WINSTON-SALEM, – A former SC State football and track and field standout was among the 2012 Class of Inductees into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame on Friday (Mar. 9).
The Bulldogs' Philip Murphy (1976-1980) and four other athletes were enshrined during a 9 a.m. at the Benton Convention Center. The event was held in conjunction with the MEAC's annual basketball tournament being played at the Joel Coliseum (Mar. 5-10).

Also inducted were Amber Alford (softball) of Florida A&M, Jermaine “JD” Hall (football) of Bethune-Cookman, Alisha Hill (basketball) of Howard and Tarvis Williams (basketball) of Hampton. Hall was inducted posthumously.

Murphy, a Middletown, Connecticut native, came to SC State in 1976 and went on to earn All-America and All-MEAC honors in football and track and field. He also played basketball one season.

Murphy, who played defensive line for the Bulldogs before being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1980 NFL draft, became the 18th inductee from SC State in the prestigious hall. He was presented by his 22-year old daughter, Rebecca Murphy, a senior and Dean's List student at Temple University.

Six of Murphy's former teammates attended the event to support his enshrinement. They included offensive linemen Dave Brown and Arthur Prescott, center Greg Holden, running backs Rickey Anderson and Anthony Reed, and linebacker Eugene Grant.

Also representing SC State were President and Mrs. George Cooper, athletics director Charlene Johnson, head football coach emeritus Willie Jeffries -- who coached Murphy at SC State – and his wife Mary, current head football coach Buddy Pough and his wife Josie, senior woman administrator Mary Hill, academic liaison Jennifer Saxon, sports information director Bill Hamilton, and alumnus Gail Redford.

Coach Jeffries, Anderson and Hamilton were earlier enshrined in the MEAC Hall.
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