June 17, 2015

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Florida Atlantic University baseball Hall of Fame inductee Pat Murphy has been named the interim coach of the San Diego Padres for the remainder of the 2015 season.

"We are excited for Pat and his opportunity to manage the Padres," said FAU Head Coach John McCormack. "It is great to see one of our alums get this type of chance."

Murphy, 56, helped lead the Owls to a 42-14 mark and an appearance in the NAIA District 25 Tournament in the program's first full season in 1982. His team-best 2.66 ERA and six victories earned Murphy the team's Most Outstanding Pitcher award. The utility player was honored on FAU's 20th Anniversary Team in 2000 before he was elected to the FAU Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. Murphy earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees at FAU.

Following his career at FAU, Murphy played four years of professional baseball in the San Francisco Giants and Padres' organizations before beginning his collegiate coaching career at Maryville (Tenn.) College. He then returned to Boca Raton in 1984 to take an assistant position with the Owls for the next two seasons, helping guide the team to an 84-30 record and a Top-10 national presence in Division II.

In 1988, he accepted his first Division I job at Notre Dame where he took the Fighting Irish to three consecutive NCAA Regionals in the early 90s. Murphy's .732 win percentage at Notre Dame opened the door for his next stop at Arizona State, where he became a four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year and earned Baseball America's 1998 National Coach of the Year honor. With the Sun Devils, Murphy became the youngest collegiate coach to reach 500 wins in 1998 and went on to win his 1,000th game in 2009 before making the leap to coaching at the professional level.

Murphy joined the San Diego organization in 2010 and managed the Eugene Emeralds in 2011 and 2012 before stints with the Tucson Padres and, most recently, the El Paso Chihuahuas.

Between collegiate and professional jobs, Murphy boasts a career coaching record of 1,180-629-4.

Murphy takes over a star-studded San Diego club that currently sits in fourth place in the NL West at 32-35 overall.

"I know he will do well," McCormack said. "He is a tremendous baseball guy and has the respect of the players. I look forward to watching him manage."