Hall of Fame
Position: Coach
Years: Delaware (1940-42, 1946-50), Duke (1951-65)
Place of Birth: Rocky Mount, NC
Date of Birth: Sept. 9, 1908
Place of Death: Durham, NC
Date of Death: March 29, 1986
Bill Murray was something above the norm. A triple-threat halfback at Duke in the 1920s, Murray was the first Blue Devil ever to win All-Southern recognition. It was an omen! Beginning his coaching career at Winston-Salem's Children's Home, he compiled a record of 69-9-3, including one stretch of 35 victories. When he moved to Delaware in 1940, he produced three unbeaten teams and served as the school's Athletic Director. He left that post to succeed Wallace Wade as head coach at Duke. In his 15 seasons as gridiron boss at his alma mater, Murray won seven conference titles, was league coach of the year four times, defeated Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and downed Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Murray held several positions in the American Football Coaches Association, including that of Executive Director, served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hall of Fame and, in 1971, was given the supreme compliment from his fellow coaches when they presented him with the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award for service to the game. His record was 49-16-2 at Delaware, 93-51-9 at Duke, for 142-67-11 total.
