Former Maryville College coach Pat Murphy wins World Series

Former Maryville College head baseball coach Pat Murphy has reached the pinnacle of the baseball world. The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday to claim the franchise's first World Series title. 'It's incredible,' Murphy said. 'You know, I know the man Uke upstairs is looking down. I think about the city of Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin. They pushed us through for sure, and this group of guys right here, 2026 team will be remembered forever, and they deserve that because they were a team, and I couldn't be more grateful and more proud to be a Milwaukee Brewer.' Murphy's reference was to longtime Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, who died in January 2025. 'When you talk about this team, you got to talk about people who care about each other,' Murphy added. 'They're not worried about their own stats. No one cares about that. They care about coming together and winning tonight. And that's what we did. Win tonight. About 112 times. I can't be more grateful for this group of guys right here. Really, really special.' Murphy started his coaching career in Blount County after graduating from Florida Atlantic in 1982. He joined the MC football staff as a defensive secondary coach that fall under head coach Bobby Salor, then served as the Scots' head baseball coach in 1983. The 1982 Scots went 2-8 on the gridiron, opening the season with a 63-0 rout of Baptist University and beating Emory & Henry 12-7 on Oct. 2. Two of the losses came by a combined four points: 10-7 to Hampden-Sydney and 14-13 to Bridgewater. Maryville was outscored 251-146 on the season against a schedule that included Washington & Lee, Dayton, Millsaps, Randolph-Macon, Knoxville College and West Georgia. Murphy's time at Scotland Yard, MC's home field, lasted just one season, but he made it count. Records from that 1983 team are scarce, but Knox News recently reported that Murphy led the Scots to their 'highest win total in a decade.' Maryville College Athletics describes the 1980s as an up-and-down time for the program. Coaching changes and roster turnover led to eight straight losing seasons, but the Scots still produced All-Americans and record-setting hitters before the program rebounded in the 1990s. After Maryville, Murphy returned to Florida Atlantic as a graduate assistant before taking over at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in 1986. In his first season there, the Stags went 15-3 in league play to win the SCIAC title, their first since 1975, and climbed to No. 10 in the Division III national rankings. He went on to coach Notre Dame from 1988 to 1994 and Arizona State from 1995 to 2009, finishing his college career with 1,000 wins. Murphy left Arizona State in 2009 and joined the San Diego Padres organization the following year, managing in the minor leagues, including a 93-47 run with the short-season Eugene Emeralds. He was named the Padres' interim manager in June 2015. The Brewers hired him as bench coach in 2016 under Craig Counsell, whom Murphy had coached at Notre Dame. After eight seasons in that role, Murphy was promoted to manager in November 2023. Now in his third season as Milwaukee's manager, Murphy was named National League Manager of the Year in 2024 and 2025 and signed a multi-year contract extension in February before guiding the Brewers to their first Fall Classic title.