V7 N. 5 Frank Murphy R.I.P. Jim Murphy USAFA HOF

Frank Murphy  R.I.P.

Frank Murphy the Villanova University  880 and miler of the 1960s passed away this week of Parkinson's disease at the age of 69.  

The two-time Olympian for Ireland (1968 and 1972) was on NCAA cross country winning teams in 1966, 67 and 68. In track, he was a member of 8 Penn Relays title teams and is in the Penn Relays Wall of Fame. At NCAAs, he anchored Villanova to DMR titles in 1968 and 1969. Individually, he won the NCAA 880 indoor title in 1969 - the same year he won the IC4a 1k crown. 

Frank Murphy seen here in third place on the cinders in Ireland

Murphy also represented Ireland at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and was a medalist at the European Championships.

A nice review of Murphy's life written well before he died is at the following link written by Ian o'Riordan of the Irish Times  from Nov. 29, 2014
Distance Runners Contemplate the Price of Pushing Pain Barriers

Jim Murphy into USAFA Hall of Fame

The second Murphy making news this week is Jim Murphy former US Air Force Academy great who was recently put into the USAFA Hall of Fame.

Jim Murphy is a 1965 Academy graduate and was the school’s first NCAA champion, winning the 5,000-meter run at the 1964 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He also finished third in the 1964 NCAA cross country championships. Murphy was the track and field and cross country program’s first All-American in each sport. He remains ranked among the program’s top-10 in the outdoor 5,000-meter run, ranking eighth with a 14:06.60. Murphy was named the USAFA Most Valuable Athlete in 1965 and was a recipient of an NCAA post-graduate scholarship.  

Of note:  Murphy's 1964 NCAA title was shared with Bill Straub of Army. The two finished in a dead heat at Eugene.   Film of that race as well as the whole meet is available at the U. of Oregon archives.  
Use this link to the 1964 NCAA meet.  The 5000 meters race can be found at aprroximately 4:32 into the clip.
1964 NCAA Meet U. of Oregon