George "Mike" Murphy
Yale's freshman coach 1923-1928
Wisconsin's Crew Coach 1929-1934
George "Mike" Murphy, a graduate of the University of Washington, rowed on the Washington crew for 3 years and was captain and stroke of the 1922 varsity. Murphy and fellow rower, Bob Ingram were credited with proposing the idea of "the Husky" as the new mascot for Washington.
When Washington's coach, Edwin "Ed" Leader was hired as head coach for Yale, he invited Murphy to go with him to serve as freshman coach. Murphy would remain at Yale through 1928 when Wisconsin hired him as head coach in December of that year.
When Murphy came to Wisconsin in 1929, the crew budget was minimal and it led to alumni and community members stepping in to form the Wisconsin Crew Corporation to support the rowing program financially. Despite finanical limitations, Murphy's crews continued to row at Poughkeepsie, finishing 5th in 1929, 8th in 1930 and 1931. The crew was able to attend in 1931 as a result of the student body's fundraising efforts on campus. Wisconsin would not send a crew to Poughkeepsie in 1932.
Due to the financial struggles at the University of Wisconsin as well as the impact of the Great Depression, an agreement was made in 1932 between Murphy and the University that he would take a salary reduction from $5000 to $1500 in order to preserve the crew program. In agreeing to do this, Murphy ensured that men's crew would remain a sport at Wisconsin. He agreed to do this provided his savings would support him and that his salary would be enlarged when more funding was available.
The funding situation did not improve for some time and they did not compete at Poughkeepsie in 1934 either. Finally at the end of 1934, the athletic department had a surplus, but they did not raise Murphy's salary and by this time his savings had run out. As a result of this, he left Wisconsin to find a job that would allow him to support himself. He would not return to coaching.
Prior to attending the University of Washington, Murphy had served in the National Guard on the Mexico border and was a machine gunner in World War I. He would enlist in the Marines in World War II as a lieutenant and would finish his service as a major training soldiers how to find jobs in civilian life.
He would go on to develop patents for hydraulic loading mechanisms for trucks that he sold to the Heil Company in Milwaukee. He retired from Heil in 1964.
Sources about Murphy:
Wisconsin Where They Row: A History of Varsity Rowing at the University of Wisconsin by Bradley F. Taylor
Image Gallery
