Billy J. Murphy
Quick Facts
Biography
Billy Jack "Spook" Murphy (January 13, 1921 – February 21, 2008) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Memphis State University—now known as the University of Memphis—from 1958 to 1971, compiling a record of 91–44–1. Murphy's 1963 team was the school's first undefeated team in 25 years, and Murphy was named national coach of the year. Murphy was also the athletic director at Memphis State from 1966 to 1981. He played college football at Mississippi State University.
Murphy met all eligibility requirements and was on the 2007 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, but was ultimately not selected for induction. He died in a retirement community in Memphis, Tennessee in 2008.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis State Tigers (NCAA College Division independent) (1958–1959) | |||||||||
| 1958 | Memphis State | 4–5 | |||||||
| 1959 | Memphis State | 6–4 | |||||||
| Memphis State Tigers (NCAA University Division independent) (1960–1967) | |||||||||
| 1960 | Memphis State | 8–2 | |||||||
| 1961 | Memphis State | 8–2 | |||||||
| 1962 | Memphis State | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1963 | Memphis State | 9–0–1 | 14 | ||||||
| 1964 | Memphis State | 5–4 | |||||||
| 1965 | Memphis State | 5–5 | |||||||
| 1966 | Memphis State | 7–2 | |||||||
| 1967 | Memphis State | 6–3 | |||||||
| Memphis State Tigers (Missouri Valley Conference) (1968–1971) | |||||||||
| 1968 | Memphis State | 6–4 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1969 | Memphis State | 8–2 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1970 | Memphis State | 6–4 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1971 | Memphis State | 5–6 | 2–1 | T–1st | W Pasadena | ||||
| Memphis: | 91–44–1 | 12–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 91–44–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
| #Rankings from final Coaches Poll. °Rankings from final AP Poll. | |||||||||