphy brothers helped the undefeated University of Chicago tennis team score the first clean sweep in the history of the Big Ten Conference Tennis Championships by winning all Nine finals matches at Evanston, Illinois. The brothers won the doubles title over the Northwestern team, 5–7, 6–4, 7–5. John Shostrom won the No. 1 singles and the Murphy brothers won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles, with Bill beating Northwestern's Harry O'Neil, 6–0, 6–3. At the National level, the Murphy brothers were ranked as the #10 Doubles pair by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1938.
In May 1939, when the Murphy brothers led the University of Chicago to its third straight Big Ten Conference Tennis Championship, the Associated Press wrote: "The University of Chicago, where the athletic habit of recent years has leaned toward defeat, now has a new complex well established – tennis championships." The Murphy brothers won their second consecutive Doubles Championship, and Chet won the No. 1 singles. Bill Murphy qualified to play for the No. 2 Singles title, but defaulted due to an ailing back to save himself for the Doubles competition. In June 1939, the brothers were runners up in the NCAA Doubles Championship to Bob Peacock and Doug Imhoff, of the University of California-Berkeley, and Chet was runner up in the NCAA Singles Championship to Frank Guernsey of Rice in Texas.
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