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As he enters his 26th season as the head coach of the Brown women's crew, John Murphy has firmly established himself as one of the premier coaches in the nation. Along with his wife, assistant coach Phoebe Murphy, he has won six NCAA championships in the 12 seasons since the competition began, and has never finished lower than fifth in the country. After winning the program's first championship in 1999, Murphy and the Bears went on to win again in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2008, an astonishing run of six titles in 10 years. Murphy is also a six-time winner of the EAWRC Coach of the Year award, taking home the honor in 1988, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2008.
In 2008, the most recent championship for Brown, the Bears easily won the team title with an impressive eight-point margin over second place Washington. The second varsity eight led the way for Bruno, winning a gold medal with a time of 6:42, more than two seconds ahead of the next boat. The varsity eight and varsity four each took the bronze, illustrating Brown's depth and team approach. The combination was enough to give the Bears 67 points, well ahead of the rest of the field.
At the 2007 NCAA Division I Rowing Championships in Oak Ridge, TN, all three of Bruno's crews made it into the Grand Finals and captured its fifth NCAA Championship in 10 years. After the season, Murphy guided the crew to a semifinal appearance at the Henley Royal Regatta in London, England. To top off the successful 2007 season, Murphy also had one student athlete named to the First Team of the District I ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team.
In 2004, the second varsity eight went undefeated as Brown captured first place in both the varsity and second varsity eight races at the national championships in Sacramento, CA. Brown finished its 2002 season undefeated in the regular season and ended with a record of 10-1, earning its third national title. In 2001 the Bears finished third in the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, GA. The team compiled an 11-1 overall record and captured its fourth straight Eastern Championship on Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey.
In 2000, Murphy was named the Division I Rowing Coach of the Year by the CRCA (College Rowing Coaches Association) after his crew captured its second consecutive NCAA Division I Rowing Championship with victories in the varsity and second varsity races at Cooper River. In addition to a second consecutive NCAA title, the Bears' won the 2000 Eastern Sprints title and an Ivy League championship. In 1999, Murphy led his crew to the first NCAA Division I Championship in Brown University history after defeating the University of Virginia by a three-second margin at the NCAA Championship at Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, California. The Bears' also captured the Eastern Sprints Championships and the Ivy Championship while setting a new course record.
Murphy coached the '98 women's crew team in the prestigious Henley Regatta in London, England. In 1997, he guided the crew to a third place finish at the inaugural NCAA women's rowing championship on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, California. That year, his varsity four won the first gold medals ever awarded at the NCAA championship. After finishing the 1996 season undefeated, Coach Murphy's crew became the first women's crew to capture the "Triple Crown" of collegiate racing - the Eastern Sprints, the IRAs, and the National Collegiate Rowing Championship. Murphy coached his crew to back-to-back IRA Championships in 1993 and 1994.
He also tallied an EAWRC team Championship in 1990, capturing the Charles G. Willing trophy after winning gold medals in the first varsity and the second varsity. Coach Murphy was recognized in '88 being named the EAWRC coach of the year after his varsity eight captured the Women's Eastern Sprints Championship for the first time in Brown history. Murphy began his coaching career in 1976 at Cal-Berkeley where he was responsible for the men's novice crew. He continued to coach the men's novice crew in 1977 and 1978.
In 1979-80, Murphy coached the women's novice crew at the University of Washington with the first novice eight going undefeated in the Pac-10 and claiming the West Coast Championship. Murphy returned to Cal-Berkeley as the novice women's coach in 1980, winning the Pac-10 West Coast Championship in 1981. His 1982 and 1983 crews were both silver medal winners and his 1984 crew were undefeated National Champions.
Murphy attended Kent School and Columbia University. At Kent, he captained the National Schoolboy Championship crew and rowed in the Royal Henley Regatta in his junior and senior years. He and his wife, Phoebe, have three children, Jack, Patrick, and Penelope, and reside in Barrington, Rhode Island.
Murphy's Career Awards
EAWRC Coach of the Year: 1988, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, & 2008
CRCA National Coach of the Year: 2000, 2004, & 2008
CRCA Regional Coach of the Year: 2000, 2002, & 2008
Words Unlimited Coach of the Year: 1999
Words Unlimited Co-Coach of the Year (with wife, Phoebe): 2007, 2008, & 2009
US Rowing Ernestine Bayer Award for significant contributions to women's rowing: 2007
Duffy Dwyer Memorial Award: 2004
Words Unlimited Team of the Year: 2004
Outstanding Athletic Achievement in Intercollegiate Athletics Award: 2002 & 2004
Murphy's Record at Brown
| Year | Overall | Ivy |
| 1985 | 4-5 | 1-3 |
| 1986 | 5-4 | 2-2 |
| 1987 | 4-2 |
4-1 |
| 1988 | 6-2 | 3-1 |
| 1989 | 2-5 | 1-2 |
| 1990 | 3-2 | 2-2 |
| 1991 | 1-4 | 1-3 |
| 1992 | 5-2 | 3-2 |
| 1993 | 4-2 | 3-1 |
| 1994 | 5-1 | 3-1 |
| 1995 | 5-1 | 3-1 |
| 1996 | 5-0 | 3-0 |
| 1997 | 5-1 | 3-1 |
| 1998 | 7-0 | 4-0 |
| 1999 | 10-1 | 4-0 |
| 2000 | 8-0 | 5-0 |
| 2001 | 11-1 | 4-0 |
| 2002 | 8-0 | 5-0 |
| 2003 | 8-1 | 4-1 |
| 2004 | 9-2 | 4-1 |
| 2005 | 6-4 | 2-3 |
| 2006 | 9-2 | 3-2 |
| 2007 | 8-1 | 4-1 |
| 2008 | 7-0 | 4-0 |
| 2009 | 7-3 | 3-1 |
| Totals | 152-46 | 78-29 |
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Entering her 22nd season with the Brown program, Phoebe Murphy, wife of Head Coach John Murphy, has helped lead the Bears to unprecedented success. Under the Murphy's leadership, Brown has become the winningest program in NCAA Championship history, winning six NCAA rowing championships in the last 10 years. Most recently, Murphy helped lead the Bears to the 2008 crown, their second consecutive title.
In the 2007 season, Murphy's novice eights and second varsity eights went undefeated during the regular season and went on to win the Grand Finals at the EAWRC Sprints. The second eights placed third at the NCAA Championships in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and helped Brown claim an NCAA Championship. In 2004, the second varsity eights and second novice eights went undefeated winning gold medals at the Eastern Sprints. The second varsity eights also placed first in the grand finals at the NCAA Championships.
In 1999, Murphy's first novice crew posted a perfect 10-0 record while the second novice boat compiled an unblemished record of 8-0. Both the first and second novice boats captured the EAWRC Championship. It is no surprise that she was voted the EAWRC novice coach of the year.
A distinguished athlete, Murphy began her career as a single sculler. She captained the Brown crew in 1980 and stroked the varsity four which won the National Championship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Her other accomplishments include a Junior National Championship at age 16, gold medals in the Lightweight single at the Head of the Charles in 1979 and 1980, and being a member of the United States Lightweight National Team which won gold medals at the U.S. Nationals as well as the Canadian Henley.
Phoebe and her husband, John, the women's varsity coach at Brown, reside in Barrington, Rhode Island with their three children, Jack, Patrick and Penelope.
Murphy's Career Awards
EAWRC Novice Coach of the Year: 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, & 2007
CRCA Assistant Coach of the Year: 2005
Words Unlimited Co-Coach of the Year (with husband John): 2007, 2008, & 2009
US Rowing Ernestine Bayer Award for significat contributions to
women's rowing: 2007
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Amanda Purcell enters her third year as part of the Brown coaching staff, having helped the Bears to a pair of top-five national finishes in her first two seasons, including winning their sixth NCAA Championship in 2008. Purcell came to Brown in September of 2007 from The Ohio State University where she spent one year as a volunteer assistant for the varsity rowing team. While coaching at OSU, Purcell helped lead her varsity four crew to a 10th place finish at the Division I NCAA Tournament last year. Also, in the spring of 2006, Purcell was the assistant novice and varsity coach for Upper Arlington High School and a volunteer novice assistant for OSU's varsity program.
Purcell earned her Bachelor of Music Education from OSU and was
a four-year member of the varsity rowing team. A standout rower
with the Buckeyes, Purcell was a member of the Big-Ten Boat of the
Week for five consecutive weeks in 2004, was Second Team All-Big
Ten in 2005, and was also a first team All-Central Region pick and
a first team Pocock All-American. In 2006, Purcell received an
invitation to the National Senior Elite Camp, but she decided not
to pursue it because of injury.
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