“I just want everyone in this room to realize, that I believe, that you are all heroes with what you do,” said Patrick Murphy, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide softball program. “I grew up in a small town called Fayette, Iowa. I graduated 10th in my class - out of 20. There were 964 people in Fayette, Iowa. I knew everybody K through 12 for my entire career.
“Small towns are the best. …One of my favorite phrases is ‘Small towns can create big time men and women.’ …You get to learn so much in a small town. You learn from everybody that you come in contact with.
“So what you have done as an educator - God bless you,” the coach said.
Murphy spoke Aug. 7 at the Thomasville City Schools District’s employee “Institute” at the Thomasville Civic Center.
Murphy has served at Alabama for 28 years. He is only the ninth coach in NCAA history to amass 1,200 wins. He has lead Alabama to 24 straight NCAA appearances, which has led to 17 Super Regionals and 14 Women’s College World Series appearances. The Crimson Tide won the National Championship in 2012.
Murphy’s grandmother “was probably the toughest, hardest worker I have ever met in my life,” he said. She went to Iowa State Teachers College, now Northern Iowa, where Murphy graduated from. She taught in a one room schoolhouse near Dumont, Iowa. She would teach K-12.
“One thing she taught me…`keep your forks.’ Murphy loves Red Velvet Cake. He knew from age 4, after the main meal, if you kept your fork, “that something better was about to hit the table. And it was dessert.
“…Whether you are a first year teacher or this is your last year, I want you to remember and truly believe - that the best is yet to come,” Murphy said. “High school kids - if you are a senior, the best is yet to come. …Make this school year the best one ever.”
In the UA softball program, “it is person first, athlete second - always. …You as teachers know that. You know your kids on a personal basis. …(In his program) I have 160 adopted daughters.
“…I believe in servant leadership,” the coach said. “Instead of saying ‘what can you do for me today,’ you turn it around, and everybody that you encounter on a daily basis, you go up to them and say ‘what can I do for you today? Murphy has an equipment manager who asks every day, without fail, “what can I do for you today?
“…Servant leadership - if you can get this in your schools, if we could get this in our politics …could you imagine how much better we would be as a society. …Do things for others - not for the promotion, the job, the status, or the money.”
Murphy also talked about creating “moments of wow!” There was a senior ceremony for a UA player, Courtney Gettins, a native of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. As the team lined up for the National Anthem, the flag of New Zealand was raised. The players and fans had the words to the New Zealand anthem.
A booster had distributed little New Zealand flags in the crowd. “When she (Gettins) turned around, she felt at home,” Murphy said. “…We created a moment of wow for her and her family.”
The coach also talked about the theme of his softball program, which came from the book, “Help the Helper: having vicarious joy in someone else’s success, in other words, mudita. …It can be taught.”
In the 2012 College World Series, the Crimson Tide had to beat the California Golden Bears to reach the championship series. The Cal team had a pitcher with a great changeup pitch. A UA role player Ryan Iamurri was able to steal the signs for the changeup, Murphy said. MVP UA pitcher Jackie Traina was at the plate, and Iamurri gave the signal, a key word.
Traina hits a home run, and the Tide wins. As Traina came home, she acknowledged Iamurri. “That was all you,” she told Iamurri. “I heard you. …It validated (Iamurri’s) spot on the team.
“The star player affirmed her behavior in front of everybody,” Murphy said. “She (Traina) didn’t say ‘me, me, me.’ I hit the home run. She looked at a teammate and affirmed her behavior.”