Trailblazer Olympian Linda Murphy Passes Away
Burbank has lost a true legend. Linda Murphy, a lifelong Burbank resident, athlete, and educator, has died, her family confirmed. She was 82.
A pioneer in the community's women’s movement, the John Burroughs High grad was also an Olympian and a longtime Burbank Unified teacher.
Murphy played on the city’s first youth softball team in the 1950s. She went on to be part of the first United States Olympic Women’s Team in 1964. She won a silver medal as part of the U.S. team that finished runner-up in the 1967 World Championships. She won a silver medal in the 1963 Pan American Games and a gold medal in the 1967 Pan American Games.
She also played for the Los Angeles Volleyball Club and the Long Beach Shamrocks. The Shamrocks won eight national titles between 1962 and 1970. In 1971, she received the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Player award. Decades later, she became the committee chair for the award.
Murphy also taught at John Muir Middle School and coached the Burroughs girls’ volleyball team from 1984 to 2002. “Linda was a daughter of Burbank, born and raised in the city she loved,” her nephew Nicholas Partida said. “Though her talents carried her to the world stage as an Olympian in the 1964 Olympics for women’s volleyball, her heart always brought her home. She lived with a moral compass that surpassed most, leading with integrity, strength, and quiet conviction. She believed in discipline, in kindness, in doing the right thing – even when it was hard. Her impact echoes through generations of students, athletes, and family and friends.”
Longtime Burroughs girls’ volleyball coach Edwin Real, who was Murphy’s assistant before becoming the head coach, shared thoughts of her.
A big loss in the Burroughs family. She set the competitive tone for Burroughs volleyball in the 1980s while competing in the Foothill League that still exists today. The character building and teamwork she instilled in her players will live on forever.” “For me personally, she was a great teacher, mentor, and friend. Her permanent motto, TOGETHER, still exists in many gyms around the world. She is a true legend.”
The Burbank City Council honored Murphy in 2023 as part of Women’s History Month.
As coach at Burroughs, the then-Indians went 177-152 and finished 85-93 in the Foothill League. Her teams won league titles in 1986 and 1994 and reached the CIF Southern Section playoff quarterfinals in 1986 and 1987, posting a combined 32-8 record during the two seasons.
Five of her players earned All-CIF honors.
Gina Punaro, who played for Murphy, recalled memories of her coach.
“I will be forever grateful to Ms. Murphy for seeing past what many would consider a disadvantage. She always believed in my athletic abilities and never once made me feel like I was too short to be on the court, even playing me at outside hitter and middle blocker at 5-foot-2,” Punaro said. ” Because she believed in me, I never felt anything was odd about standing across the net staring up at a 6-2 middle blocker from Canyon High School. Her trust in me is what gave me the confidence to go out and compete every time on the court.”
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Burroughs Main Gym on March 21 at 2 p.m. Casual attire is requested.
(Rick Assad contributed to this story).
A pioneer in the community's women’s movement, the John Burroughs High grad was also an Olympian and a longtime Burbank Unified teacher.
Murphy played on the city’s first youth softball team in the 1950s. She went on to be part of the first United States Olympic Women’s Team in 1964. She won a silver medal as part of the U.S. team that finished runner-up in the 1967 World Championships. She won a silver medal in the 1963 Pan American Games and a gold medal in the 1967 Pan American Games.
She also played for the Los Angeles Volleyball Club and the Long Beach Shamrocks. The Shamrocks won eight national titles between 1962 and 1970. In 1971, she received the USA Volleyball All-Time Great Player award. Decades later, she became the committee chair for the award.
Murphy also taught at John Muir Middle School and coached the Burroughs girls’ volleyball team from 1984 to 2002. “Linda was a daughter of Burbank, born and raised in the city she loved,” her nephew Nicholas Partida said. “Though her talents carried her to the world stage as an Olympian in the 1964 Olympics for women’s volleyball, her heart always brought her home. She lived with a moral compass that surpassed most, leading with integrity, strength, and quiet conviction. She believed in discipline, in kindness, in doing the right thing – even when it was hard. Her impact echoes through generations of students, athletes, and family and friends.”
Longtime Burroughs girls’ volleyball coach Edwin Real, who was Murphy’s assistant before becoming the head coach, shared thoughts of her.
A big loss in the Burroughs family. She set the competitive tone for Burroughs volleyball in the 1980s while competing in the Foothill League that still exists today. The character building and teamwork she instilled in her players will live on forever.” “For me personally, she was a great teacher, mentor, and friend. Her permanent motto, TOGETHER, still exists in many gyms around the world. She is a true legend.”
The Burbank City Council honored Murphy in 2023 as part of Women’s History Month.
As coach at Burroughs, the then-Indians went 177-152 and finished 85-93 in the Foothill League. Her teams won league titles in 1986 and 1994 and reached the CIF Southern Section playoff quarterfinals in 1986 and 1987, posting a combined 32-8 record during the two seasons.
Five of her players earned All-CIF honors.
Gina Punaro, who played for Murphy, recalled memories of her coach.
“I will be forever grateful to Ms. Murphy for seeing past what many would consider a disadvantage. She always believed in my athletic abilities and never once made me feel like I was too short to be on the court, even playing me at outside hitter and middle blocker at 5-foot-2,” Punaro said. ” Because she believed in me, I never felt anything was odd about standing across the net staring up at a 6-2 middle blocker from Canyon High School. Her trust in me is what gave me the confidence to go out and compete every time on the court.”
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Burroughs Main Gym on March 21 at 2 p.m. Casual attire is requested.
(Rick Assad contributed to this story).
|
Submission by Sharon R Becker, January of 2016
PHOTO: 1964 U.S.A. Women's Volleyball Team Back: Jean Gaertner, Lou Sara Galloway, Jane Ward, Linda Murphy, Barbara Harwerth, Verneda Thomas, Nancy Owen, Mary Jo Pepper. Front: Coach Dr. W. P. Burroughs, Patty Bright, Sharon Peterson, Gail O'Rourke, Mary Perry, manager Ida Litschauer. |
|
|
|
|
|
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - CSUN Athletics is mourning the passing of Linda Murphy, the first head coach in CSUN women's volleyball history, who passed away recently at the age of 82.
Murphy, a legend in the Southern California volleyball community, coached at CSUN from 1975-76, leading the Matadors to a 10-0 SCAA record and a conference championship in 1976. She posted an overall record of 46-19 in her two seasons at CSUN.
Murphy prepped at John Burroughs High School in Burbank and was a standout in volleyball, basketball and softball standout at Los Angeles Valley College from 1961-64 where she was later inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2014. She then played and coached at San Fernando Valley State (CSUN) before turning to high school coaching. She later played for the Los Angeles Volleyball Club and the Long Beach Shamrocks.
For many years she gave back to the volleyball community by running the Linda Murphy Summer Volleyball Camp and the SCVA Camp in Carpentaria. The City of Burbank also honored her for her long-time contributions. She coached volleyball for over 40 years at every level conceivable – elementary school through college and national club teams. She coached the only junior high school team to ever compete in California's Prep Nationals. She was instrumental in starting both of Burbank's public high school girls' volleyball teams.
Murphy is one of the most decorated Southern California volleyball players in history. At age 16, she joined The Sisters Volleyball Club and helped the Burbank team place third at USA Volleyball Open National Championships en route to being named an All-American.
An 11-time USVBA All-American and eight-time national champion with the Shamrocks, Murphy traveled internationally with the USA national team for many years, highlighted first in 1963 when the 6-2 middle blocker helped the Pan-American Games to the silver medal. She then played on the first USA Olympic Team in 1964, and stayed with the USA program that won a silver medal a the 1967 World Championships and a gold medal at the 1967 Pan-American Games. In 1971 she received the USA Volleyball "All-Time Great Player" award as one of the first 12 women selected for the national honor.
She was selected for the 2021 Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame (SCIVBHOF) Lifetime Service Award and was named to USA Volleyball's 75th Diamond All-Era Team that was selected from players from 1949-1977. She spent 40 years in coaching and returned to her home area of Burbank to be the volleyball coach at Burroughs High School from 1984-2002. She won two league titles and twice advanced to the CIF playoff quarter-finals.
She continued with USA Volleyball since 2007 as the chair of the "All-Time Great Player Award" committee that ensures that players from past generations are recognized for their contributions to the sport. For her continued work she was awarded the James E. Coleman USA National Team Award.
Murphy with the CSUN Beach Volleyball team in 2014
"Linda has been a fixture in support the SCIVBHOF since our first year in 2017 and is most deserving of this honor for her lifetime contributions to the sport," said Mike Gallups, SCIVBHOF President on presenting her award in 2021.
A celebration of life will be at the Burroughs High School main gym on Mar. 21 at 2 p.m.
#GoMatadors
Murphy, a legend in the Southern California volleyball community, coached at CSUN from 1975-76, leading the Matadors to a 10-0 SCAA record and a conference championship in 1976. She posted an overall record of 46-19 in her two seasons at CSUN.
Murphy prepped at John Burroughs High School in Burbank and was a standout in volleyball, basketball and softball standout at Los Angeles Valley College from 1961-64 where she was later inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2014. She then played and coached at San Fernando Valley State (CSUN) before turning to high school coaching. She later played for the Los Angeles Volleyball Club and the Long Beach Shamrocks.
For many years she gave back to the volleyball community by running the Linda Murphy Summer Volleyball Camp and the SCVA Camp in Carpentaria. The City of Burbank also honored her for her long-time contributions. She coached volleyball for over 40 years at every level conceivable – elementary school through college and national club teams. She coached the only junior high school team to ever compete in California's Prep Nationals. She was instrumental in starting both of Burbank's public high school girls' volleyball teams.
Murphy is one of the most decorated Southern California volleyball players in history. At age 16, she joined The Sisters Volleyball Club and helped the Burbank team place third at USA Volleyball Open National Championships en route to being named an All-American.
An 11-time USVBA All-American and eight-time national champion with the Shamrocks, Murphy traveled internationally with the USA national team for many years, highlighted first in 1963 when the 6-2 middle blocker helped the Pan-American Games to the silver medal. She then played on the first USA Olympic Team in 1964, and stayed with the USA program that won a silver medal a the 1967 World Championships and a gold medal at the 1967 Pan-American Games. In 1971 she received the USA Volleyball "All-Time Great Player" award as one of the first 12 women selected for the national honor.
She was selected for the 2021 Southern California Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame (SCIVBHOF) Lifetime Service Award and was named to USA Volleyball's 75th Diamond All-Era Team that was selected from players from 1949-1977. She spent 40 years in coaching and returned to her home area of Burbank to be the volleyball coach at Burroughs High School from 1984-2002. She won two league titles and twice advanced to the CIF playoff quarter-finals.
She continued with USA Volleyball since 2007 as the chair of the "All-Time Great Player Award" committee that ensures that players from past generations are recognized for their contributions to the sport. For her continued work she was awarded the James E. Coleman USA National Team Award.
Murphy with the CSUN Beach Volleyball team in 2014
"Linda has been a fixture in support the SCIVBHOF since our first year in 2017 and is most deserving of this honor for her lifetime contributions to the sport," said Mike Gallups, SCIVBHOF President on presenting her award in 2021.
A celebration of life will be at the Burroughs High School main gym on Mar. 21 at 2 p.m.
#GoMatadors
Providing all opportunities for young aspiring volleyball players in the US.